08.30.05
Current History - Hurricane Katrina
Tidbits from the radio news today:
- Katrina has caused the most damage of any storm in American history EVER
- Every building in New Orleans has sustained some sort of damage.
America has an almost 250 year “official” history as a country, and more than that as colonies, settlements, etc. In all that time, no storm has ever done this sort of damage, and it wasn’t even as bad as expected!
Every building, every single building in New Orleans. All of them have sustained some sort of damage. The French Quarter, birthplace of the blues and American jazz may wind up completely under water. New Orleans; home to Louis Armstrong, Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Mardi Gras, Emeril, Paul Prudhomme, Anne Rice … damaged, ruined.
The SuperDome is now a refugee camp. 80% of the city was evacuated, those that couldn’t get out couldn’t afford gas, didn’t have a car (or one that worked), were ill or infirm. An interview with a 3rd-grade teacher said he didn’t have a car that worked and that was why he was still in New Orleans. He gave money to some people that did have a car for gas money so they could get out.
I seem to be rambling, the scope of this is staggering. I keep fixating on the smaller things. Maybe this is the way history is written, about the smaller things because the big picture is too large.
Taking a back seat to New Orleans are Mississippi, Alabama and the rest of the state of Louisiana. It will take months and years to recover from this one. No one can get in to do damage assessments.
And one other historic note: Katrina has pushed the price of oil up over $70/barrel. Price at the pump in Northern California, almost $3/gallon. I did see one station that was up to $3.05/gallon.
I feel so old when I think, “When I was in high school, gas was .50/gallon!”
BBC News Online
Wikipedia - Hurricane Katrina
Weather Channel
Google: Hurricane Katrina
Technorati: Hurricane Katrina