For Those Rebuilding in New Orleans, How High?
By Peter WhoriskeyWashington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 31, 2006; A03
NEW ORLEANS -- Be careful walking out the front door of Al Petrie's new home. It's a long way down.
Fourteen steps above the sidewalk, about 10 feet over the street, the front stoop is perched high like a lookout post within a fortress of brick.
The home is built far enough up, Petrie says proudly, that "when the next Katrina comes, I'll be dry."
What if a more powerful hurricane strikes?
Petrie squints and frowns. "I just can't imagine it getting much worse than Katrina," he says.
As residents struggle to rebuild some of the tens of thousands of ravaged properties here, few questions unnerve people more than how safe their homes will be in the next catastrophic flood. And the key to that is how high above the ground their homes will stand.
Some, like Petrie, are lifting their dwellings far above surroundings. Others are betting that Katrina was so rare that nothing that bad will come their way again, and they're building just as they were before the storm. But in a city daunted by profound uncertainties about the future, the issue of home elevations arouses these often-unspoken fears like no other.
For flood insurance purposes, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has recommended that people rebuild to the elevation requirements in effect before the storm, or three feet above ground level, whichever is higher. But officials acknowledge those levels won't ensure safety -- they certainly didn't in Katrina, when many homes took on 10 feet or more of water.
Meanwhile, the Army Corps of Engineers, which is repairing the city's levees and flood walls, isn't guaranteeing protection when a hurricane of Category 3 strength or higher strikes.
"It's a risk each individual must decide whether or not to live with," according to a Corps statement. "History has proven time and again that Mother Nature will throw something bigger at these protection systems than what was built so people should recognize that that threat always exists."
The financial viability of the federal flood insurance program, which took a staggering $22 billion hit in Katrina, may one day depend on whether homeowners take steps now to reduce the risks.
Many people are simply rebuilding their homes without elevating. It costs too much money, they say, and they're willing to bet that another disaster won't come along for another 40 years, the length of time between Katrina and New Orleans's previous devastating storm.
Others are putting their faith in the new dictates of the federal flood program, or relying on their own estimations of the risk.
"The last big storm was Betsy in 1965," said Cynthia Horne, 47, who is rebuilding her home in New Orleans East but not elevating it because of the cost. "I guess it's a gamble we're taking. If it takes another 40 or 50 years for the next one, I don't think we'll be here. I trust in God."
But to a handful of people at least, neither the existing requirements nor the new federal recommendations make sense because they ignore Katrina's punishing lessons.
The most meaningful safety benchmark, in their view, is the waterlines left on houses when Katrina's floodwaters receded.
Both Petrie and Jim Pate, the executive director of the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, have decided to go beyond the elevation recommendations from FEMA and raise their homes high enough that the first floors will be above Katrina's floodwaters.
"You'd have to have almost a tsunami-type wave for the flooding to be worse than Katrina," Pate said.
The federal rules required Pate to elevate Habitat homes in the Upper Ninth Ward a little over three feet above the ground, he said. He's raising them more than five feet.
Likewise, the federal rules require Petrie to raise his home only about 3 1/2 feet over the ground, he said. But he's raising it about six feet beyond that.
"This should be our model," he says, waving at his new home.
He invites a visitor to compare the waterline on the house next door -- reaching nearly to the top of the front door -- with the height of his stoop. His stoop is about a foot higher.
A home built to the current federal recommendations in his Lakeview neighborhood "would have been under six feet of water in Katrina," he said.
Although lax in comparison, however, the FEMA guidelines are not without their logic.
The guidelines are meant to prevent the flooding of a property in the event of a "100-year storm," or a storm so severe it has only a 1 percent annual chance of happening.
Exactly what the "100-year storm" amounts to for any given location is a scientific question that is complicated enough because accurate storm records can be difficult to come by. But then scientists are asked to estimate what kind of river-level rises and storm surge the imagined storm will generate, and ultimately, how high floodwaters will rise in city streets.
FEMA believes that the required building elevations in place in New Orleans before the storm do not require drastic revisions. But the agency's faith assumes that the levees will hold in a 100-year storm.
The Corps of Engineers is engaged in a $5.7 billion project that they say will bring area levees up to that strength by 2010.
"Katrina was larger than a 100-year storm," said Dan Hitchings, who is leading the Corps repair efforts. And "Katrina was not the largest storm this area could experience."
Of residents' efforts to elevate homes higher than FEMA requirements, Hitchings said, "They are preparing for a storm larger than Katrina, which would be an extremely rare event."
Many in New Orleans are no longer willing to trust in official assurances. They say it's time to heed the example of historic New Orleans, when people built on the higher ground and elevated their homes -- sometimes many feet.
