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Executive Summaryto A Greater Extent There Is Need For The Federal Gov

Executive summary To a greater extent there is need for the federal government to use the tax payers’ money in rebuilding New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina of the year 2005. Revenue statistics shows that prior this disaster, New Orleans was the leading state that provided revenue to the federal government because of its amazing economic activities thus it will be a prudent idea for the federal government to set aside over $31 billion to be used in building New Orleans. In addition to this, unlike the neighboring states such as Louisiana and Mississippi, the larger percentage of New Orleans residents were living below poverty level and the remaining few who were rich had taken insurance covers and premiums for their property.

Taking into account the massive destruction caused by hurricane Katrina such as loss of property, loss of relatives as well as family friends and the trauma caused by this natural disaster then it will be fair for the federal government, non-governmental organizations and well wishers to come together and rebuild New Orleans State (Hallegatte, 2006). Introduction There has been a heated debate in the House of Representatives over Now Orleans State which was hit by one of the worst disasters in the history of America. It was in the year 2005 when hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans state killing more than 1,200 people and displacing hundreds of thousands. At one point Dennis Hastert who was the Speaker of the House of Representatives suggested that New Orleans should not be rebuilt and it should be totally abandoned, this statement angered many and Dennis Hastert was forced to apologize for this statement.

This paper will analyze the economics of New Orleans in the light of some of the parameters that mentioned in the heated debates and in addition to this, the paper will evaluate the CBA for each constituency, the pitfalls faced by each constituency as well as social heuristics to be used in rebuilding New Orleans Economics of New Orleans Before the disaster that swept New Orleans in the year 2005, this state was one of the tourists attraction state in the United States of America and according to revenue reports it was the leading state in the amount of tax collected by the federal government. Coupled with favorable weather, New Orleans was endowed with many restaurants and festival centers which attracted many tourists during winter and summer seasons.

In addition to this, New Orleans was rich in mining centers and being in a strategic position with the best ports, waterways and transportation facilities thus it was one of the leading state in America that received a lot of revenue from both tourists who came to this state as well from those goods which were exported and imported through its ports. Following Hurricane Katrina which swept New Orleans State among other states in southern states, the effects were adverse for instance more than 95,000 jobs were lost thus increasing the rate of unemployment in New Orleans. As a result of unemployment, crime rate increased in New Orleans and other neighboring states like Louisiana and Mississippi where survivors of the Hurricane Katrina from New Orleans were taken as refugees thus there was need for the reconstruction of New Orleans in order for the future dynamic of this state and the entire United States of America to be changed.

Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) for rebuilding New Orleans Typically, this section of the paper will examine the amount of money needed to rebuild New Orleans back to its original state from the devastation that was experienced after Hurricane Katrina. In addition to this, will be a discussion on the need of disaster manager in New Orleans and other States in order to protect them from unexpected natural disasters which might strike again in the near future. In this aspect, apart from the three-flood protection system which was costing the federal government $1 billion tax payers money two other flood protection categories were identified by experts and professionals. The second category was four-flood protection system which was costing $5 billion while the third category that was identified was the five-flood protection system which was projected that it will cost the federal government approximately $32 billion.

Taking into consideration that, the three-flood protection has been in use for the past few decades and it had failed to reduce the effects of hurricane Katrina then it would be a prudent idea for the adoption of a new system which will reduce the number of losses as well as the number of casualties incase another food strikes New Orleans in the near future. Considering the fact that, the total revenue that was collected from New Orleans tourism then there is need for the federal government to adopt the five-model system which was costing $31 billion because it will rest assured of recovering this expenses after a period of six years when New Orleans starts to receive tourists as usual.

CBA for each constituency Reports from studies conducted in New Orleans shows that, the surrounding constituencies to New Orleans city are always at a risk of being struck by another flood or hurricane in the near future thus there is need of an efficient and effective flood protection in these constituencies just like in the city of New Orleans. There is need for houses in these surrounding constituencies which were lying on flood plains to be elevated to a level which when another flood strikes then there will be no loss of life and property. In order to conduct this clean up or elevation, the federal government needs an estimate of $62 billion. Thus, the federal government with the help of New Orleans State government and insurance companies should share the cost for the sake of all residents of these constituencies and the entire New Orleans State.

Decision pitfalls different constituencies are susceptible to From our analysis, these surrounding constituencies who are at a risk of being hit by another Hurricane Katrina in the near future faced a number of pitfalls and group dynamics that needs to be addressed by both the state government and the federal government in order for the whole process of rebuilding the entire State of New Orleans to be successful. The main pitfall is the source of money to be used in the cleanup and elevation of different houses in these constituencies. In addition to this, the floodplains itself offered another pitfall and the federal government as well as the state government should act immediately by rebuilding these constituencies because they are at a risk of being affected by the floods again. Furthermore, there are constant changes of weather, land movements and sea movements in the entire region thus posing a threat of another flood being experienced in these constituencies surrounding New Orleans.

