Why arent the houses in New Orleans built on pilings?

Question

I was in the outer banks North Carolina and all the houses were 8 to 10 feet off the ground because of tide surge and up to a half mile inland.

I could see where that would be a problem for elderly residents (climbing stairs)but they might as well do it right this time.

Answer 1

Because they are STUPID! It's not a question of "IF" it's going to flood, only "WHEN" How can anyone in their right mind build a house BELOW SEA LEVEL. The only thing dumber than that is to survive a flood where your neighbors drown in there house and you want to build back the same way. I agree they need to build them on pilings or just build a boat, then you can just float off when it floods.

Answer 2

Homes that are actually on the coast in Louisiana are built on pilings. New Orleans, though, is not on the coast. It's about sixty miles inland along the Misisssippi River and Lake Ponchartrain. When the city was settled around 300 years ago the buildings were built on stone foundations, just as they would have been in any inland city.

The city is protected from both the river and the lake by levees which are supposed to keep it from flooding. Unfortunately during Hurricane Katrina the storm surge in the lake caused the levees to fail. Congress recently investigated levees in states all over the country and found numerous other cities nationwide that face dangers similar to New Orleans.

The place where pilings might have been useful to protect from a storm surge was on the actual Gulf Coast, in places like Biloxi or Long Beach, Mississippi. There homes and businesses are built right on the beach and flooding should be expected.

Answer 3

Because these aren't beachfront houses. Except in certain situations (like Katrina), water doesn't reach the houses as it might in the Outer Banks.

Some of these houses have stood for decades without a problem.

There's also an architectural issue. The architecture when most of these houses was build was NOT to use pilings.

OK, but what about the rebuilding? Why are these houses STILL not being built "correctly"? Cost and time, mostly.

Answer 4

Because N.O Floods very easily The houses have No basements too (they have attics though )
I was raised there and went to school in N.O also I have many friends and family still there

Answer 5

Possibly because of the local building codes??