Katrina Lessons Forgotten?

6 January 2007 - 8:00am

As rebuilding continues in New Orleans, many homes are being built in the floodplain without raised foundations, leading many to believe that the tough lessons learned during Hurricane Katrina have already been forgotten.

"After Katrina, teams of planners recommended that broad swaths of vulnerable neighborhoods be abandoned. Yet all areas of the city have at least some residents beginning to rebuild. With billions of dollars in federal relief for homeowners trickling in, more people are expected to follow."

"Moreover, while new federal guidelines call for raising houses to reduce the damage of future floods, most returning homeowners do not have to comply or are finding ways around the costly requirement, according to city officials."

Source: The Washington Post, January 4, 2007