Hurricane Katrina worse natural diaster to hit United States since 1906

[Guest]

[savage727]

I do not know how much of this you overseas folks are aware of but the United States has suffered its worst natural diaster since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake this week.  The States of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama have been devestated and look very much like the areas in the Pacific destroyed by the recent tsunami.  The major city of New Orleans is 80 plus percent underwater with reports of thousands of people killed in that city alone.  The city is being evacuated by the military and martial law is in effect.  Thousands of Search and Rescue personnel from all over our country are responding to the areas hit by the storm.  There is no power, fresh water, or food for the people and the temperature is around 100 degrees with high humidity which is going to cause medical problems for many especially with all the dead in the waters.  The authorities are saying at a minimum people will not be allowed back in the city for at least 4 months!  The other areas hit by the hurricane which came ashore as a Class 4 storm were wiped out with nothing standing for over 100 miles along the coastline. 

The remenants of the hurricane have been passing by where I live in New Hampshire today with heavy rain and damaging winds but nothing compared to the areas along our Gulf Coast that bore the initial brunt of the storm.  My heart and prayers go out to all who lost loved ones and their homes.   

[sketchqueen]

Where did you see reports of "thousands" of deaths? My family is connected to New Orleans and the reports we've been hearing are much lower ... Course, I haven't talked to them in a bit (since last night) so maybe things have changed...

[Morningangel-Iola]

My thoughts and wishes go out to the people invloved its horrible.

Its also funny how different countries have different reports. I know when the bombings happened in London the American reports had a higher death toll than the UK ones maybe its so not to frighten people.

[EmmasOneandOnly]

The mayor of New Orleans said that he "fears" thousands could be dead and looking at all the devestation looke like its possible :'(

My family and I are praying for all the familys and hope it doesnt take forever to get another place to call home and are thoughts and prayers are with you . 

[savage727]

The reports of the high death toll have been on all the major news stations, CNN, and Fox.  Numerous on site reporters have been describing the devestation and death they are seeing first hand all day today and that is where the death toll is coming from.  This is not including the loss of life from all the other areas hit by Katrina. 

The other major consequence from this disaster is our nations fuel supply as 25% comes from this area.  Prices in some areas in the nation have jumped to $5.00 a gallon today and it may go higher.  There is talk of rationing in some areas.  This is a major diaster which we in this country will all feel in many ways.

[Roz]

I've been hearing about this in particular as the NOAA (American ocean and atmospheric observation dudes) buoys got knocked out! It's annoying for them from a selfish data collection point of view as it means they can't be sure of what is actually going on - but they suspect the region is also suffering not only from Katrina itself but also from a storm surge (where atmospheric pressure affects the height of the sea locally and in a big way causing tides of 4 or 5 metres above predicted high tides worsening flooding situations). They sent out an appeal for other countries' observation data in the region to the coastal research community this afternoon.

We experience minor storm surges all the time but when they are small we just assume something funny is going on with the tides, the UK last had a serious one in East Anglia in 1953 when thousands of people living around the North Sea (particularly East Anglia and the Netherlands) were lost.

Very bad timing!

Another year of "once in a lifetime" Hurricanes.

[MakTheYak]

Yes, it's terrible. My thoughts are with all of them. Nature's power is incredible and yet deadly. Goodness knows where the population can make their homes now, let's hope a lot of people have family in other States who will take them in.

P.S. I saw the appeal too but I don't think the data from the sensors out in Essex will  be quite what they are looking for Roz

[Roz]

I've just been looking - it's possible to send donations to ease some of the more immediate problems through the American Red Cross:

http://www.redcross.org/

The site is really slow and I hope that's because of all the donations rolling in I'm going to try tomorrow - it's just not loading now and it's so late!

P.S. No, but it made me think about the thresholds of what our sensors would stand up to - smarty pants

[Sharon]

I saw more of this on the news tonight.  It just seems to be getting worse.  I heard there is a hole in one of the flood defence walls that sounded so huge I can't see how they can fill it.

Even though this is thousands of miles away from the UK all the place names are so familiar it is like I actually know the places.  Lets hope they can get all the trapped people out very quickly and safely.

[LikORish-Spider]

On Sept 8, 1900, Galveston, Texas was struck by a hurricane. Over 8000 dead in Galveston. The History channel is going to run this show again. (Issac's Storm?)
It's interesting to note, if you see it, that a minor Weather Station (US Government) Chief thought he knew it all, resulting in the higher death toll.
New Orleans is really a disgrace from a disaster point of view. Everyone in local, state and federal government are aware and have been aware
for years that New Orleans is a target for huricanes. they have had virtually 105 years to engineer those levies and design a better evacuation system.
The people of New Orleans, unlike those in Galveston, were warned a week in advance. Every level of government was aware of the potential problem.
This is just another case of negligence at all levels. And as ED says, 1906 brought the SF earthquake.
Worst case senario, 2011 brings the LA/ San Andres Earthquake. I can hear it now. "Why, Oh why didn't someone warn us.

