Happy Hurricane Season (again)

Remember, the city's new flood protection system is still behind its completion deadline and woefully below what should be considered a reliable safety standard.

The corps did a good job building metro New Orleans' new hurricane protection system. It will work as designed. But 100-year protection for a major city is the lowest standard of protection in the developed world. The Dutch and Japanese protect urban areas against a so-called 10,000-year flood. So our 100-year protection is not exactly something to brag about.

Also remember that nobody knows exactly how we'll be paying to maintain that minimal protection in the years to come.

But operation of three big-ticket pieces of the levee system -- the Lake Borgne surge barrier and its two navigation gates; the Seabrook surge and navigation gate at the Lake Pontchartrain entrance to the Industrial Canal; and the West Closure Complex navigation gate and pumping station on the West Bank -- would represent the greatest share of the annual expenses for the local levee districts.

The corps contends that the congressional legislation authorizing the levee improvements requires the non-federal sponsors to pay for their operation, and recognizes the obstacle that entails.

"They're staring at billions of dollars that they're going to have to pay for in the near future," said Col. Ed Fleming, commander of the corps' New Orleans District office. In addition to operation, upkeep and a share of levee construction costs, the state also must pitch in for a variety of coastal restoration projects that will protect the new system, he said.

Local officials say there's a limit to the amount of additional tax dollars they'll be able to pry loose from residents still burdened with their own Katrina recovery costs.

Undoubtedly we're looking at more "austerity" coming at us. The T-P buries the lede in this story which identifies the Mayor's clear intention to place the burden of the city's budget problems squarely on the backs of rank and file employees.

And that would be perfectly in keeping with the inexorable post-Katrina NOLA renewal pattern. Everything from the way to school system is managed, to the way neighborhoods are allowed to develop, to the way city services are allocated is... scripted even... for the benefit of political elites, "private partners", and, of course, film crews. If you aren't in any of those ascendant cliques, you basically aren't wanted here anymore. Please do not bother applying for your reentry placard.

Not that these trends weren't already in place before the flooding, but by and large the flooding and "recovery" has been all about accelerating and institutionalizing those trends. And the current administration differs from its predecessor only in its greater competence and efficiency at facilitating the process.