"Our grandparents knew better than to live flat on the ground, but the levees gave people a false sense of security," Petrie, 53, said. "We trusted them before, and look where that got us."
© 2006 The Washington Post Company
'
Monday, July 31, 2006
Friday, July 21, 2006
Monday, July 17, 2006
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Blogger Succeeds in Bartering a Paper Clip for a House
Blogger Succeeds in Bartering a Paper Clip for a House
After one year of bartering everything from a snow globe to free rent for a year, Kyle MacDonald has acquired a home in Canada.
By Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) -- Taking a paper clip and turning it into a house sounds like a cheesy magic trick.
Kyle MacDonald, however, has pulled it off.
One year ago, the 26-year-old blogger from Montreal set out to barter one red paper clip for something and that thing for something else, over and over again until he had a house.
On Wednesday the quest is ending as envisioned: MacDonald is due to become the proud owner of a three-bedroom, 1,100-square-foot (99-square-meter) home provided by the town of Kipling, Saskatchewan. MacDonald and his girlfriend, Dominique Dupuis, expect to move there in early September.
''This is such a cool community project. It feels right,'' MacDonald said. ''And now that I think about it, I can't believe that another small town didn't think of it. It will literally put them on the map.''
What's in it for the town? The answer requires a quick MacDonald recap, featuring a menagerie of friendly folks, radio talk show hosts and aging celebrities, all bound together by the Internet.
It began when MacDonald, an aspiring writer, doer of odd jobs and apartment dweller, advertised in the barter section of the Craigslist Web site that he wanted something bigger or better for one red paper clip. He traded it for a fish-shaped pen, and posted on Craigslist again and again.
Roaming Canada and the United States, he exchanged the pen for a ceramic knob, and in turn: a camping stove, a generator, a beer keg and Budweiser sign, a snowmobile, a trip to the Canadian Rockies, a supply truck and a recording contract. Next, in April, he got himself really close, obtaining a year's rent in Phoenix.
His adventure became an Internet blockbuster. He did Canadian and Japanese TV and ''Good Morning America.'' He made dozens of local radio appearances -- one of which, in Los Angeles, was heard by a man who ended up as a pivotal figure.
That man is Corbin Bernsen. You may remember him from his roles in ''L.A. Law'' and ''Major League.''
Hip to the publicity-generating machine that is Kyle MacDonald, Bernsen contacted him to say he was writing and directing a movie and would offer a paid speaking role as an item available for trade.
MacDonald was thrilled. But he feared the integrity of his journey would be compromised if he accepted the role without trading Bernsen something he really could use. Say what you want about ''Major League 3,'' but Bernsen has done well enough that he doesn't need a free apartment in Phoenix.
So MacDonald kept Bernsen's offer off his blog, but plowed ahead with an eye to finding something Bernsen would legitimately want.
Seemingly disregarding good economic sense, MacDonald traded the year's rent for an afternoon with rocker Alice Cooper. (MacDonald's response: ''Alice Cooper is a gold mine of awesomeness and fun.'') Then in a move that really confused his blog readers, MacDonald bartered time with Cooper for a snow globe depicting the band Kiss.
Re-enter Corbin Bernsen.
You see, since the days when he'd get free stuff on promotional tours for ''L.A. Law,'' Bernsen has amassed a collection of 6,500 snow globes. ''One off, they look sort of goofy,'' Bernsen said. ''Put them all together and they sort of look like pop art.''
So MacDonald gave Bernsen the Kiss model and encouraged his blog readers to send the actor even more globes in exchange for autographed pictures.
All this delighted the elders in Kipling, a town of 1,140 believed to have been named in honor of author Rudyard Kipling.
Like many rural towns, Kipling is eager to stave off the perils of dwindling population by attracting new businesses, tourism and above all, attention. When the local development coordinator, Bert Roach, heard about MacDonald's odyssey, he suggested at the next council meeting that Kipling lure him.
Quickly the town purchased an unoccupied rental house on Main Street and offered it to MacDonald. Roach won't disclose the price because MacDonald says he doesn't want to know. But Roach says it was well under the going rate in Kipling, which is about $50,000 Canadian (US$45,000).
The town also pledged to put a giant red paper clip at a highway rest stop and hold an ''American Idol''-style competition for the movie role. Participants will have to make a donation to the town's parks department and a charity.
When MacDonald agreed last week, ''I was holding back tears, I was so bloody happy,'' Roach said. ''It's going to be such a great project for our community.''
Bernsen says that if the right person emerges in the talent show, he'd be willing to cast him or her as a lead. ''Maybe a career is going to get started. Maybe it's going to be huge. Maybe that's the magic of Kyle.''
MacDonald doesn't expect to live in Kipling forever. But he says he'll make it home at least while he settles down to write a book.
