Katrina and houses that float

This week, Hurricane Katrina has been a particularly accessible topic on my mind. I heard about it one class, then in another, and now I'm looking at levee failures.

I guess, I'm interested in design. There are some things that don't make very much sense to me, like how building design. There doesn't seem to be much variation from one location to another, despite the differences in terrain, weather, and climate.

I read that the city was flooded with over 10ft of water when the hurricane hit. If I were going to build a house in New Orleans, I'd build it on stilts, or build it so it can float. I think the Dutch have houses that float, and that makes a lot of sense if  you're in an area prone to flooding. When I lived in the Philippines, I remember living in a house on stilts for a short while. I'm not sure how that would hold up to Hurricane force winds, but it probably can be built. I guess if you want to live somewhere, it's easier to conform to the environment, then have the environment conform to you. That's how I view the levee system. So if that system breaks, then you're screwed because you've lost control.

The main reason I was thinking about H. Katrina was because of mold. If you house doesn't get flooded in the first place, will mold still be a problem? I was thinking about how devastating it must be not only to experience a natural disaster, but another one shortly after! Mold eating memories and people.

I think that's why I want to be an engineer. I'd like to solve problems that make peoples lives better. I want to build things.