By
ceh017@latech.edu
Devastating hurricanes have left
The problem dates back to 1718 when New Orleans was the
capital of Louisiana. After seeing the port location and market success, the
city began to grow. Now after recent hurricanes, an engineer’s job and opinion
is pertinent to the rebirth of New Orleans.
“There are many reasons to build New Orleans in its
current location, but there are not many good engineering reasons to rebuild
New Orleans in its current location,” Dixie Griffin, a professor of civil
engineering, said.
Much of the city lies below sea level.
Griffin said the problem is not with the Industrial Canal
levee system.
“The levees were built properly,” Griffin said. “This has
been an accident waiting to happen.”
Students are getting a first-hand look at the importance
of hydrology and other aspects of engineering after an incident like this,
Griffin said.
Luke Miller, a senior civil engineering major, said he
understands the role of what he has been taught in his classes now.
“The design met what it was supposed to withstand, but
not for the worst scenario,” Miller said. “Mother nature always wins.”
Freddy Roberts, a professor of civil engineering, said a
hurricane is not a new problem to the area.
“There are no excuses; everybody knew,” Roberts said.
“This is not a surprise; it was simply a question of when it would happen.”
The devastation has made everyone realize what should
have been a priority in the first place, the construction of the levee, Roberts
said.
“The levee was not high enough for the category three
designed storm surge,” Roberts said. “Responsibility [for something like this]
starts at the local level.”
Griffin said the source of concern is different among
engineers, but everyone agrees that it will be difficult to find a solution.
“This is a unique situation where the pure engineering
concerns are going to find themselves at odds with societal, economical,
political and environmental concerns,” Griffin said.
Griffin said the difficulty is trying to fix the
situation in New Orleans, which could cost a significant amount of money
without ignoring other areas along the Gulf Coast that share the same results
of a hurricane.
“I hope they rebuild New Orleans,” Griffin said. “I’m
going to Mardi Gras next year.”