Katrina, one year later
CNN actually has a decent report, essentially a 'where are they now' theme. Mike Barnett, ex-Green Beret, who rode it out says he won't come back.
He provided a window into New Orleans, he was one of the only ones with an intact internet connection in New Orleans after Katrina. I think the people of New Orleans need to figure out if they want to come back, and then come back and get the job done. However, the infrastructure needs to be there; streets, power, plumbing, libraries, buses, etc. That's the governments responsibility (state/local), and the state of Louisiana has not done all it could. So while people heap blame on Bush for the lack of help for Katrina, remember it's primarily a local response to make sure the buses run, the libraries are open, etc. Once that happens, people will come back, and businesses will open. Until then...it's going to be a long, long road back.
While thinking about Katrina, I re-read some of my old posts (see post chain); the NOAA very accurately described what was to be expected a day or two early:
To me the problem with recovery is the absolute lack of infrastructure to a very large portion of the gulf coast area. Still, probablistic speaking, Katrina will hopefully never occur again in our lifetime. That said, we should be more prepared for hurricanes. Houston is actually pretty well sited to survive a major hurricaine; we are far enough inland that storm surge and the hurricane force winds will not affect us too much. Flooding will be an issue, but the city has undergone extensive work to revamp their flood control. New buildings (like the one i work in now) are now essentially flood proof, equiped with sealed basements and presumedly pumps to remove water. But one of the things I need to do is create a hurricane survival kit; we got most of the stuff on hand, but should put it into a bundle somehow.
Update: Paul at wizbang has an excellent post on the Katrina levees and how in fact water seeped under them for a year before Katrina; and how the levees were destined to fail very soon. In fact, he says, Katrina saved lives. Pretty interesting stuff!
"The politicians were promising a comeback. I knew immediately they were dreaming, and as much as I love the city, I couldn't live there anymore, not the way it was. It was hideous, horrendous," said the 35-year-old freelance economic consultant. "I'll never come back to live in New Orleans. I don't have much hope for the city."
He provided a window into New Orleans, he was one of the only ones with an intact internet connection in New Orleans after Katrina. I think the people of New Orleans need to figure out if they want to come back, and then come back and get the job done. However, the infrastructure needs to be there; streets, power, plumbing, libraries, buses, etc. That's the governments responsibility (state/local), and the state of Louisiana has not done all it could. So while people heap blame on Bush for the lack of help for Katrina, remember it's primarily a local response to make sure the buses run, the libraries are open, etc. Once that happens, people will come back, and businesses will open. Until then...it's going to be a long, long road back.
While thinking about Katrina, I re-read some of my old posts (see post chain); the NOAA very accurately described what was to be expected a day or two early:
POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS...AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.
To me the problem with recovery is the absolute lack of infrastructure to a very large portion of the gulf coast area. Still, probablistic speaking, Katrina will hopefully never occur again in our lifetime. That said, we should be more prepared for hurricanes. Houston is actually pretty well sited to survive a major hurricaine; we are far enough inland that storm surge and the hurricane force winds will not affect us too much. Flooding will be an issue, but the city has undergone extensive work to revamp their flood control. New buildings (like the one i work in now) are now essentially flood proof, equiped with sealed basements and presumedly pumps to remove water. But one of the things I need to do is create a hurricane survival kit; we got most of the stuff on hand, but should put it into a bundle somehow.
Update: Paul at wizbang has an excellent post on the Katrina levees and how in fact water seeped under them for a year before Katrina; and how the levees were destined to fail very soon. In fact, he says, Katrina saved lives. Pretty interesting stuff!
Any comments welcome, and may be edited/removed at any time without notification.