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...and how much did that cost?
Ok, the engineering is brilliant, inspired, and above all, functional. The only issue is: do people really need to live on the sea floor? A nice low-tech solution would be to move inland a bit and dispense with all the gadgetry. I hear Belgium is nice this time of year.
Engineering solutions are never anything more than a stopgap. If you need an elaborate system of engineering controls, perhaps it's time to re-think. America has laid down so much blacktop and concrete, channelized so many rivers, and wiped out so many wetlands, that we now must have a branch of the military given over to controlling floodwaters from just about every rain.
New Orleans once had tidal flats and extensive wetlands that could absorb and slowly release surface runoff. This wouldn't be enough to save a city built in a swamp from a category 4 storm, but they would have mitigated the damage from cataclysmic to simply really damn bad.
I live in a part of the US that sees a fair share of tornadoes. I understand and accept the small risk that a tornado could knock down my barn or house, and could even kill me. The likelihood of this is not very great. My respect and understanding of nature is evident by the existence of a basement with reinforced stairs and survival supplies.
The people living in coastal zones need to understand that there's a very high likelihood that a storm will flood them and possibly kill them. It happens frequently. Hurricane prone areas are notoriously bad choices for high-density development. They're even worse when you tamper with the natural systems providing stormwater retention and protection from storm surges.
I'm not without compassion for the suffering along the gulf coast, but until we have a policy of more intelligent development, these tragedies will continue to occur. Engineering solutions will only put off the problems.
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