Posted on 03/11/2006 7:37:03 AM PST by Luis Gonzalez
NO ONE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SURPRISED. Not the federal agencies tasked with preparing for catastrophes. Not the local officials responsible for aging levees and vulnerable populations. Least of all the residents themselves, who had been warned for decades that they lived on vulnerable terrain. But when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005, it seemed as though the whole country was caught unawares. Accusations began to fly even before floodwaters receded. But facts take longer to surface. In the months since the storm, many of the first impressions conveyed by the media have turned out to be mistaken. And many of the most important lessons of Katrina have yet to be absorbed. But one thing is certain: More hurricanes will come. To cope with them we need to understand what really happened during modern America's worst natural disaster. POPULAR MECHANICS editors and reporters spent more than four months interviewing officials, scientists, first responders and victims. Here is our report.--THE EDITORS
The only thing I take issue with is the estimation of wind strength.
I've been through many a hurricane without evacuating, including Betsy and Georges. Betsy- with winds at 150mph in New Orleans( forget what they say now, I remember!) did not leave the structural damage I've seen from Katrina.
I've sat on my carport in 100mph winds. 125mph winds( barely hurricane strength winds in the city, this claims )do NOT do the structural damage I've seen. Entire brick facades of buildings peeled off, houses blown down, huge metal billboards twisted and bent to the ground, were evident as far west as Kenner.
We're hearing now that they've upped Katrina to Cat 4 or 5 at landfall. Don't know if that's true or not, but I can promise you that winds were NOT ' barely hurricane strength' in New Orleans. If they were, The Thing must have had hundreds of tornados in it.
This is a terrific post. I may even purchase the magazine in order to read this stuff the old fashioned way.
An article as informative as this should be posted more than once. :o) Thanks. Guess I missed the other threads.
Bump!
I missed it before too. MOST informative. Thanks, all!
Yes, it should be shouted from the rooftops.
Also note I heard an FBI spokesman on NBC News yesterday report FBI has evidence of criminal conduct by levee administration with contracts and nepotism.
Thanks!! Sending this to a coastal county government.
This thread is being visited by all the finest people!
Nice to see you my friend.
How's that hero if yours doing these days?
This is not what is going to make it into the history books my students read!
McVey
He's working on his E6, and still enjoying the military very much, and developing his leadership skills.
If you want to know how fast time has gone, it's been exactly three years since he left for Iraq. THREE!
I'll never forget your posts to me when I wrote about his basic training, Luis. They were some of the kindest, dearest words anyone has said in my five years on this board.........and I'll never forget them.........or you.
I lived in Houston between 93 and 99. Must have been in two or three good floods from rain. One time, they were doing part of the beltway 8 construction (I believe -I might be mistaken, it's been awhile) that constricted water in Clear Creek and a bunch of people got seriously flooded. Water was starting to get into my garage and was inches from my front door when the rain stopped.
I wasn't in the 100 year flood plain, but my subdivision was abutted by a newer subdivision which was graded higher, and water from storms would sometimes cause street flooding in the older areas (this is in Pearland).
I've been in several floods in both Houston and New Orleans, and every one of them was caused by rainstorms, not hurricanes.
The problem is in flood prone areas. Some areas shouldn't be built in.
"Were you a part of that?"
No, I was in Oregon
However FReeper OneLoyalAmerican was
He is a Master Chief in the Coast Guard
I don't know what percentage it is in Texas but I'm going to go out on a limb here and state I don't believe the majority of the rebuilding which gets done there is due to hurricane activity.
If you would like on or off the Louisiana Ping list please FReepmail me and your name will be added or taken off of the list.
To bad more of the leg-warmer-wearing left-wing MSM bedwetting blame the feds first so callled 'freeper' pansies don't read it!
Yes, I feel vidicated for defending Brown, FEMA, Bush, and the federal response in the days immediately following Katrina.
Well done Luis...
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