we can't say we weren't warned...

[Houstonia]

October 2004 National Geographic Cover Story http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature5/index.html

(my apologies if this has already been posted):

It was a broiling August afternoon in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Big Easy, the City That Care Forgot. Those who ventured outside moved as if they were swimming in tupelo honey. Those inside paid silent homage to the man who invented air-conditioning as they watched TV "storm teams" warn of a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. Nothing surprising there: Hurricanes in August are as much a part of life in this town as hangovers on Ash Wednesday.

But the next day the storm gathered steam and drew a bead on the city. As the whirling maelstrom approached the coast, more than a million people evacuated to higher ground. Some 200,000 remained, however—the car-less, the homeless, the aged and infirm, and those die-hard New Orleanians who look for any excuse to throw a party.

The storm hit Breton Sound with the fury of a nuclear warhead, pushing a deadly storm surge into Lake Pontchartrain. The water crept to the top of the massive berm that holds back the lake and then spilled over. Nearly 80 percent of New Orleans lies below sea level—more than eight feet below in places—so the water poured in. A liquid brown wall washed over the brick ranch homes of Gentilly, over the clapboard houses of the Ninth Ward, over the white-columned porches of the Garden District, until it raced through the bars and strip joints on Bourbon Street like the pale rider of the Apocalypse. As it reached 25 feet (eight meters) over parts of the city, people climbed onto roofs to escape it.

Thousands drowned in the murky brew that was soon contaminated by sewage and industrial waste. Thousands more who survived the flood later perished from dehydration and disease as they waited to be rescued. It took two months to pump the city dry, and by then the Big Easy was buried under a blanket of putrid sediment, a million people were homeless, and 50,000 were dead. It was the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States.

When did this calamity happen? It hasn't—yet. But the doomsday scenario is not far-fetched. The Federal Emergency Management Agency lists a hurricane strike on New Orleans as one of the most dire threats to the nation, up there with a large earthquake in California or a terrorist attack on New York City.

[Lori]

Wow, how prophetic
One year later reads like a summary of what actually happened.

[arcticfire]

Thats the rub about worst case scenario's. Everyone ignores and trivilizes them untill they actually happen.

[GalvestonDuck]

"putrid sediment" -- although I wouldn't have worded it that way, I've wondered about it. I've seen homes after a mere couple of feet of water finally drained out and there was a "carpet" of sand, dirt, debris, and belongs that had to be shoveled out.

How thick will layer be on the ground of NOLA after they drain it? You can't shovel out a whole city.

[Houstonia]

"putrid sediment" -- although I wouldn't have worded it that way, I've wondered about it. I've seen homes after a mere couple of feet of water finally drained out and there was a "carpet" of sand, dirt, debris, and belongs that had to be shoveled out.

How thick will layer be on the ground of NOLA after they drain it? You can't shovel out a whole city.

I just can't imagine how they are going to check all the buildings for mold (a HUGE problem in Houston after Allison), check for diseases, check the air quality, the water quality. Even the places that didn't suffer structural damage, or even much water damage are still going to have mold from all the humidity and lack of power to de-humidify the interiors...

[HurriCat]

Thats the rub about worst case scenario's. Everyone ignores and trivilizes them untill they actually happen.

And even then it's everyone ELSE's fault - conveniently overlooking the original responsibility of living in such a place, and worse, staying in such a place when the warned-about danger is approaching. Oh, and NOT having plans and money set aside JUST IN CASE.

[baygirl_1]

I have to tell y'all, we were listening to WWL Radio out of New Orleans as we were evacuating Sunday afternoon. They were telling people who were planning to stay in New Orleans for the storm to have food and water supplies for each person staying in the home for at least 3 days. Also, they told people to firmly attach a ladder that would reach to the roof to the side of their home near a window so they would have roof access for when (and they did say when) the water rose. They cited Hurricane Betsy over and over again. We both remember this very vividly because it was so scary and we both agreed that would have gotten us moving had we been still considering staying.
I'm not negating the fact that there has been bungling of the rescue/relief efforts by all authorities, but the individuals in New Orleans were made aware of the risks they were taking by not evacuating.

[spinfan4eva]

The chances of such a storm hitting New Orleans in any given year are slight, but the danger is growing. Climatologists predict that powerful storms may occur more frequently this century, while rising sea level from global warming is putting low-lying coasts at greater risk. "It's not if it will happen," says University of New Orleans geologist Shea Penland. "It's when."

Well, I guess he knows the question of 'when' now, right time frame (august) the following year

Reading that page from octobe 04 is like reading the current newspaper

I just clicked a link to the complete story and not the date in the link 0410 and its unbelievable how close they were to telling us how it would be

[mettski]

the person who wrote that must be freaking out. new job - prophet.

[NFLnut]

We talked about this last year on this forum (it was called Hurricane Hollow back then) when Ivan appeared headed to NOLA. It was said that NOLA would be underwater and uninhabitable for months!

[LSU2001]

We talked about this last year on this forum (it was called Hurricane Hollow back then) when Ivan appeared headed to NOLA. It was said that NOLA would be underwater and uninhabitable for months!

Yep this scenario has been talked about for years. However, nobody wanted to face the reality of it. Now they have no choice
Tim

[soonertwister]

I'm going to call bunk on global warming. It may exist, it may not.

