BuffaloBud Posted August 30, 2005 Posted August 30, 2005 ** Mods - feel free to move if you think it is best. ** I just thought that I would post my view on current opinions concerning NO, AL, MS post-Katrina with respect to my experiences with Fran and Floyd when I lived in NC. I want to share what I went through as a first responder volunteer (search and rescue / rebuilding) during this time. Fran and Floyd occurred on consecutive years in NC. Just as eastern NC was putting some pieces together from Fran, Floyd came around. This double whammy broke many backs in NC. Now granted, that area (NC) does not have the port commerce like NO and area does, but it does have an equal amount of agriculture and tourism as LA, AL, and MS, as well as I feel the same level of "income". It took the eastern side (east of 95) of NC many years to recover in all aspects. Infrastructure was the hardest hit. From a public and business point of view. Many farmers lost everything. Small businesses were down for years. People lived in temporary housing (trailers and mobile homes) for years. Electricity took months to get back on-line. These two events are one reason why NC is having such a financial problem now. LA, MS, and AL are only seeing the very tip of the iceberg. From an environmental aspect, think about what is floating in that water right now. Chemicals, fuel, trash, dead animals, building materials, sewage, etc. Plus, it will be in the 90's with high humidity. Look at the pictures of the water in the NO area. It is right up to the eaves. Most likely these homes will have to be torn down completely. To the ground and re-built. Think about that. The football team can just about think that they will not play in the Superdome this year. With the roof torn apart and the use of the stadium as a temporary "home" and the situation with the surrounding neighborhoods, there is just no way that this should be considered. Think about what would/should happen if another storm comes this way. I have no problem with the mayor and gov declaring martial law and imposing a curfew to prevent issues. The problem is getting around. The effects of this storm, positive and negative, will be felt for a very long time (years). When someone said that this is our tsunami, believe it.
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