It's Gotta Go Somewhere

Trey Smith

In the lead-up to Hurricane/Tropical Storm Isaac, one of the reporters at The Weather Channel was interviewing some official tied to New Orleans about the newly-installed surge gates. It was said that, when a dangerous storm approached, the massive gates would be closed and these barriers would keep the water from drowning the city.

Sounds like a nifty plan, I thought, but won't that simply shift the water somewhere else? If there is x amount of water and it's kept from charging in to New Orleans, won't it simply swamp areas outside of the city?

Turns out my suspicions are shared by some of the folks who live in the suburbs and towns outside the Big Easy. According to The Guardian,

Strengthened levees may have saved New Orleans from catastrophe as hurricane Isaac swept through Louisiana, but residents of outlying areas believe the city's upgraded defenses contributed to the flooding that wrecked their homes.

Outside the protection of the costly new federal shield that rings the city, some flood barriers were overwhelmed and, in scenes reminiscent of Katrina, many people had to be rescued from rooftops as floodwaters submerged their streets.

Some of those whose homes were damaged claimed that New Orleans's upgraded levees had done them more harm than good.

For me, this offers yet another example of the westernized idea of isolation. When you see yourself, your family or your group as an isolated entity, you simply don't think about the ramifications your actions will have on others. You do what you feel is best for yourself and let others solve their own damn problems...even when what YOU do creates the problems others have to deal with!

By focusing solely on the City of New Orleans at the expense of the surrounding communities, New Orleans was saved by flooding everyone else.