I can understand Senator Landrieu's concerns about New Orleans but I agree with Ed. In fact my letter to the editor back in November made such a suggestion 100k to each survivor family and $100bn to Haliburton for Gulf coast cleanup.

There are issues to resolve such as historical family ties to the land, city and region, insurance, outstanding debts and mortgages, loss of jobs, regional economy to name a few. I forgot loss of voters for Sen. Landrieu.

However the more important long term issue is the ecology and environment. Building bigger badder levees may or may not protect New Orleans but allowing sediment from the Mississippi River to flow without levees would eventually landfill areas of New Orleans below sea level, rebuild the Mississippi River basin, extended the land mass into the Gulf of Mexico, renew river basin environment and protect NO. In 50 years the river would rebuild New Orleans. Construction and reconstruction of below sea level New Orleans should be deferred 50-100yrs to allow the ecology to recover. Old New Orleans would be cleaned up. Living for costal workers should be built inland and away from New Orleans.

New Orleans residents are already living outside of the city. So in better cities than they had in New Orleans. I think it is economically feasible to give them money to re-start their lives where they are or where they want. If they want to move back to NO they will. Separated families would be able to move to the best of a relative's or extended family member's city.

Money awarded would filter back into the economy where ever they live as rent, mortgage, construction and basic needs.