[StBernard] Betsy vs Katrina

[Westley Annis]

Since I was born in December 1967, I did not live through Betsy.  All I've
ever heard was that Betsy was a mean hurricane that flooded the city.

Now, "city" was never defined in geographical terms, so I always pictured it
as having flooded everything that we might consider metro-New Orleans,
stretching from Kenner to Chalmette.

Until GJS and someone else, sorry, I can't remember who, posted their
messages about water only running from the Industrial Canal to Chalmette,
I've always pictured everything from Kenner to Chalmette being under water.
Looking back, I can say I've had people tell me this house or that was under
water, but they were always in the narrow footprint of Lower 8th Ward to
Chalmette.  A much smaller foot print than Katrina, and a much smaller
number of people if you only compare the Betsy foot print.

That was point one.

Point two: Homeowners only had homeowners insurance. There was no such thing
as flood insurance.  As long as you had your homeowners insurance, you were
covered.  No bickering over whether damage was wind or flood, you had a
claim and that was it.  I'm sure there was still some bickering over getting
paid on the claim, but at least it was with just one insurance company.

Point three: From what I have been told, and perhaps you seasoned citizens
can enlighten us all, the Federal Government gave everyone a $2,500 loan
that was forgiven a year later, making it a grant.

Using the Gross Domestic Product as a multiplier, that $2,500 today is only
worth $150.  If you want the same purchasing power today that they had in
1965, the Fed's would have to give out $43,000.

If you are repairing your home, are you able to do the entire job for
$50,000?

How many people left their houses in the 9th Ward and relocated to St.
Bernard?

My main point in this email is to realize that while both Betsy and Katrina
flooded New Orleans and St. Bernard, they did so on a different scale, the
government reacted in a different scale (as much as an idiot Lyndon Johnson
was, the Federal Government still did what the President told them to do
without bickering over the damn "rule" book and having Russell Long as a
Senator could have only been a good thing), and the number of people
effected was vastly different.

While comparisons can be made, we are talking about red apples and green
apples.  You can't use them interchangeably in the same recipe.

Westley