Retail Traffic readers sound off on Hurric ane Katrina aftermath.
“I think that basic economics will take over at this point. If insurers analyze the situation and find certain areas to be too risky, they may raise rates or offer no insurance in these areas, and rightly so. The main lesson is that we should heed warnings from experts; disasters can and will occur in vulnerable areas even if they have not occurred in recent history.“
“Get priorities in order for government and state spending. Condition of levees and other safety issues should have been addressed and corrected years ago. As much of the flood-prone areas as possible should be changed to wetlands or other types of storm buffers and new construction should be directed to higher ground.”
“Banks don't lend money without a money-back guarantee (i.e. mortgage). Why should a business conduct business without a money-back guarantee policy (i.e. flood, interruption of business, earthquake, etc. insurance)?”
“Government at all levels is unprepared for disasters, natural or otherwise. There is little coordination between the federal, state and local government to handle disasters. Our domestic resources are limited because of the war in Iraq but the federal government will not admit it. FEMA needs a complete overall. They started out very slowly and have not ramped up to provide consistent support.“
“A better plan for evacuations would be nice. There were too many possibilities to help people that were not used.”
“It is a blatant sign of climate change; all efforts must go to stop further negative effects. Unbalance the earth and destroy the balance of nature and this is what happens.”
“Once people have had a chance the first time in their lives to see that you don't have to live like they did in a virtual third-world country in New Orleans, they will want a better life for themselves somewhere else. This will cause a tectonic shift in the political make-up of Louisiana, since one-half of the state's registered voters lived in the 1.3-million New Orleans MSA have now scattered in the wind, it's realistic to expect only about 250,000 to 300,000 to return.”
“The federal government needs to learn to prioritize funded projects by their economic importance to the big picture… i.e. New Orleans area has greatest amount of dock traffic in U.S. Other countries have found/constructed solutions to similar or worse problems with cities in danger of flooding. We have funds to do these projects if reality and common sense could become a part of the feeding frenzy of federal dollar allocations to all of the lobbyists more concerned with their piece of the pie than real value and need.”
“Insurance companies should be more informative, when it comes to preparing for a natural disaster.“
“Be prepared, do not underestimate the Weather Bureau.”