Boasso: New Orleans disaster wake up call for US
Jun 1, 2007 12:00 PM
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 of 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% of all Americans live within 100 miles of a shoreline and should understand the potential for storms that produce flooding — and pay heed to the lessons learned in New Orleans.
Boasso, a Democrat who serves the First District 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 that if water can be held back for 12-24 hours, flooding can be controlled.