I believe there are two cliches about this mind set:
1. Those who do not PROFIT from history are doomed to repeat it.
2. Once the horses are out it's too late to close the barn door.

We are going to end up with a lot of elected and appointed people standing in a circle pointing the finger-of-blame at the person to their right.
This high level of loss of life could have been prevented.

[sketchqueen]

Not to be argumentative, but New Orleans has one of the BEST Evac plans in the country - for this very reason. Whether people comply or not is entirely up to them and MANY opted to stay, knowing the danger they were in - including apparantly, Fats Domino and his family, who are now among the missing.

This is a tragedy - our gulf-coast states have been ravaged by none other than Mother Nature. This is not government's fault. This is not terrorists fault. This is the fault of a powerful storm that decided not to listen to men who said she couldn't come in, and came in anyway.

[Tea_and_Fruit]

I totaly agree with  LikORish-Spider

I have read "Issacs Storm" 2 days before the Tsunami disaster and after that i could not sleep for a long time, because the people were not warned and die without a chance.

Now the people were warned and i can only repeat what LikORish-Spider said

This high level of loss of life could have been prevented.

[Tea_and_Fruit]

Year POOR humans and CRUEL Nature. (that is really small minded)

I ask really why America is still against the Kyoto Protocol 

You cannot destroy the earth and then cry like a baby when nature strikes back.

Sorry but i think now it is time that America (and the world) learn that we must pay sometime the price for for our life-style.

I am sorry for all this poor people but i think this disaster was definately not the last one. And it is only a matter of time where the deaths the millions reach when nature strikes back.

[Roz]

We could argue that people shouldn't be living on drained marshland in the first place, the natural state of the land New Orleans is built on is to be vegetated rarely flooded marshland that would have dissipated the wave energy as it moved onland.

The idea of draining marshland and living on it became popular in Europe as land was scarce, but it was also because the area was then easily accessible by boat and many of these cities became ports. Of course when I am thinking about this I particularly have London in mind.

Out of the hurricane belt these cities have been successful, but that doesn't mean it's been easy -  in 1953 we were threatened by a storm surge, by some miracle it did not affect London as it could have done and much of the damage occurred along the East Anglian Coast and across the Netherlands. Our politicians realised how near to London this had come and later built this:



No, it's not pretty but it's a massive barrier, and should a Storm Surge take place it shouldn't overcome it.

The Enviroment Agency (the UK equivalent of WES but with no military connection) says "In 1953 there was disastrous flooding on the East Coast and the Thames Estuary with a toll of over 300 lives. If this flood had reached central London's highly populated low lying areas the result could have been horrifying beyond measure."

I think "horrifying beyond measure" just about sums up the situation in New Orleans.

Between 1983 and 1989 the Thames Barrier was only closed 4 times, in 2001 it was closed 15 times, and the trend is continuing. With anthropologically induced climate change we expect it won't last beyond 2030, not because it's old and tired but because it won't be tall enough!

All this is in a city where 10 metre (25 feet) floods (if a surge were to coincide with high tide) are a worst case scenario... not in a city in the path of a Hurricane, that is much harder, and perhaps most importantly - much more expensive to defend.

But John I don't agree with you on the Earthquake comparison, that's much more difficult to see coming but if you live on a fault line I suppose you have to keep your cards in a safe place and you have to be prepared to cope with the worst case scenario... just like if you live in a flood plain (which a great deal of the UK population does!)

NOAA have released their aerial photos of the path of Katrina

http://ngs.woc.noaa.gov/katrina/KATRINA0000.HTM

[sketchqueen]

Year POOR humans and CRUEL Nature. (that is really small minded)

I can't even begin to speak to that statement. Or to this one :

Sorry but i think now it is time that America (and the world) learn that we must pay sometime the price for for our life-style.

There is absolutely no reason to wish death or devastation on anyone simply so that they "learn" a lesson. Would you wish a fatal car accident on a drunk? Would you wish a heart attack on an obese person? Would you wish a promiscuous girl to be raped so that she learn her lesson??

There have to be better ways to teach someone that wish they be injured or dead.

