Emergency housing

[RoConroy@aol.com]

In a message dated 5/30/2006 6:27:13 PM Central Standard Time, 
shunter at u.arizona.edu writes:
A while back, I proposed rebuilding New Orleans dwellings on floating
foundations.  Now there is an article by Barbara Kreisler, pp.63-367, in
the May 2006 issue of the journal _Urban Land_ (ISSN 0042-0891,
http://www.uli.org/Content/NavigationMenu/DiscoverULI/LeadersinOurField/Public
ations/UrbanLand/CurrentIssue/Urban_Land_Current_I1.htm
) entitled "Homes That Float," detailing designs from the
Netherlands--which is largely below sea level--and elsewhere that are
based on this very same principle.  There is one particularly interesting
illustration of a "prefab hybrid floating space frame system" designed "to
be a refuge during a catastrophic climate event, such as the flooding a
city like New Orleans always anticipates."
        Hurricanes don't care if you float or not.  They will take huge 
floating cargo ships, break their moorings loose,  and play dice with them.  A 
large hurricane will simply take floating houses and stack them up against and on 
top of each other.  The floating foundations will only create more of mess to 
clean up.  
      As for New Orleans, it is sinking into the ground and will eventually 
be under water irrespective of a hurricane or not.  Plus, the protective 
wetlands are only years away from going the way of the Dodo bird. 
Bob