Well, Katrina has been downgraded, and the Big Easy dodged the bullet. New Orleans still exists, but they'll be digging out for a while. This was destructive, not catastrophic. Two things conspired to save the Garlic City, both almost Providential. The storm lost intensity as it came ashore and it zigged to the east at the same time.
Some pundits will say that this storm was overhyped. Don't you believe it. This storm was a killer, and New Orleans was sheltered by the Hand of God. The Big One is coming, and New Orleans needs to learn from this lesson. If not for the unexplainable northerly turn, it could have been much, much worse. Many of us expect that when the big one decides to strike, New Orleans will become a bay on Lake Ponchartrain with some really interesting fishing structure. The leadership down there needs to make some changes that will insure the life of the city into the next millenium. Thinking that New Orleans is invulnerable is not an option.
My sister is trying to find information on the North Shore. Her house is there in St. Tammany parish and all the phone lines are down. She is safely ashore at Momma's place, but she is concerned about her home and her property. We'll see if her place survived, but not tonight.
Thanks for everyone who looked in for us, prayed for us, was concerned for us. Now it is time to start cleaning up, digging out, and getting on with whatever is next. Regular blogging will resume here tomorrow, with more on grandkids, politics, and gun stuff.
I saw that Hand of God there. My husband and I were watching and came to that very conclusion. The last minute little bit of weakening and that last minute turn to the east took the storm surge somewhere else. Not that I don't feel bad for those folks, too, but I am happy to see New Orleans still there.
ReplyDeletePerhaps they need to study some Venetian architecture down there???