Katrina's Victims

Before the hurricane struck, I hadn't fully considered the plight of those who could not leave. The fact that I would have left blinded me to possibilities like not having the money to leave, or even a car, or not being healthy enough to handle a trip, etc. People close to me have considered me a tinhatter, and a survivalist, if only for my spoken concern about being ready for anything. This crisis shows pretty clearly that I know little and understand even less about how difficult life can become. These sorts of things happen in other places, of course. Bangladesh, for instance, receives massive flooding practically every year. This isn't Bangladesh, though. Here, in the almighty USA, there is an expectation that things should never degrade to this point. There should never be bodies lying around in the street for 48 hours. People should not be without food for nearly a week, and certainly not without clean water at anytime. There really is no excuse for a situation like this to occur in our nation. Everyone knew this was coming. We should have been ready.

There are two more major events yet to occur. That would be the recovery of the bodies trapped in wreckage for 5 days and counting, and the economic halving of the area. Between the duration of closure, the expected razing of structures, the exodus of refugees never to return, and the stigma of being known as a bowl waiting to be filled, New Orleans is most likely five days into it's downfall as a major American city. Every person who considers staying in New Orleans will have to consider the possibility of the levees breaking again, despite any assurances they might receive of their strengthening. How many people will put the safety of their family on the line and trust the rebuilt levees or the emergency response? What responsible corporation is going to remain in a town that can lose power for a month and put their real estate at risk if the right storm comes along?

As a note of optimism, I would guess that higher communities nearby might benefit from New Orleans residents moving in, but the benefit might just help soften the blow from the number of people who will leave their windblown homes behind and move away from the Gulf for good.

This is what happens when you do not plan for the worst.