Cricket chirping from most of the world...
Count our blessings: at least we had some warning beforehand.
How far inland did the storm surge go? There now must be satellite photos that show the extent of the inundation, as evidenced by affected buildings, trees, vegetation etc. I recall these kind of images were available within days of the Dec '04 tsunami.
If I ran FR, several of those posters would never get within a mile of this site again.
Pass along all our best wishes to your EMT friend, and thanks to you for reporting, dreadful news though it is...
Tom
This is my first time on this site(my dad recommended me here...I am a student at Chico State, and I have been watching the coverage on the destruction Katrina has caused. I am a part of a sorority that wants to help. The problem is (being college kids), we don't have alot of cash money to give, and would like to give "in-kind" perhaps stuffed animals and coloring books for kids. As far as I can tell though, no one is accepting donations like these- I would appreciate any suggestions- we want to help!
These Katrina-tsunami comparisons are well-meaning but inaccurate.
Katrina is a disaster no doubt, but we had warming and LOTS of time to flee. The tsunami struck out of nowhere.
The dead here will likely be counted in the hundreds, not hundreds of thousands.
Sad, sad, sad.
Crickets chirping indeed.
Check out this prescient Nat'l Geographic article about the potential damage of a hurricane in New Orleans. Looks like it was published last year.
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature5/