I would imagine it'd be the population growth in the past 36 years. That's the damage to Gulf Port anyway. There has never been a hurricane this large that has hit directly on New Orlenes. It was admitted by State officials that the Levey's were only designed to withstand a Catagory 3 hurricane. They thought that the cost was too much for the likelyhood of it. Course that seems kinda silly now since it's going to cost a lot more to repair all the damage than it would have to build a larger levey.


Strangeguard Prayermaster

You gesture at a sand sprite.
Its head soars through the air as its neck is entirely destroyed!
A sand sprite slowly falls to the ground, moaning in despair, shuddering in pain before taking her last breath.

<<Sakhara/flood

I think it might be, and correct me if I'm wrong, but the path of the hurricane was more of less straight along the river (or with a slight curve?)

Which resulted in flooding of unheard of excess, which -would- cause devestation along not just the mouth but the entire river...

Perhaps.

---

So I asked this God a question
and by way of firm reply,
He said: "I'm not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays".

After a hard but brief rain there would be as much as two feet of water in areas outside where I lived in the garden district. The city didn't make a secret of the limitations of the pump and levy systems if a storm like Katrina hit.

Unfortunately the sea wall and larger levies that could have weathered a more powerful hurricane carried a price tag similar to that of the Big Dig in Boston. Certainly the value of New Orleans as a national treasure (in my opinion) and more importantly the cost of human life cannot be measured in any ammount of currency. But the fact is Louisiana does not have the kind of money to finance a project of that magnitude and an earmark of 18 billion of federal appropriations for a project that only has local support is tough to come by.

The storm and the destruction makes me sad, but the looting and violence really gets to me. Food and water; loot away, it's an survival situation. But, I have friends on the west bank whose house was spared by the storm, but not by the looters. It's a shame when the worst parts of human nature destroy what the worst parts of nature could not.

~Purehand

<<What I don't understand though is why Camille, which had much stronger winds and moved over the same area, did hardly near as much damage as Katrina seems to have done. If you could tell me, please do.>>

On Tuesday, the news station I was watching (and I can't remember if it was CNN, MSNBC or FOX ) had an expert answer this very same question. I can't quote him exactly but the gist of was this:

1. Like others here have mentioned, the Gulf shores have seen a tremendous growth in population.

2. Camille was a cat 5 storm, but it was smaller in size than Katrina. And due to weather conditions (a lot of talk about cold fronts and so forth), Camille dissipated fairly rapidly once it hit shore. Katrina was so big, it covered 2 whole states and half of Lousiana (I am talking about the width of the storm) as seen from the satellite and the outer bands of the storm. Thus the eye was bigger, the northwall (the area of most strength) covered a bigger area and it took a long time for the effects of the storm to lessen.

3. The geography of the Gulf shores is different. Espcially in Lousiana. When Camille hit, there was a "buffer" of sorts south of New Orleans of mostly swamp land that helped take the brunt of the storm. Today that is all built up, or was until the storm hit.

4. Sunday night, when most folks went to bed, Katrina was a cat 5 storm heading almost straight for New Orleans. Then right before landfall, it swerved just so slightly east of New Orleans and as a result the hardest hit were the folks on the LA. and MS border and along the shores of the Gulf shores as far east as Florida.

5. As a result of point 4. while New Orleans had ordered the folks to evacuate, and had warning to evacuate) the folks in the towns east of New Orleans either didn't know to evacuate, were told evacuate and did, or was told to evacuate and there wasn't time.

6. Back to New Orleans, the levees held remarkably well, the expert said, and there was only a little flooding and that was from Lake Pontrachain into the areas right next to the levees. It was a combination of rising lake levels, rising Mississippi River levels and the wind and rain after the worst of the storm hit that weakened the levees in 2 places.

Well I just have to say, like everyone else, I am praying for all affected by the hurricane. After almost 4 straight days and most of the nights watching the TV coverage, I just can't take it anymore. And I feel guilty that I even have the option of not being able to take it anymore, of not watching the devastion and see the awful stories people are sharing with the news reporters. And I feel guilty when I eat, or shower or sleep in my bed.

I even feel guilty for not watching the TV coverage non-stop, because I know that as soon as the networks perceive that viewership is down, they will go back to regular programing and these people DESERVE not to be forgotten, to be helped and to know that they are prayed over and cared about.

Thank you Solomon for opening this file. And thanks for those who posted so far about DR folks. I can only hope that if the folks of DR can't post themselves, it is because they have no power, and not because they are dead.

Zinaca

When Andrew went thru down here it changed south Florida still to this day. It was just a small area compared to this. I can't imagine whats going to happen there. I was hearing that they could still feel the effects 10 years from now. such as envorimentally and economicly too.

Tea, God bless your husband and all those who are helping or trying to help the folks devastated by this storm.

As someone else has said though, there is a monster typhoon (hurricane, us folks on the West Coast and Pacific rim just have to be contrary and name it differently), heading straight for Korea and southern Japan (Tokyo area I believe). I pray it lessens as it too is a cat 5, or was when I last checked. My heart goes out to all in it's path and I hope our DR family there all the best and my prayers.

Zinaca

Thanks much for this thread. Me and Cathe(Kynani) are now in Georgia while our house gets worked on. We lost most of our electrical appliances including BOTH COMPUTERS OH NOOOOZEEEE...but on the huge scale of things the people down on the coast have lost our loss has been pale in comparison. Lystid is doing fine and once again has power so I'm sure the Tart King will be back arround fairly soon. Thanks much again.

Jimi, driver of Ternith
___
Hard pressed on my right. My center is yielding. Impossible to maneuver. Situation excellent. I am attacking.
--Ferdinand Foch-- at the Battle of the Marne

Thanks much, I know that myself and cathe appreciate that.

___
Hard pressed on my right. My center is yielding. Impossible to maneuver. Situation excellent. I am attacking.
--Ferdinand Foch-- at the Battle of the Marne

<<Loss is loss.. Regardless of the amount, I regret you had to experience it.>>

Amen to that. Glad to know you are alive Ternith and we in DR miss and Soim and all those who can't live in "our" world for a while. Take care, and know our thoughts and prayers are with you (except for Soim who is such a redneck he would challenge God to a fishin duel and Cajun Black fry God on a platter) : )

Zinaca

<<Is it me, or is Zinaca starting to sound an awful lot like Soim?


~Dulcinia>>


I love you too Dulcinia! Right after Soim, my hero! : )

Zinaca