On the eve of the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, Louisiana and surrounding areas on the Gulf Coast are again facing a tropical cyclone that is taking it’s sweet time to soak up as much of the Gulf of Mexico as it can before coming ashore. As has happened before, there are strong indicators that NOLA will take a direct hit on the worst side of the storm. As a result, NOLA and the surrounding areas are, again, in many people’s thoughts and prayers.
For all the blame that went around after Katrina, this time, no one should be blind-sided by the facts. We know for a fact that the exception of the French Quarter and a few other areas, NOLA sits about three feet BELOW SEA LEVEL. It is bordered on all but one side by Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Borgne, the Mississippi River, marshlands and ultimately, the Gulf of Mexico. It also has more than enough bayous and canals running through it to make one question the idea of Houston being called Bayou City rather than NOLA. As I learned when I last visited NOLA in 2001, the only things keeping NOLA from being flooded by the surrounding bodies of water on any given day, are the levies and pumps that in some areas, run 24hrs a day, seven days a week, whether there is a storm approaching or not, just to keep the streets dry.
Over the last seven years, millions of dollars have been spent building new levies and installing bigger pumps. Keep in mind that all of the those latest “improvements” in NOLA were built by the lowest bidder for a government contract. Above all else, it should also be noted that in the ongoing battle between man’s technology and that which God had created, God has never, ever, lost. In the end, God takes who or what he wants, when he wants, according to HIS plans, Samuel L. Jackson, whether you understand it or not. So with all of this in mind, if you’re in NOLA and surrounding areas, it might be time to exercise your own judgement and to get out of dodge rather than waiting for the government to tell you to do so.
-Gary
I can see it now… Kanye West telling the world, “Barack Obama hates black people!”
I’m filled with questions… Will there be another declaration of martial law? Will they again set out to confiscate everyone’s firearms? Will NOPD again be accused of raping and pillaging? Will significant portions of the population remain if told to evacuate? Will the mayor stick his thumb up his butt and wait, dumbfounded, for the Federal response?
It wasn’t called “The Big Easy” for no reason. I hear it’s less dangerous there now, given that most of the detritus relocated after Katrina.
I saw an interview with an Army Corp of Engineers representative a day or two ago. When asked how the rebuilt Levies would handle the storm, he said, “We designed it. We built it…” and then he turned into a stuttering clusterf**k momentarily, regained his composure and stated they would perform as designed. Government built..by the lowest bidder.
I really like Samuel L. Jackson as an actor. I wish he’d shut the eff up. It’s getting harder and harder to watch his movies and not think about the batshit crazy stuff he’s been spewing lately. Actors..oy gevault.