Back in Harm's Way

By Brian Costin

People have always known the risks of living on the Gulf coast. New Orleans has now had four severe category 4 hurricanes since 1915 (1915, 1947, in 1969 a category 5 narrowly missed and 2005 Katrina). That’s a category 4 or bigger storm every 22.5 years. This is hardly a once in 200 or 300-year event. Hurricanes for the Gulf coast region are predictable, frequent and are going to happen again. Knowing this, what should the federal government do in response to the hurricanes?

If the federal government takes $200 billion out of the American economy to finance gulf coast rebuilding, countless thousands of people will be enticed to make the move back to this hurricane prone region. People will follow the money. This great financial temptation will cause people to ignore the ever-present threat of hurricanes in this region. People will flock back at great human and economic risk.

The American taxpayer should not be forced to subsidize putting Americans citizens back in harm’s way. Unfortunately, the politicians of today are planning on encouraging people to go back to inherently dangerous areas. Instead of putting the American economy at risk there is a much simpler solution. The risks associated with living in hurricane-prone regions should be assumed only by the people who choose to live there. It is time for individual people to take full responsibility for their actions. When people choose to live in known disaster-prone areas they should not force the rest of America to subsidize their risky lifestyle choices.

Due to the actions of politicians, Hurricane Katrina is still churning at the boarders of every American city and the forecast is for an economic disaster. Only sensible legislation from Washington D.C., which does not subsidize putting families and children back in harm’s way, can save American from disaster. Politicians should not take billions out of our American economy to make unsound investments in unsafe locations. We should let individual citizens weigh the true risks and rewards of either returning to the gulf region or relocating, to places like Illinois, independent of government interference.

When the next major hurricane strikes, how much of that $200 billion investment will be lost? How many people who were enticed by federal tax dollars to move back into the region will loose their homes, jobs or lives? How much more can politicians put the American economy at risk?

Hurricane Katrina lasting legacy is transforming into a man-made disaster. Only the American people can force our politicians to make the right decisions, and stop them from encouraging the citizens of America to go back into harm’s way.

September 22, 2005