[Morningangel-Iola]

The Thames barrier is great although I may end up swimming as I am the worng side of it

[Tea_and_Fruit]

I can not understand why people make such a "BIG thing" about it when 1000-5000 people die in a disaster but no one says only one word about the thousands of people who die everyday at hunger or in war.

For me it seems that every dead human that died in a disaster in a country like USA or Europe is more important for our society as a dead one in Africa or other countrys.

It is easy to see only the by the media preferred horror messages (who cares about people in other countrys?) but what about that 800 victims in the panic in Bagdad? Or the 100000 humans that each day at hunger die?

we were warned before possible victims by hunger - but do nothing
we were warned before possible victims by natural disasters Katrina - but do nothing

As I already said it. It is tragically.

There are allways two sides. You ask if i would wish a fatal car accident on a drunk and i say YES, but hopefully a accident without other victims. Every human is responsible for itself and his environment. Think about it, if he is drunk and drives his car in a group of children, would you say "this poor drunkard" or would you say "Alcohol with drive is forbidden"?

And now after Katrina would you say "this poor people" or would you say "Environmental pollution and urban bad planning have consequences"?

Sorry for my bad english and if we would discuss in german i would use other examples and arguments but i do my best.

[erevine]

Prehaps this is more telling in the fact that in a country as great as the United States, one of the richest countries in the world we are still stuck with a society of have and have nots. True the folks of New Orleans had ample warning to flee the city and many did except for the individuals who did not have the means, the poor, the elderly without family, living on a fixed income, the unfortunate person trapped by the bonds of alcohol or drug addition and the homeless. Many who are in the Afro-American minority. Many sought shelter in the Super Dome, many just simple tried to ride the storm out in their homes and many were forgotten. Those with the means to leave the city are safe and hopefully have insurance that will cover some of there losses. But many of the poorest in one of the richest countries on earth have lost everthing. To look at the pictures day by day on the news an it makes me weep. Assistance from our own courtry has been weak at best getting to the ones in greatest need.
Their are tales of horror and heartbreak everywhere. How would you like to be a six 6 year old to survive the wind and flood waters with your small puppy, only to have your friend taken away because what home you had was gone and where you were being relocated pets were not allowed. This happened to one small child who cried until he vomited. Of course the news media in the U.S. does drum a constant  coverage to beat the point home what has occured here and it makes it look much largest that what happens in Africa, the Middle East, or other parts of the world. But human suffering is human suffering. By the way Roz keep up your good work, I think your little sensor in Essex will have a major impact beyond your wildest imagination one day. Yours is the future of the world take care of it wisely. From one of the oldest members of the shack.

[Roz]

Those with the means to leave the city are safe and hopefully have insurance that will cover some of there losses.

Well... this is something insurers are looking into, in the UK they have been using your postcode to look at recent claims before insuring you for decades, however in the last few years they have mapped every home in the UK entirely by height above sea level, recreated flood plains etc on computers and so you will get a quote based on how likely you are to flood.

Long term with rising sea levels, increased storms and wave heights, home insurance in places of risk are going to be at least as expensive as health insurance is in the US now... it's quite scary. And as you see - this just makes the lives of the poor much more difficult than it is now.

Their are tales of horror and heartbreak everywhere.

What got me was a woman reporting "there is an old lady over there dead in her wheel chair! All around me, people are dying" - anyone watching who's heart strings weren't being twanged must have been made of stone, what a tragic end.

By the way Roz keep up your good work, I think your little sensor in Essex will have a major impact beyond your wildest imagination one day. Yours is the future of the world.

Well, I'll definitely do my best I'm rather young but when I eventually have children, I want to leave them a world safer than mine, and with the challenge of climatic change that's no easy task... excuse me a moment, I'm just placing a bid on some land ("real estate") half way up Mount Snowdon (just kidding!)!

[Sharon]

they have mapped every home in the UK entirely by height above sea level, recreated flood plains etc on computers and so you will get a quote based on how likely you are to flood.

Roz I have been looking for this map for ages.  Do you know if it is available to the general public?  It is just Crackpot Ken (Livingstone) is trying to build a slum estate on a known flood area near me.  The insurance companies have already said they won't insure the new homes but darling Ken says this isn't a problem.

I have been seeing lots of things on the news and what strikes me is why they don't just airlift people out?  I know there are thousands but with lots of helicopters (I am sure we would send ships to help) would this not be possible?  Maybe some of our American Shackers can give me an idea of the geography - on the news it looks like they could just ship people up to New York.  I am sure it is not this simple but we only have what we are told on the news to go by.

I should also like to add that if the same thing happened in the UK (God forbid) I am sure the rescue effort would have just as many problems as the current ones in the US.