And they're evacuating New Orleans
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4675601a12.html
Three years after Katrina, I'm watching and waiting and praying that this time it will be different. That Hurricane Gustav takes some bizarre twist and somehow misses New Orleans. But that's not going to happen. So, I'm praying that everyone gets out safely.
I'm originally from a smallish town called Greymouth. I don't know hurricanes, but my God, I know floods. Through my childhood, I can remember at least 5 or 6 times the river flooded. I distinctly remember the year I was 14 - we were hit by "once in 100 year" floods. In 4 months. We'd barely started to repair the damage caused by the first flood when the second one hit. It left the town devastated for many years. Go to google maps and look at an image of Greymouth. Find the racecourse near the centre of town and look at the 2 grey-roofed buildings across the road. I worked there - my first ever job. There was a ramp that you climbed to get into the building - the height was probably around chest high on me. Inside, the tide lines were still visible - equal with my waist. So, near as I can work it out, the flood peak in that area was around 2 metres, and probably a wee bit higher. The CBD was completely devastated and so was the suburb of Blaketown. Many houses were demolished - they were simply not fit for human habitation due to the contaminated flood waters. Because floodwater is never clean water. There's silt, rubbish, sewage, dead animals, and after a very short space of time, there's a very real risk of illness.
We lived across the river in Cobden. At that stage, the Cobden flood wall had been completed, however the town floodwall had not been. If you look closely, you will see the floodwalls. They're bloody ugly, to be honest, but the Cobden one did its job and held. We watched the floodwaters get higher and higher till it seemed inevitable that the flood levels would rise above the wall. Thankfully, they didn't. The Cobden floodwall is approximately 8 feet high, and wide enough that a car can be driven on it, to give you an indication of its size. If I remember, I'll try and get photos of it the next time I'm at my parents.
I don't remember that we lost power. I remember we had to boil our water for several days (maybe a week? Certainly no longer than that.). The town itself was cut off for several days thanks to several slips.
And this was nothing compared to the devastation caused by Katrina and that which will be caused by Gustav. Nobody died, and our only damages were property. Property can be repaired, but it takes time. So much time. It probably took ten - fifteen years for the town to get back to normal.
So, three years after Katrina is nothing when it comes to repairs. And now they will have to go through this again. Let's hope that we don't see the same complete and utter mismanagement from ALL government agencies as we saw during Katrina. The most vivid memory I have is that picture of around 20 school buses lying abandoned in floodwaters. Those buses could have been used to ferry people to safety, but were left in their yard to be destroyed. How wrong is that?
So very wrong.
Three years after Katrina, I'm watching and waiting and praying that this time it will be different. That Hurricane Gustav takes some bizarre twist and somehow misses New Orleans. But that's not going to happen. So, I'm praying that everyone gets out safely.
I'm originally from a smallish town called Greymouth. I don't know hurricanes, but my God, I know floods. Through my childhood, I can remember at least 5 or 6 times the river flooded. I distinctly remember the year I was 14 - we were hit by "once in 100 year" floods. In 4 months. We'd barely started to repair the damage caused by the first flood when the second one hit. It left the town devastated for many years. Go to google maps and look at an image of Greymouth. Find the racecourse near the centre of town and look at the 2 grey-roofed buildings across the road. I worked there - my first ever job. There was a ramp that you climbed to get into the building - the height was probably around chest high on me. Inside, the tide lines were still visible - equal with my waist. So, near as I can work it out, the flood peak in that area was around 2 metres, and probably a wee bit higher. The CBD was completely devastated and so was the suburb of Blaketown. Many houses were demolished - they were simply not fit for human habitation due to the contaminated flood waters. Because floodwater is never clean water. There's silt, rubbish, sewage, dead animals, and after a very short space of time, there's a very real risk of illness.
We lived across the river in Cobden. At that stage, the Cobden flood wall had been completed, however the town floodwall had not been. If you look closely, you will see the floodwalls. They're bloody ugly, to be honest, but the Cobden one did its job and held. We watched the floodwaters get higher and higher till it seemed inevitable that the flood levels would rise above the wall. Thankfully, they didn't. The Cobden floodwall is approximately 8 feet high, and wide enough that a car can be driven on it, to give you an indication of its size. If I remember, I'll try and get photos of it the next time I'm at my parents.
I don't remember that we lost power. I remember we had to boil our water for several days (maybe a week? Certainly no longer than that.). The town itself was cut off for several days thanks to several slips.
And this was nothing compared to the devastation caused by Katrina and that which will be caused by Gustav. Nobody died, and our only damages were property. Property can be repaired, but it takes time. So much time. It probably took ten - fifteen years for the town to get back to normal.
So, three years after Katrina is nothing when it comes to repairs. And now they will have to go through this again. Let's hope that we don't see the same complete and utter mismanagement from ALL government agencies as we saw during Katrina. The most vivid memory I have is that picture of around 20 school buses lying abandoned in floodwaters. Those buses could have been used to ferry people to safety, but were left in their yard to be destroyed. How wrong is that?
So very wrong.