SGER: Material Requirements for Rebuilding New Orleans

在卡特里娜飓风和丽塔飓风之后，新奥尔良已经成为一个主要的建筑工地，并将继续在未来的几个月和几年。翻新和更换活动将涉及各种类型和规模的建筑物（商业、住宅、工业、机构）、基础设施（供水、天然气供应、道路、能源输送系统等），运输（铁路和机动车辆）以及各种杂项设备和家具。在短期内，这些活动将主要包括评估和稳定目前局势所需的临时项目，以及制定和执行全面重建办法的规划。从长远来看，必须从整个美国的角度，在某些情况下，从整个世界的角度来看待与材料有关的活动的这种脉动，当然，如果不考虑所需的大量材料的可获得性和成本，重建就不可能发生。虽然材料在这一活动中的参与是显而易见的，但令人惊讶的是，我们对目前正在使用的数量、大规模重新开发可能需要的数量或作为时间函数的材料采购潜力的信息却很少。在决策者考虑重建新奥尔良及周边地区的可能方案时，重要的是要寻求几个关键问题的定量信息，包括：可能需要多少关键材料？在区域、国家或全球范围内需要的数量是否很大？有这样的数额吗？如果是的话，它们的可用性是否会像目前的油价那样，对经济的其他部分产生强烈影响？美国在多大程度上依赖进口最重要的材料？

Graedel0609858In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, New Orleans has become a major construction site and shall continue to be for months and years to come. Refurbishment and replacement activities will address buildings of various types and sizes (commercial, residential, industrial, institutional), infrastructure (water supply, natural gas supply, roads, energy delivery systems, etc.), transportation (rail and motor vehicles), and various miscellaneous equipment and furnishings. In the short term, the activities will largely consist of interim projects needed to assess and stabilize the current situation, together with planning to develop and implement a comprehensive approach to reconstruction. In the longer term, it will be important to look at this pulse of materials-related activities in the context of the United States as a whole, and, in some cases, of the world as a whole.Reconstruction cannot occur, of course, without considering the accessibility and cost of the very large amounts of materials that will be needed. Although the involvement of materials in this activity is obvious, we have surprisingly little information about the quantities that are currently in use, the amounts likely to be required for large-scale re-development, or the potential for materials acquisition as a function of time. As decision-makers consider possible scenarios for rebuilding New Orleans and the surrounding areas, it is important to seek quantitative information on several key issues including:What amounts of key materials could be required?Are the amounts that will be needed significant on a regional, national, or global scale?Are such amounts even available?If they are, will their availability come at a price that will have a strong impact on other parts of the economy, as is currently the case with oil prices?To what degree does the US rely on imports for the most important materials?