OT: Hurricane Katrina

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by fearn

First off, I join with the others in hoping that New Orleans does not get totally trashed by Katrina.

That said...

Chill out, people! You're scaring yourselves silly (literally)!

I've spent my share of time digging out from mudslides, cleaning up after quakes, and the like. I know. I've also watched news people searching for hours, looking for the sob story that will best dramatize the crisis, so that they'll have a good story to sell. That's not what most people do in a crisis.

Most people are pretty resilient, and most of them tend to respond pretty well in the crisis and in the rebuilding afterwards.

As others have said, people on the Gulf are pretty resilient to hurricanes, just as people on the west coast are pretty resilient to quakes, fires, and floods. I suspect that some of our Asian members will have good stories about monsoons and typhoons, too (not to mention tidal waves).

We can get through it.

Fearn

We will certainly get through it, Fearn. That's not really the point. Having lived through more hurricanes than I care to discuss, I am fearful for those who faced this storm. I started this thread to share those feelings.

I'm gratified this event wasn't as bad as predicted when I started this thread. It was shaping up to be one of the worst ever. Thankfully, the storm shifted, and decreased in strength shortly before landfall. However, preliminary reports indicate massive property damage, 55 dead in Gulfport, LA and 50 dead in Biloxi, MISS.

I expect this to get much worse before it gets better.