hurricane katrina

I know what a cat 5 can do. I was homeless during Andrew. I was using a car dealership wall as a wind break when the roof blew off, and the concrete blocks were blown off the wall, one at a time. I then watched the entire lawn, which was a put down sod lawn, roll up like a carpet from one end to the other end.
I shudder to think of what this storm will do, from the immediate, to our future in this country. I fear, aside from human loss, and housing devastation, there will be geography changes. They eye is centered on the petroleum industry center for oil processing and storage. Realestate will change, policies will change, and that is only New Orleans.
The eye is headed for major agricultural centers that are protected by Levies. Then there will be collateral damage. The shrimping grounds, and fishing grounds will be significantly compromised.
This one is going to be bad. There will be sufferage. I wish it was simply changing the channel and it would go away, but it is not to be. Tampa bay hit 94 degreees recently. That has never happened in contemporary history. I fear, this is the beginning and Hurricane season is not even at the peak. What will the rest of the season be like?

dwight i answered you on the other post. i'm up north too. not quite straight across from you but close. now foreverdown brett is real close to the the ms coast. what is mobile getting?

kim

This does sound like a MAJOR storm. Coastal areas will be devastated, the damage will be huge. I have to hope and pray that none of our friends will be affected but fear the worst...

I can understand people not wanting to evacuate. The government just has too much say in how we live our lives. Everyone has been warned and given alternatives and if they choose not to evacuate, why should adults have to do what someone else wants them to do. We need to get back to being the land of the free.

We are certainly seeing an incredible coincidence of extreme storms the last few years. Are we doing it to ourselves, i.e., Is it global warming, the reduction of the Ozone layer? Perhaps nothing that dramatic, just a natural weather cycle?

There were people surfing as the storm approached and one of the networks was making a big deal about that and how irresponsible (wake up boys and girls, there are a few people who do that in every storm, they like this form of cheap thrills and if they get swept out to sea, so be it). Now I can't accept walking a toddler on a sea wall; completely irresponsible, kinda like MJ dangling his baby out the window. But as you get older you should be able to live your own life, Just understand that we are responsible for our own actions and in a time like this, noone should have to rescue you when you are totally irresponsible.

Over the weekend I saw this movie Grizzly Man. Kinda made me think about Doc in Alaska (Doc, get an agent and sell your stories). He decided he could live freely among the bears; he had discovered the secret and would not be harmed by them and had to protect them from those of us who would do the grizz harm. This guy was a genius and invincible for thirteen years, his death in the fourteenth is not what I would call a tragedy. He was doing what he wanted to do and died the way he wanted to die. I truly believe that as a society we have a responsibility to others but that responsibility is not boundless and we should not do all the thinking for others just because we think we are right and they are stupid.
csroc

I have been reading a lot of sites. Since the earthquake in the pacific, a land mass has shifted. This resullted in a land mass going away and a current that acted as a buffer against the formation of huge hurricanes is no longer there. The global warming is an issue also. No matter what the cause, it is getting warmer. Hurricanes are heat pumps that bring hot air to the poles.
After the quake, the poles are shifting much farther than usual. I read a report from the United Nations publication that showed the North Pole moving 16ft this year, instead of 6cm.
I am not sure what it all adds up to, but, I have seen the eyewall of Andrew, George, Irene, Ivan, Charlie, Hugo, Bob. I have seen what these things can do, first hand. I have also seen what people can do after these things. I do not know which is worse.
I know, there are people who will never be the same again.
After the hurricane, the humidity, heat, mosquitos, dampness. The odor of decaying vegetation, animals. It is amazing. The hardest part, when a lifetime of saving is gone in an high wind, is the days and days of no water, no AC, no communication. Insurance adjusters are there right away. The first thing they do is reject the claim. Then the food goes bad. Damage that goes unnoticed, if that is imagineable materializes. Then medication absorbs moisture and decays.
The second day, with no sleep, all bedding is soaked, and damp to the touch, no food. Finally a fire is started between mosquitos, and hordes of fire ants. Beans. Canned food keeps but it is no fun. There is no water to clean the dishes. The toilet doesn't flush. It just goes on, and on. Curfews, long lines to get simple luxuries like a candy bar. No ice, and no way to store any if you found some. Miserable water.
It goes on, and on. Then come the snakes, alligators, other predators, some with two legs. Then finding out if your business is still where it was, let alone if any customers will ever come, or if any of your work is still within any part of the building.
The real fun part is when the electricity comes on, and the refrigerator blows, and the AC, and the well pump. Even more fun, is when your neighbors have power, and you do not get yours for another week.
Then things get back to a functionality, and repairs are made, but, things are never the same. Hurricane season winds down, and life slowly crawls back to something resembling something understood. The lucky ones find themselves looking over their shoulder at their home, auto, supplies. Storm watch becomes a daily checkup, every tropical depression becomes an infatuation. The storm track becomes mesmorizing. Are we ready? Did we do enough? Should we have sold when we had an offer? Will we make it?
Jenne comes from a land where they have serious earthquakes. She spent this hurricane season watching the weather channel every storm watch, laying awake when one becomes a tropical storm, waiting for another to happen. She now lives in fear. She wakes up every hour to watch how the storm is doing. Clouds make her nervous.
We got away easy last year. I shudder to imagine what the folks in Katrina's path will see. I know what it feels like to be in the middle of a big one and feel so small.