social studies 6
Where people choose to set up camp and build their settlement/city is important. People around the world have chosen to manipulate nature to serve humans. In some cases, like in Tenochtitlan, it was relatively easy to change nature. The Aztecs used reeds and dirt to literally fill in sections of the lake and MAKE more land. Similarly, land was needed in southern Louisiana to expand a settlement there. The swamp near the Mississippi River was drained to create more land, and BAM! New Orleans could develop into a large city. Draining the swamp of water was clever, but people did not think about the long term effects. Today in class we learned that air pockets in the soil made it soft and unreliable for the city. Over time, as New Orleans developed, the ground sank... and it is now below sea level! Dangerously below sea level. A city near the ocean below sea level is a recipe for disaster. Measures were taken to ensure the city remained safe. Infrastructure, primarily levees (earth walls) and pumping stations, worked to keep water away from New Orleans. In August 2005, however, Hurricane Katrina broke through the levees and flooded the city, killing ~1800 people, flooding 80% of the city, and displacing ~ 1 million people. The following are pictures showing New Orleans' sea level and Katrina's aftermath. Homework for Tuesday:
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