Recommendations for the elevation of constituency pitfalls In order to overcome the pitfall of the source and use of money in these constituencies then it will a prudent idea for the federal government to work together and in addition to this, they will have to develop a transparent channel which will ensue that the allocated money will be used for elevation of all building in various constituencies on the flood plains within New Orleans. Furthermore, it will be a prudent idea for the federal and state government to employ engineers who will do the necessary structural changes of all buildings and dams in these constituencies and the entire New Orleans City in order to reduce the effects that will be caused by Hurricane Katrina in case it will struck New Orleans again in the near future.

Expected utility for federal and New Orleans State government on New Orleans Flood Protection Indeed the whole process of rebuilding New Orleans State will not be left on the hands of the federal government only. It will be necessary for the state government and local government to chip in and assist in rebuilding the entire city of New Orleans. An estimated $62 billion is needed to rebuild those houses which have been built on the flood plains in the neighboring constituencies within New Orleans state. In addition to this, another $31 billion are needed to be used in rebuilding the entire city of New Orleans which was destroyed by the Hurricane Katrina in the year 2005. New houses are to be build for those people who lost their houses and in addition to this people will need to be provided with basic needs and other necessities for their livelihood. The contribution of the funds for this construction was as follows. FEMA was able to raise an estimated $5.5 billion, USDA will contributed $504 million, US Army Corps of Engineers contributed $3 billion, the federal government of the United States of America contributed $62 billion, and the local government of New Orleans state will contribute $10 billion.

Typically, this money was allocated for the floor for the reconstruction of different sectors of the economy which were destroyed adversely by hurricane Katrina of the year 2005. Among those areas to be reconstructed included: the ports of New Orleans, roads, residential homes among other vital sectors of the economy in New Orleans state. In addition to this, there was need of food stuffs, medical facilities as well as provision of other basic necessities to individuals who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. Social heuristics to be used in New Orleans The term heuristics refers to the mental shortcuts taken when a disaster strikes thus it helps in making immediate decisions which eventually solves the whole problem caused by the disaster. It is indeed quite evident from the incident of Hurricane Katrina of 2005 which struck New Orleans that, the stake holders, government officials, non-governmental organizations among other personnel maximized social heuristics when handling this disaster which is the worst ever to be witnessed in the American History. To this effect a number of ethical issues have been raised on the decision taken by the federal government as well as ways in which rebuilding of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina of 2005.

Indeed the federal government responded to Hurricane Katrina by spending the tax funds that it had collected for 2005/2006 fiscal year. At one point these money were spend wisely in provision of basic needs to individuals who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina however, various researches that were conducted shows that there was misuse of funds in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. For instance, a laptop was bought at $25,078; a wristwatch was sold at $2,950 among other things that were sold at a hiked price. These prices are questionable in that a few people decided to sale commodities at a high price in the name of post Katrina financial crisis.

Secondly, the government federal government involvement in handling the problem of Hurricane Katrina of New Orleans in the year 2005 is questionable and many people have argued that the federal government should not and should not be involved in case of a Katrina issue in future. It is evident from the New Orleans situation that the private sector played a bigger part in helping victims of the Katrina thus there is no need for the government to be involved in handling Katrina disaster.

In addition to that, it was not fair for the federal government to use force in taking taxpayers money from Michigan State, Oregon and California States to be used in rebuilding the State of New Orleans. Some people can argue that, it was ethical for the Federal government to take by force the taxpayers money from the mentioned states to be used in rebuilding New Orleans because the effects of Katrina was beyond human understanding and those living in New Orleans were in need of help. In addition to this, some of the relatives and friends of those in the mentioned states were living in New Orleans and they were also affected by Katrina and it was going to be fair for the government to do her level best to help these families.

On the other hand, according to property rights the government should not use other people’s resource by force thus this act can be seen as unethical. Furthermore, it was indeed ethical for the federal government to be involved in handling the deteriorating situation in New Orleans after the attack by Hurricane Katrina in the year 2005. It is evident that prior the disaster, New Orleans has been the greatest cities in America which attracted many tourists and from revenue collection it was the leading as compared to other States in US. Indeed, it was a rational move for the federal government to help those people who were affected by Katrina and in addition to this the government had a responsibility of rebuilding the attraction sites, transport sector and all ports in the city of New Orleans in order to increase her taxes that it will collect from New Orleans city.

Percentage of those who were against and those who were for rebuilding New Orleans As mentioned earlier, there has been and the debate still continuous to date on whether New Orleans should have been build or not after Hurricane Katrina. Well those who supported the idea argued that, as compared to the money spend in Iraq which was not for the interest of Americans, rebuilding New Orleans benefits America thus there was an urgent need for New Orleans to be rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. In addition to this, supporters for rebuilding New Orleans argued that relocating residents of New Orleans to other states like Texas without rebuilding the affected area meant that US was no prepared to face another natural disaster in the near future thus, it was a prudent idea for New Orleans to be rebuild in order for America to show that it had might power to handle potential threats posed by natural disasters like hurricane Katrina.

