From a long-term perspective it is unfortunate that the political tendency after these disasters is always to make people who live in the worst-hit areas whole. That seems at first to be the humane response, but in the long run this largesse is like a flood insurance program writ large. By shifting the risks to taxpayers nationwide, it encourages people to continue to live in the riskiest areas. In the absence of the federal insurance program I assume flood insurance would be much more expensive in places like barrier islands. It might be a good thing if fewer people lived on barrier islands, or if those who decided to do so were forced to self-insure by building stronger or better protected houses.

It looks like ground cars are not an especially good way to empty big cities in a hurry. But if we want anything better, we’ll need more and cheaper energy. Which we won’t be getting for a while.

What would really help is free-market flood insurance. Voting on what and who should be on the coast is going to lead to us collectively doing something stupid… either paying people to rebuild over and over again when they could just as easily live elsewhere, or trying to abandon a city that actually has a reason for being where it is.