NationStates Jolt Archive


What Will Happen to New Orleans?

Lotus Puppy
28-08-2005, 22:51
I will start off by saying that I am a Northerner, and I am safe at home far away from this. Nevertheless, the entire nation will be effected, if not for the outpouring of emotions, then for the effect on the economy this will have.
We have a pretty good guess what will happen. The city is surrounded by water and below sea level. Leevees guard it, but it makes the city into a giant soupbowl, and when the leevees break, flooding will result. The massive pumps won't work once the electricity is down. It will take months to clear the water out. It is unfortunate to say that many who left may have no home to return to.
A lot of the aftermath will depend on what happens in the next few hours. If New Orleans is destroyed, I have a feeling that it will never be as large as it is now. New Orleans will never be abandoned as a ghost town: it is extremely vital as a main gateway into the US, and too many families have connections there. However, this will be no good time to be an insurer. After this, premiums will go through the roof, and I think that it will make many people seriously consider taking that money and moving.
The oil industry will be hurt, too. It iis true that a lot of production is in the Gulf of Mexico. But even if that is lost, the US can always import oil from somewhere else. However, that won't be as easy. Nine refineries are near New Orleans, as well as countless petrochemical plants, corporate offices, and many, many tankers marooned there. It will create a supply shock, as oil can't be imported as easily. Unlike the demand spike that we are seeing right now, which means the economy is health, this will create no new demand, yet set prices soaring. No one will win, especially New Orleans.
My belief is that this is a major event in the city's history, on par with the Battle of New Orleans or the opening of the second acess channel. And as history tells us, what happens in New Orleans affects the entire nation.