Typhoon Talim is now en route to south-east China, with sustained winds of up to 144 km/h (90 mph).

[link|http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050829/ap_on_re_us/hurricane_katrina|with shrieking, 145-mph winds, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast just outside New Orleans]

There's a big difference in the damage when you go from 90 to 145 mph winds. [link|http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml|The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale]

Category Two Hurricane:
Winds 96-110 mph (83-95 kt or 154-177 km/hr). Storm surge generally 6-8 feet above normal. Some roofing material, door, and window damage of buildings. Considerable damage to shrubbery and trees with some trees blown down. Considerable damage to mobile homes, poorly constructed signs, and piers. Coastal and low-lying escape routes flood 2-4 hours before arrival of the hurricane center. Small craft in unprotected anchorages break moorings.

Category Four Hurricane:
Winds 131-155 mph (114-135 kt or 210-249 km/hr). Storm surge generally 13-18 ft above normal. More extensive curtainwall failures with some complete roof structure failures on small residences. Shrubs, trees, and all signs are blown down. Complete destruction of mobile homes. Extensive damage to doors and windows. Low-lying escape routes may be cut by rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the center of the hurricane. Major damage to lower floors of structures near the shore. Terrain lower than 10 ft above sea level may be flooded requiring massive evacuation of residential areas as far inland as 6 miles (10 km).

Darrell Spice, Jr.                      [link|http://spiceware.org/gallery/ArtisticOverpass|Artistic Overpass]\n[link|http://www.spiceware.org/|SpiceWare] - We don't do Windows, it's too much of a chore

Nope? Then I call red herring.

Darrell Spice, Jr.                      [link|http://spiceware.org/gallery/ArtisticOverpass|Artistic Overpass]\n[link|http://www.spiceware.org/|SpiceWare] - We don't do Windows, it's too much of a chore

though I did have a braino on typing the storm instead of Taipei.

You start of with a comment about the Netherlands and being below sea level. I ask if they have to cope with hurricanes and you come back with a city in another country that, while it deals with typhoons(hurricanes by another name), is 9 meters above sea level. Just like here in Houston, Taipei will experience flooding during the actual storm; but, after the storm has blown over, all the water nicely drains away.

My point is that New Orleans has to deal with both problems. Building to handle both is obviously going to cost more than just one or the other.

Combine the cost of building to handle both, plus the future costs of dealing with a city that sinking by 3 feet every century(something I don't thing Netherland or Taipei is doing), it's not unreasonable to ask "is it worth it" or "should we rebuild elsewhere".

The question has been asked before in response to flooding in Missouri. They came up with the [link|http://www.sema.state.mo.us/buyout.htm|Missouri Community Buyout Program] to get people to rebuild away from flood prone areas.

Edit - punctuation

Darrell Spice, Jr.                      [link|http://spiceware.org/gallery/ArtisticOverpass|Artistic Overpass]\n[link|http://www.spiceware.org/|SpiceWare] - We don't do Windows, it's too much of a chore