Of course, even if the house came free, he'll have the usual homeowner headaches: taxes, utilities, upkeep. It should come as no surprise that MacDonald isn't worried.
''I'll figure something out,'' he said. ''I can get a job. There's three grocery stores in town.''
On the Net:
MacDonald's blog: http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com
Copyright Technology Review 2006.
After one year of bartering everything from a snow globe to free rent for a year, Kyle MacDonald has acquired a home in Canada.
By Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) -- Taking a paper clip and turning it into a house sounds like a cheesy magic trick.
Kyle MacDonald, however, has pulled it off.
One year ago, the 26-year-old blogger from Montreal set out to barter one red paper clip for something and that thing for something else, over and over again until he had a house.
On Wednesday the quest is ending as envisioned: MacDonald is due to become the proud owner of a three-bedroom, 1,100-square-foot (99-square-meter) home provided by the town of Kipling, Saskatchewan. MacDonald and his girlfriend, Dominique Dupuis, expect to move there in early September.
''This is such a cool community project. It feels right,'' MacDonald said. ''And now that I think about it, I can't believe that another small town didn't think of it. It will literally put them on the map.''
What's in it for the town? The answer requires a quick MacDonald recap, featuring a menagerie of friendly folks, radio talk show hosts and aging celebrities, all bound together by the Internet.
It began when MacDonald, an aspiring writer, doer of odd jobs and apartment dweller, advertised in the barter section of the Craigslist Web site that he wanted something bigger or better for one red paper clip. He traded it for a fish-shaped pen, and posted on Craigslist again and again.
Roaming Canada and the United States, he exchanged the pen for a ceramic knob, and in turn: a camping stove, a generator, a beer keg and Budweiser sign, a snowmobile, a trip to the Canadian Rockies, a supply truck and a recording contract. Next, in April, he got himself really close, obtaining a year's rent in Phoenix.
His adventure became an Internet blockbuster. He did Canadian and Japanese TV and ''Good Morning America.'' He made dozens of local radio appearances -- one of which, in Los Angeles, was heard by a man who ended up as a pivotal figure.
That man is Corbin Bernsen. You may remember him from his roles in ''L.A. Law'' and ''Major League.''
Hip to the publicity-generating machine that is Kyle MacDonald, Bernsen contacted him to say he was writing and directing a movie and would offer a paid speaking role as an item available for trade.
MacDonald was thrilled. But he feared the integrity of his journey would be compromised if he accepted the role without trading Bernsen something he really could use. Say what you want about ''Major League 3,'' but Bernsen has done well enough that he doesn't need a free apartment in Phoenix.
So MacDonald kept Bernsen's offer off his blog, but plowed ahead with an eye to finding something Bernsen would legitimately want.
Seemingly disregarding good economic sense, MacDonald traded the year's rent for an afternoon with rocker Alice Cooper. (MacDonald's response: ''Alice Cooper is a gold mine of awesomeness and fun.'') Then in a move that really confused his blog readers, MacDonald bartered time with Cooper for a snow globe depicting the band Kiss.
Re-enter Corbin Bernsen.
You see, since the days when he'd get free stuff on promotional tours for ''L.A. Law,'' Bernsen has amassed a collection of 6,500 snow globes. ''One off, they look sort of goofy,'' Bernsen said. ''Put them all together and they sort of look like pop art.''
So MacDonald gave Bernsen the Kiss model and encouraged his blog readers to send the actor even more globes in exchange for autographed pictures.
All this delighted the elders in Kipling, a town of 1,140 believed to have been named in honor of author Rudyard Kipling.
Like many rural towns, Kipling is eager to stave off the perils of dwindling population by attracting new businesses, tourism and above all, attention. When the local development coordinator, Bert Roach, heard about MacDonald's odyssey, he suggested at the next council meeting that Kipling lure him.
Quickly the town purchased an unoccupied rental house on Main Street and offered it to MacDonald. Roach won't disclose the price because MacDonald says he doesn't want to know. But Roach says it was well under the going rate in Kipling, which is about $50,000 Canadian (US$45,000).
The town also pledged to put a giant red paper clip at a highway rest stop and hold an ''American Idol''-style competition for the movie role. Participants will have to make a donation to the town's parks department and a charity.
When MacDonald agreed last week, ''I was holding back tears, I was so bloody happy,'' Roach said. ''It's going to be such a great project for our community.''
Bernsen says that if the right person emerges in the talent show, he'd be willing to cast him or her as a lead. ''Maybe a career is going to get started. Maybe it's going to be huge. Maybe that's the magic of Kyle.''
MacDonald doesn't expect to live in Kipling forever. But he says he'll make it home at least while he settles down to write a book.
Of course, even if the house came free, he'll have the usual homeowner headaches: taxes, utilities, upkeep. It should come as no surprise that MacDonald isn't worried.
