Never have those words been more appropriate than today. President Biden’s motto “Build Back Better” means we will be fixing what’s broken or too old to function as needed for current requirements.

            After Katrina we spent over a billion to try to fortify New Orleans. Ida hit close. The levees held but the reinforced pylons didn’t so power went out. The new ones will be even sturdier. We will probably waste millions on helping the few nuts who want to live on Grand Isle. Most of the homes are about fifteen feet above the sand to avoid surge damage. Wind damage got the buildings, the above and below ground utilities, and the only road onto it. Many of the towns, roads, and levees in the hinterlands were destroyed again from the Ida rains with Nicholas dropping another foot.

            Protecting those flooded New Jersey towns every future Ida is going to be expensive and difficult to Build Back Better. New York City lost several people in flooded basement apartments. The subways and tunnels flooded too, but not as bad as Hurricane Sandy. Protecting the city and suburbs around the Hudson needs to be protected by a trillion dollar system. Sandy was a surge and Ida was rain so the fix will be difficult.

            A “Permanent” fix concerning the regular seawater flooding of Miami and Charleston will cost tens of billions to Build Back Better.

            We may have learned our lesson when we stupidly put Puerto Rico’s infrastructure back as it was instead of upgrading and fortifying to withstand the next storm. Build Back Better.