Whither NOLA

In skimming over news and blog postings about the destruction of New Orleans this morning I saw this vision of a possible future. It's one that's been envisioned in science fiction both good and bad.

What will the "soup bowl" where New Orleans used to be look like in a couple of years? One possibility is that it will look a lot like it does today. Full of water, toxic substances, bodies, desperate people, and criminals. Kind of like Manhattan in the movie Escape From New York.

I don't think that's a likely outcome. The thing that will salvage NOLA is the port. A lot of chemicals and oil passes (passed) through that port. There's too much money involved in rerouting.

But I don't think the city's other main industry, tourism, will ever be quite the same. Who wants to see a rebuilt version of Preservation Hall or a Disney version of Bourbon Street? Hm... maybe that's the answer. Give the French Quarter to Disney.