Katrina
August 28th, 2005Now I'm pretty far from New Orleans. 1358.96 miles away to be exact (per mapquest.com) But I really can't sleep tonight. I can't even imagine how those who are stuck there feel (you know the ones, that aren't on Bourbon St. partying)
I think what got me into this funk, was a report on MSNBC earlier tonight, about the town of Houma, Louisiana. The reporter talked to a woman who plans to stay there, ON A SHRIMP BOAT, with her THREE YEAR OLD DAUGHTER and ride out the storm. Why? She can't afford to go anywhere else.
*sigh*
I can't stop thinking about this mama, and her little one. Or the many thousands of others that a) couldn't get out of the city in time or b) did not have the means to do so anyway.
Now lets set aside all of what I've already said. This is a nightmare scenario for FEMA. Of ALL places for a category 5 hurricane to hit, the most dreaded would be New Orleans because of its unique landscape (below sea level) But not only that, I heard a report tonight, where they were talking to someone from LSU, who says that there is quite a petro-chemical industry in New Orleans, and THAT is what could make this uniquely catastrophic. For those stuck in New Orleans, and well...the environment.
So this leads me to this. WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE PEOPLE THINKING WHEN THEY BUILD THIS KIND OF INDUSTRY IN A COASTAL TOWN OF THIS NATURE?
Maaaaaan. Dollars over brains I guess.
Anyway, I'm hoping I'll get some sleep tonight. And I'm really hoping that mama and her little one, as well as everyone "stuck" in Katrina's path stays safe.
Around a year ago on this day..
- Saying Goodbye - 2007
August 29th, 2005 at 9:08 am
I was wondering what you were doing on my blog at 1AM. How are you feeling this morning? I was in bed a bit after 10, and read for awhile before going virtuously asleep a little after 11.
August 30th, 2005 at 1:51 pm
I saw the shrimp boat woman and her little girl this morning on the news. They are fine. She said the little girl slept through the entire thing!
August 31st, 2005 at 10:43 pm
They have to build the oil business where the oil is. We could not get the needed oil say in Utah as there are no oil wells there
August 31st, 2005 at 11:22 pm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8045532/
• August 29, 2005 | 9:33 p.m. EDT
Before we go, an update on a story we brought you Sunday night. It was about Donna Lowry, her 3-year-old daughter Demee and her boyfriend. They live in Houma, Louisiana, southwest of New Orleans in the bayou. They decided to ride out the storm on a 78-foot shrimp boat, having lost a house in Hurricane Lilly a few years ago. (Click to watch the video report from NBC’s Don Teague.)
After the story aired we were flooded with calls from viewers expressing concern, mostly over the little girl’s well being.
We checked in today and they’re fine. They said the boat rocked about ten times and they “didn’t feel a thing.” Their main concern today: they fear they might have lost their house again, but because the water’s high and the roads are out, they can’t get home to be sure.
September 1st, 2005 at 8:52 am
Thanks everyone for the updates. I’ve had very minimal computer time, and even more limited tv time to try to see what happened to that mama and baby girl.
Nellie, about the petrochemical industry…I understand why there is such an industry in the general region. My question is, if everyone agrees that New Orleans is an unstable city, built on marshes, surrounded by water, below sea level, in a “bowl”, and the city’s officials admit that they built a levy system capable of withstanding a Cat3 hurricane instead of a cat 5, then what the hell were they thinking? THAT is the question, totally setting aside that instead of building more and more oil refineries to keep up with the national consumption of oil, we might push forward a more earth friendly agenda in alternative energy. Another discussion, for yet another day
September 4th, 2005 at 1:11 am
Regarding your “dollars over brains” comment… yes, you’re right- the industrial planners probably didn’t use their brains very much when they built all the plants and refineries there. Because it’s really quite mindless; minimal intellectual prowess is required. You have to build the refineries where the oil is. It’s as simple as that. And as for the New Orleans area being chosen over other coastal regions, well, the oil has to get to the refineries somehow. One of the most (economically AND environmentally) efficient ways to do this is by transporting the crude oil in supertankers capable of carrying millions of barrels. The New Orleans port is physically/geographically the only port capable of accepting these tankers.
And the plants and refineries are built nearby because, once again, all that oil has to be transported to the plants. If they were built further inland, the oil would have to be transported via miles and miles of pipelines (which people like you would not be too crazy about), or would have to be moved using a colossal fleet of smaller vessels/vehicles. That also would be a bad idea- think of all the “greenhouse gas” emmissions which would come from a fleet of thousands of 18-wheel tanker trucks. Besides the environmental impact of that, would you want huge tank wagons of crude oil rolling past your house every day, or clogging up the interstates you drive on? Not to mention the cost of such an operation… it could cost millions every year, millions which could be used by oil companies to research alternative, “earth friendly” fuel sources. (Speaking of which, almost ALL oil companies are spending a great deal of effort researching alternative fuel sources. And there hasn’t been a new oil refinery built in the US since 1976, and there are currently no plans to build more.)
And in case you’re wondering, I’m a chemical engineer. This is what I do for a living.
This isn’t really about politics, it’s about common sense. People need to be educated on these issues. You might want to check your facts a little in the future.
But I certainly share your concern about the people of New Orleans- I hope no more harm will be done and the people will be able to put together their shattered lives. My thoughts and prayers are with them.
September 4th, 2005 at 8:15 am
JW, thanks for your comment.
But lets frame it a different way.
It IS political. If the refineries NEED to be in such an unstable ecological area, perhaps the money should have been spent to protect the area, instead of cutting the ACE budget by more than 40% (I believe thats the figure I heard this past week) That cut, shredded all ACE plans for NO. Nevermind the “backburner effect” put on NO over the past years.
Tax cuts kill. This disaster is proof.