The Big One
Posted by: Bradley McDonald
Those of us who live Southern Louisiana have all heard talk of The Big One that may hit someday and what it would do to New Orleans. Truthfully, even though I lived in New Orleans for two years, I've always thought the talk was a little overblown and thought (or hoped) I wouldn't see it in my lifetime. Well, The Big One has hit and it is everything people talked about and more.
Even though the eye of Hurricane Katrina passed a little to the east of New Orleans, the city is still devastated. At least one levee along a canal has broken, letting the water from Lake Ponchartrain rush into the city. Since New Orleans sits below sea level and surrounded on all sides by water, the city is acting as a bowl to flood waters. Some parts of the city have 20 feet of standing water and it is still rising as I type this.
To get the full affect of the catastrophe, read the up-to-the minute news being posted on the Times Picayune website (New Orlean's main newspaper).
Luckily, Baton Rouge fared much better. We have quite a few trees and power lines down, but no flooding. Most of the town still has no electricity (I'm blogging from work with a generator running) but that is a small price to pay compared to what could have been.
Watching an aerial video of the New Orleans area after Katrina, I had the same helpless feeling I had after 9-11. Although there won't be nearly as many lives lost (most people heeded the mandatory evacuation), the destruction to the city will be felt for a long, long time. Most places will have no electricity for over a month and a lot of people will have to totally rebuild their homes.
Please say a prayer for everyone that Katrina has affected and help out by donating to the Red Cross or other relief funds.
Those of us who live Southern Louisiana have all heard talk of The Big One that may hit someday and what it would do to New Orleans. Truthfully, even though I lived in New Orleans for two years, I've always thought the talk was a little overblown and thought (or hoped) I wouldn't see it in my lifetime. Well, The Big One has hit and it is everything people talked about and more.
Even though the eye of Hurricane Katrina passed a little to the east of New Orleans, the city is still devastated. At least one levee along a canal has broken, letting the water from Lake Ponchartrain rush into the city. Since New Orleans sits below sea level and surrounded on all sides by water, the city is acting as a bowl to flood waters. Some parts of the city have 20 feet of standing water and it is still rising as I type this.
To get the full affect of the catastrophe, read the up-to-the minute news being posted on the Times Picayune website (New Orlean's main newspaper).
Luckily, Baton Rouge fared much better. We have quite a few trees and power lines down, but no flooding. Most of the town still has no electricity (I'm blogging from work with a generator running) but that is a small price to pay compared to what could have been.
Watching an aerial video of the New Orleans area after Katrina, I had the same helpless feeling I had after 9-11. Although there won't be nearly as many lives lost (most people heeded the mandatory evacuation), the destruction to the city will be felt for a long, long time. Most places will have no electricity for over a month and a lot of people will have to totally rebuild their homes.
Please say a prayer for everyone that Katrina has affected and help out by donating to the Red Cross or other relief funds.