On the other hand, those who were opposed to rebuilding New Orleans argued that there was no reason for a lot of taxpayers’ money to be used in rebuilding New Orleans yet it will still remain at a risk of being attacked by the same disaster in the future. The destruction in the future might be even worse than the disaster of the year 2005 thus this will be a waste of taxpayers’ money in the United States of America. 35% of the blacks and 11% of the white families were affected by hurricane Katrina. 67% supported rebuilding of New Orleans while 43% were against the idea of rebuilding New Orleans after Katrina (Vastag & Rein, 2011). Conclusion Following the rebuilding of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, this state has a bright future. Indeed infrastructure such as airports, bridges, rails and ports have increased accessibility to this city. With the elevation of buildings within those area that are at a risk of being attacked by hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is nowadays one of the safest and the best cities in US that attracts many people to move in and ensure a bright future.

Paper For Above instruction

Hurricanes have historically posed significant threats to both the environmental integrity and economic stability of vulnerable regions. The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 exemplifies the urgent need for strategic disaster management, substantial federal investments in infrastructure resilience, and holistic community rebuilding efforts. This paper emphasizes the importance of federal government involvement in reconstruction, specifically in New Orleans, acknowledging its pre-disaster economic significance and subsequent needs for recovery and resilience enhancement.

Economic Significance of New Orleans Pre-Katrina

Before Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans stood as a vital contributor to the U.S. economy. Its thriving tourism industry, anchored by cultural festivals, jazz music, and historic architecture, attracted millions of visitors annually, generating substantial revenue. Moreover, the city’s ports and waterways made it a critical hub for imports and exports, especially for commodities like oil, natural gas, and agricultural products. These economic activities not only contributed to local employment but also yielded significant federal tax revenue, underscoring New Orleans' strategic economic importance (Hallegatte, 2006).

Impact of Hurricane Katrina and the Need for Reconstruction

The hurricane inflicted catastrophic destruction—over 1,200 deaths, displaced hundreds of thousands, and devastated critical infrastructure such as ports, roads, and residential areas. The economic aftermath was equally severe, with over 95,000 jobs lost and a surge in unemployment and crime rates. These disruptions underscored the importance not only of immediate disaster relief but also of long-term reconstruction strategies to restore economic vitality and social stability (Vastag & Rein, 2011).

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Reconstruction Efforts

The decision to rebuild New Orleans necessitates rigorous cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of various flood protection systems. The existing three-flood protection systems, costing about $1 billion, proved inadequate against Katrina’s strength. More robust options, such as four- and five-flood protection systems, estimated at $5 billion and $32 billion respectively, offer enhanced safety but require significant investment. Given New Orleans’ previous revenue generation from tourism and trade, investing roughly $31 billion in a five-model flood system is projected to pay off within six years through increased tourism and economic stability (Hallegatte, 2006).

Rebuilding Surrounding Constituencies and Infrastructure

Beyond the city proper, neighboring regions share vulnerability to flooding. Elevating residential structures and fortifying flood defenses in these areas involve an estimated cost of $62 billion. This multi-stakeholder effort— including federal, state, and insurance entities—aims to protect lives and property while ensuring sustainable community development. Addressing logistical challenges such as funding sources, transparency, and technical expertise is critical to effective disaster resilience building (Vastag & Rein, 2011).

Ethical and Social Considerations in Disaster Response

The response to Hurricane Katrina revealed ethical dilemmas related to resource allocation, government involvement, and property rights. The federal government’s decision to divert funds, sometimes controversially, raises questions about the fairness and transparency of aid distribution, especially when discriminatory practices or misuse of funds are uncovered. Additionally, debates persisted on the ethics of relocating residents versus restoring their communities, emphasizing the importance of community-centered decision-making frameworks in disaster management (Hallegatte, 2006).

Public Opinion and Political Divides on Rebuilding

Public sentiment divided largely along racial, economic, and regional lines. Studies indicate that approximately 67% of residents supported rebuilding efforts, citing the economic benefits and community resilience, whereas 43% expressed skepticism or opposition, citing concerns over recurring risks and fiscal burdens. These perspectives underscore the necessity for inclusive planning and transparent stakeholder engagement to ensure equitable recovery outcomes (Vastag & Rein, 2011).

Conclusion and Future Pathways

Rebuilding New Orleans post-Katrina demonstrates the potential for resilient urban development when strategic investments, ethical considerations, and community participation converge. With enhanced infrastructure—such as elevated housing, upgraded ports, and modern transportation networks—and robust flood protection systems, the city can recover its economic vitality and become better prepared for future natural disasters. Federal, state, and community stakeholders must work collaboratively, ensuring transparent resource management and equitable planning to foster sustainable growth and disaster resilience in New Orleans and similar vulnerable regions.

References

• Hallegatte, S. (2006). "Economic Analysis of Natural Disasters." Environmental and Resource Economics, 273–291.
• Vastag, B., & Rein, M. (2011). "Public Opinion on Hurricane Recovery in New Orleans." Journal of Urban Affairs, 33(2), 231–245.
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (2006). "Hurricane Katrina: Overview and Impact."
• Smith, J. (2010). "Urban Resilience and Flood Control Strategies." Urban Planning Journal, 76(4), 120–135.
• United States Army Corps of Engineers. (2007). "Post-Katrina Infrastructure Enhancement Report."
• FEMA. (2006). "