Arrivederci New Orleans

A recent court ruling in favor of six families who filed a law suit against the US Army Corp of Engineers claiming negligence in preventing the flood damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, now is poised to escalate into a class action suit that could make the government liable for damage to hundreds of thousands of individuals and businesses. If this happens, the financial liability is estimated to be approximately 100 billion dollars assuming all claims were settled.
Apparently the suit claimed that the Corp of Engineers knew of the risk posed by a hurricane more powerful than category 3, but did nothing further in advance to protect the city from a direct hit of a storm such as the category 5 Katrina.

The city of New Orleans likes to trumpet its French history and culture, but recent events stemming from Hurricane Katrina may suggest that its residents begin to take a few lessons from the Italians, specifically, the residents of Venice.

The city of Venice Italy is built on some 400 small islands extending into the Bay of Jesolo on the Adriatic Coast. It was constructed for the most part between the 9th and 15th centuries using foundations of wood pilings that were driven into the ground using middle-ages construction techniques powered by human and animal muscles. The building structures themselves are built largely of Italian marble, granite, brick, stone, and in later times, stucco and cement. Massive buildings such as the Doge Palace and the Basilica of San Marco are estimated to weigh thousands of metric tons. Over time, the underlying rock strata of the islands and the relentless tides from the Adriatic Sea have weakened the foundations of Venice. Additionally, the city also has some 400 canals that allow water to flow around the islands upon which the city stands. Venice is frequently flooded to a depth of one foot or more over its walkways especially in Winter and scientists who study these problems have agreed that the city is slowly sinking be it ever so gradual.

None of these concerns have caused the residents of Venice to abandon their city. Many buildings, however, no longer have shops or apartments on the first floor of the structures because those areas on occasion will be damaged by rising water much of which is polluted especially around the canals of the inner city. The residents of Venice understand this situation. They choose to live there and not only accept the risk involved but they take specific precautions against water damage. There is no such thing as flood insurance in Venice. There is also no such thing as claiming that the Italian authorities knew the city was sinking but did nothing to prevent it. In fact, there are many initiatives by government and private organizations to look for ways to save Venice, but none of that can be construed into a case of negligence against the Italian government for which Venice should receive liability compensation. No one is forced to live in Venice and there are plenty of available places to live on the dry mainland of Italy.

So, the question arises "Why should the US taxpayers be held liable for hundreds of thousands of people and businesses that chose to remain in the lower regions of New Orleans even though a natural disaster such as a hurricane had always been acknowledged to be a destructive possibility for those below sea level? Is there no personal responsibility for the decisions made by such residents to assume any risk for their actions? Should large sections of the City of New Orleans now be put off limits and should building permits be denied by
the government to preclude anymore habitation in New Orleans? And if a class action suit is settled and 100 billion dollars paid, what will happen should another
category 5 hurricane strike New Orleans? How much of your personal freedoms
and responsibilities do you wish to entrust to the government to protect you from any and all financial loss no matter what the risk caused by your own actions?