As hurricane season gets under way today, Sen. Mary Landrieu is getting a first-hand look at how the Netherlands continues to lead the world in coastal protection. Landrieu is heading up a delegation from Louisiana and Washington, D.C., in the Netherlands to look at the country’s world-class flood protection systems. Today’s dispatch from TheNew York Times shows there continues to be a lot Louisianians could learn from the Dutch.
The Times reports the delegation is visiting with the Netherlands’ second delta commission, a group established in 2007 partly due to the devastation witnessed with Hurricane Katrina. The commission has been tasked with making the country “climate proof,” taking into account sea level rises that may occur from global warming over the next 100 to 200 years. That was just one of the eye-openers for the delegation. Sandy Rosenthal, executive director of Louisiana-based Levees.org, is quoted saying, “People here trust their government and don’t realize they live below sea level. They laughed at us when we asked what would happen if the levees break. They say they are not going to break.”
Despite that confidence, the Dutch are taking several new measures to ensure their protection into the future. Lately, their focus has shifted away from building higher levees and more toward water retention. This includes innovative plans for underground water storage and facilities such as parks and parking garages that can double as retention areas — ideas that seemed to appeal to Landrieu. The Times story quotes the senator saying, “We’ve learnt from the Dutch that you can have great protection, but instead of a wall, maybe you have a building, maybe you have a park. People say we can’t afford that, but it can actually be cheaper to do it that way, because you can use it for two or three different purposes. This integrated European model is a very important concept to introduce into American schools of engineering and architecture.”
... written by Margaret Becker , June 01, 2009 - 05:35 pm
"The Times story quotes the senator (Landrieu) saying, ââ?¬Å?Weââ?¬â?¢ve learnt from the Dutch..."
Did Landrieu REALLY say "learnt"?????
... written by JP , June 01, 2009 - 06:42 pm
That's what happens when you have a progressive government working ahead of the curve, focusing on reality instead of ideological agendas, political soundbytes, and lining the pockets of campaign contributors. What's happening back home? We still have people who say that sea level is not rising.
... written by Editilla! , June 01, 2009 - 10:47 pm
Hey,thanks for this post. The Codel returned Saturday.
The Dutch were the first country to recognize the USA. They were third in line after 9/11...behind England and Canada. The Dutch financed the Louisiana Purchase. The Dutch arguably helped invent capitalism with some of the earliest stock exchanges. And less than 3 months after the Corps floodwalls failed and flooded New Orleans, the Dutch Ambassador stood with New Orleans and Louisiana on Canal Street, ready to help.
You must be logged in to post a comment. Log in using your Facebook account or register if you do not have an account yet.
There will soon be a whole lot of shakin’ going on at Benny’s Sportshack Supplement Depot, a new concept by Opelousas native Benny Nele. Located at 2002 Johnston St., the supplement shop, smoothie bar and café, featuring hot off the press paninis and wraps, plans to open in late May.
Philip deMahy Sr., a once respected New Iberia ad exec, was sentenced May 2 to spend the next two years (he faced up to 100 years) in a state penitentiary after state and federal investigators found dozens of images depicting children engaged in lewd sexual acts on his personal computer.
This year’s Cool Town issue is all about people who are not native to South Louisiana but made a conscious decision to be here, to be among us, to participate in our culture and contribute to it.
A shelved ordinance transferring $200,000 from a northside drainage project to a south Lafayette development may not break any laws, but it stinks to high heaven.
An effort to restore a shuttered dancehall and document other vacant or razed honky-tonks could serve as a model for saving an endangered species of entertainment.
Lafayette’s gene pool has been host to a long line of eccentric characters who have blurred the lines between crazy, genius, disturbed and curiously entertaining.
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Did Landrieu REALLY say "learnt"?????