New Orleans disaster wake up call for other US areas

April 3, 2007
New Orleans isn't the only part of the United States that should beware of flooding disasters, said Walter Boasso, chief executive officer and founder or Boasso America Corp in Chalmette LA

New Orleans isn't the only part of the United States that should beware of flooding disasters, said Walter Boasso, chief executive officer and founder or Boasso America Corp in Chalmette LA.

He made the comments at the National Tank Truck Carriers Cleaning and Environmental Council meeting April 2-3 in New Orleans LA. He reminded the audience that 50 percent of all Americans live within 100 miles of a shoreline and should understand their susceptibility to storms that produce flooding--and pay heed to the lessons learned in New Orleans.

Boasso, who serves in the Louisiana Senate and is a candidate for governor, predicted that Louisiana's economical comeback from Hurricane Katrina's destruction in 2005 will be derived, in a large part, from its waterways that provide ship and barge transportation. But, he added, that recovering from the property destruction will take eight to 10 years. Of the people who left the city before and after the hurricane, 200,000 have not returned.

As for future hurricane preparation, he proposes sinking ships at Louisiana's shoreline in order to interrupt storm surges. He said with water held back for 12-24 hours, flooding can be controlled.