''I'll figure something out,'' he said. ''I can get a job. There's three grocery stores in town.''
On the Net:
MacDonald's blog: http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com
Copyright Technology Review 2006.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Education and Entertainment Merge in One Whimsical View of Colleges' Future
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
By JEFF SELINGO
Honolulu
Predicting the future is an inexact science, of course. Just ask the creators of The Jetsons. After all, our workdays still don't consist of pushing a single computer button as they did for George Jetson.
Even so, Richard N. Katz, vice president of Educause, took a crack at forecasting the future of higher education with a whimsical video he showed here at the "Campus of the Future" conference. Among other things, the video, titled edu@2020, made the following tongue-in-cheek predictions for the coming years:
2008
The Apollo Group sells the University of Phoenix Online to Google, which creates GooglePhoenix.
Microsoft takes over Pearson Education and Blackboard.
Michael S. Ovitz, the former Hollywood talent agent, starts FacultyOne, a talent agency for star professors, and immediately signs up 13 Nobel laureates.
2009
Disney, Sony, and Apple merge.
Disney acquires struggling colleges, promising to invigorate them with "Disney magic -- entertaining while they educate."
2012
MIT leads a partnership with other universities to "open source" their curricula to the masses.
In response, Harvard, Princeton, and other Ivy League universities start a competitor -- VirtualIvy.
2017
Disney and Britain's Open University form a partnership that delivers the university's curriculum on Sony PlayStation.
Google introduces software that allows students to generate artificial instructors based on their preferences.
It is soon followed by Sim Student, which allows students to create peers to go along with their artificial instructors.
2020
Google, Disney, and Microsoft compete for a worldwide learning market.
All the colleges that existed in 2006 have standardized their curricula under regulatory and competitive pressures, while struggling colleges have been turned into "educational theme parks."
Access to higher education is nearly universal and less expensive than it was in 2006.
Course credits transfer easily because they all come from one of a dozen common curricula.
After the presentation, the moderator, James Dator, director of the Hawaii Research Center for Future Studies and a professor of political science at the University Hawaii-Manoa, quipped to the audience: "There you have it. I'd suggest you just head to the beach now."
Later on, Mr. Katz did admit to the limitations of his predictions, noting that forecasting is generally wrong in two ways. For one, it is usually too enthusiastic. In other words, predicted events, if they occur, probably will be further into the future than imagined. Also, predictions tend to "undershoot the mark in terms of change."
Copyright © 2006 by The Chronicle of Higher Education
By JEFF SELINGO
Honolulu
Predicting the future is an inexact science, of course. Just ask the creators of The Jetsons. After all, our workdays still don't consist of pushing a single computer button as they did for George Jetson.
Even so, Richard N. Katz, vice president of Educause, took a crack at forecasting the future of higher education with a whimsical video he showed here at the "Campus of the Future" conference. Among other things, the video, titled edu@2020, made the following tongue-in-cheek predictions for the coming years:
2008
The Apollo Group sells the University of Phoenix Online to Google, which creates GooglePhoenix.
Microsoft takes over Pearson Education and Blackboard.
Michael S. Ovitz, the former Hollywood talent agent, starts FacultyOne, a talent agency for star professors, and immediately signs up 13 Nobel laureates.
2009
Disney, Sony, and Apple merge.
Disney acquires struggling colleges, promising to invigorate them with "Disney magic -- entertaining while they educate."
2012
MIT leads a partnership with other universities to "open source" their curricula to the masses.
In response, Harvard, Princeton, and other Ivy League universities start a competitor -- VirtualIvy.
2017
Disney and Britain's Open University form a partnership that delivers the university's curriculum on Sony PlayStation.
Google introduces software that allows students to generate artificial instructors based on their preferences.
It is soon followed by Sim Student, which allows students to create peers to go along with their artificial instructors.
2020
Google, Disney, and Microsoft compete for a worldwide learning market.
All the colleges that existed in 2006 have standardized their curricula under regulatory and competitive pressures, while struggling colleges have been turned into "educational theme parks."
Access to higher education is nearly universal and less expensive than it was in 2006.
Course credits transfer easily because they all come from one of a dozen common curricula.
After the presentation, the moderator, James Dator, director of the Hawaii Research Center for Future Studies and a professor of political science at the University Hawaii-Manoa, quipped to the audience: "There you have it. I'd suggest you just head to the beach now."
Later on, Mr. Katz did admit to the limitations of his predictions, noting that forecasting is generally wrong in two ways. For one, it is usually too enthusiastic. In other words, predicted events, if they occur, probably will be further into the future than imagined. Also, predictions tend to "undershoot the mark in terms of change."
Copyright © 2006 by The Chronicle of Higher Education
Friday, July 07, 2006
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