But the entire body of evidence is entirely inconclusive at this time. The proponents of global warming (many of whom stand to profit quite handsomely from general acceptance and their role of the mitigation of same) selectively pick local and seasonal and aberrational events to support their claims, and fail to report evidence to the contrary.

If you don't believe the statement above, then start looking at journals and newspaper articles regarding this potential phenomenon. Look at how many articles are prominently featured that contain information that might refute global warming, and look at how many support it. And then look at those articles, and see what kind of play they get in the newspaper. Is it buried in the news where few will read it? If the journalistic bent of that particular publication promotes the theory (yes theory) of global warming, then articles that support their editorial stance will get strong play, the others usually won't be published or will be buried where they are hard to find. Generally, periodicals DO publish evidence that is contrary to the warming crowd somewhere (especially where you aren't likely to find it) so that they can claim unbiased reporting.

But scientifically speaking, until someone can give me solid evidence I'm not going to buy it. And all the "solid" evidence I've seen so far hasn't been.

It's dyno-mat, only the money involved in this is several orders of magnitude larger. I don't know anyone who's promoting the idea that global warming doesn't exist as a potential cause for profit, do you?

But you can bet those who believe that mood-altering drugs for children who have so-called hyperactivity disorders will continue to insist that your children will perish without those life-saving pharmaceuticals. And they don't make one penny of profit as a result. Please don't be led like a sheep.

[Persepone]

I have to tell y'all, we were listening to WWL Radio out of New Orleans as we were evacuating Sunday afternoon. They were telling people who were planning to stay in New Orleans for the storm to have food and water supplies for each person staying in the home for at least 3 days. Also, they told people to firmly attach a ladder that would reach to the roof to the side of their home near a window so they would have roof access for when (and they did say when) the water rose. They cited Hurricane Betsy over and over again. We both remember this very vividly because it was so scary and we both agreed that would have gotten us moving had we been still considering staying.
I'm not negating the fact that there has been bungling of the rescue/relief efforts by all authorities, but the individuals in New Orleans were made aware of the risks they were taking by not evacuating.

I suspect ALL Storm2K members would agree with (at a minimum) the WWL Recommendations for preparation. It sounds as if most (80%?), no matter how extensive their preparations, still headed out after securing their homes as best they could. In fact, there was at least one report of stranded tourists who we given keys to an apartment someone had fled and they voiced extensive gratitude to that unknown person who had made the preparations--they had water because of the preparation.

It does look, however, as though many who stayed behind were not in a good position to do good hurricane preparations--the elderly, the sick, the very poor, people with mental illnesses (from Alzheimers to Schitzophrenia) and, of course, because of the total destruction, some may well have found their hurricane preparations blown away, washed away, contaminated, etc.

One of the members of this board who did evacuate (but who initially had planned to stay, I believe) actually got back home and said that literally he could not find ONE SINGLE THING that he could identify as having been in or a part of his house! And from that person's earlier posts, I'll bet he had weeks' worth (and not day's worth) of supplies in that house. And I also suspect that many people (and I include myself in that "many people") truly had no idea how fast the waters would rise once the flooding began. Yes, "intellectually" we know better, but when we see flooding on TV, etc. it looks like you have some time to get yourself and your survival gear up to a higher level in your home.

As an analogy, we all know that we should hold regular "fire drills" in our homes so that if the unthinkable happens and the house catches fire in the middle of the night, everyone knows exactly how they would grab their children and get out. But when you actually hold that fire drill (and you should do it blindfolded, because you often can't see in a house fire) you probably will make dramatic alterations to your escape plans. But my experience is that we have vague ideas of how we would get out and we think we'd climb out on the porch roof and shinny down the gutter or something--but if we actually TRY this stuff, we immediately go out and buy fire ladders because we find that the window to the porch roof to the gutter was a really unworkable idea... But, of course, very few of us really do hold middle of the night fire drills... We know that we should...

So I think that while I, personally, will take a bunch of lessons from this tragedy, I know that I am NOT blaming the victims for lack of preparedness or stupidity or obstinacy or foolhardiness, etc. We are, after all, all too human. And I can't imagine the guilt and remorse that some people are feeling about decisions to stay, etc.

[GalvestonDuck]

Dang!! A lot of brain-sharing going on here lately. Last night, it was a slew of us all saying the same thing in the Thank Texas thread. And now this morning, Persepone, you said almost the same thing here that I said here http://www.storm2k.org/phpbb2/viewtopic ... 72#1041772.

[x-y-no]

It's dyno-mat, only the money involved in this is several orders of magnitude larger. I don't know anyone who's promoting the idea that global warming doesn't exist as a potential cause for profit, do you?

I was going to respond to your entire political screed, but elected not to. All I'll say is this - many of those climate scientists you so freely smear with base innuendo are old family friends and colleagues of my father, people I grew up knowing. To a man and woman, my personal experience is that they are dedicated and honest scientists.

And you don't think those scientists who argue against anthropogenic global warming earn nice stipends from industry-financed institutions and plety of nice fat speaking fees? You don't think there's a profit motive in a certain industry to discrediting the idea that their product is causing serious climate problems?

Please!