Pondering Katrina..

I’m one of the few people I know who has never been to New Orleans. I’ve just never cared about it, but everyone I’ve ever heard talk about the Crescent City has come away in love with it. A great place to visit, great food, cool architecture and the ongoing party atmosphere.
Today I’m saddened as I’ve watched the “Katrina” coverage and it has become increasingly clear that this is the catastrophic storm “big easy” locals have always feared.
Fortunately most of the residents have been able to get out of town over the past 36 hours. Those with no way out are assembling mostly in the Superdome, a structure built to withstand 200 mph winds sitting on one of the high and dry areas of downtown.
Of course there are always some who choose to ride out one of these storms in their homes…it worked for them for the last 59 years and there is property to protect. They shouldn’t. If the experts are right about what will happen if the eye of this borderline category 5 hurricane comes ashore just slightly to the west of the city a series of events will inevitably lead to Lake Ponchartrain overflowing the levees and flooding New Orleans with 15 to 25 feet depth of water!
Looming post storm besides the cleanup will be damage to our gas and oil economy already suffering.
25% of our domestic oil use comes from or through offshore oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. These have been already shut down for the past two days and will be inevitably damaged today and tomorrow as the storm passes along with the New Orlean Port facilities. Things look grim.
Our prayers are with those people living in the Gulf coastal states.