Day 2: Katrina's Wrath
As a less powerful Hurricane Katrina exited the New Orleans area in a northeastern direction, she has left in her wake untold destruction and death. Word from City Hall indicates that bodies have been found floating in the eastern part of Orleans Parish, including the upper income Eastover subdivision and the Bywater-9th ward vicinity.
At this time, it is unknown whether there was a death toll at all in my home parish of St. Bernard. Communication to New Orleans and the surrounding parishes is extremely limited and evacuees from the area are learning that while they are able to dial out on their cell phones, they cannot receive calls, likely due to damage and/or the loss of power to the phone transmitters.
Reports have been made that nearly all of St. Bernard Parish, which caught the brunt of the hurricane, is under water and that many families who chose to remain or lacked the capacity to leave have been forced to go to their attic, armed with axes and other tools that can be used to puncture a roof from the inside, because of the flooding.
As soon as the winds die down, rescue boats will begin patroling through neighborhoods in St. Bernard to rescue people stranded on their rooftops. The eventual receding waters will make the parish more accessible, though not necessarily inhabitable. The Office of Homeland Defense has predicted that power might not be totally restored for a month and residents of neighboring Jefferson Parish have been told to boil their water to ensure that it is potable.
This is St. Bernard's second catastrophic experience with a hurricane in forty years and for those with a little gray in their hair enduring a "once in a lifetime" storm for the second time in their lives are contemplating a permenant evacuation from the coastal parish to points north of I-12.
A crevasse at part of the Industrial Canal levee, connects to the Mississippi River, sent water rushing through one of the poorest sections of New Orleans, also causing flooding in western St. Bernard (Arabi, Chalmette).
Though the "Atlantis" predictions spun by the drama queens at the Weather Channel thankfully did not come to fruition, downtown New Orleans was largely spared, with office windows being blown out, tree limbs snapped, and at least one looting near the Times Picayune building.
Because many wisely heeded the evacuation advisories and later orders, fatalities for the area might very well be under 100, though it may be days before bodies are discovered in collapsed residences that are also submerged.
On a personal note, I would like to thank those who have e-mailed me about my well-being. I had family who were not able to leave St. Bernard due to their "essential employee" status with the local government and I hope to hear from them soon. Since what little news dribbling out of St. Bernard is coming from the government complex, this is probably a sign that they are probably ok. Within the next few days, I will hopefully learn if Hurricane Katrina beat the Kelo-era US Supreme Court to my property.
At this time, it is unknown whether there was a death toll at all in my home parish of St. Bernard. Communication to New Orleans and the surrounding parishes is extremely limited and evacuees from the area are learning that while they are able to dial out on their cell phones, they cannot receive calls, likely due to damage and/or the loss of power to the phone transmitters.
Reports have been made that nearly all of St. Bernard Parish, which caught the brunt of the hurricane, is under water and that many families who chose to remain or lacked the capacity to leave have been forced to go to their attic, armed with axes and other tools that can be used to puncture a roof from the inside, because of the flooding.
As soon as the winds die down, rescue boats will begin patroling through neighborhoods in St. Bernard to rescue people stranded on their rooftops. The eventual receding waters will make the parish more accessible, though not necessarily inhabitable. The Office of Homeland Defense has predicted that power might not be totally restored for a month and residents of neighboring Jefferson Parish have been told to boil their water to ensure that it is potable.
This is St. Bernard's second catastrophic experience with a hurricane in forty years and for those with a little gray in their hair enduring a "once in a lifetime" storm for the second time in their lives are contemplating a permenant evacuation from the coastal parish to points north of I-12.
A crevasse at part of the Industrial Canal levee, connects to the Mississippi River, sent water rushing through one of the poorest sections of New Orleans, also causing flooding in western St. Bernard (Arabi, Chalmette).
Though the "Atlantis" predictions spun by the drama queens at the Weather Channel thankfully did not come to fruition, downtown New Orleans was largely spared, with office windows being blown out, tree limbs snapped, and at least one looting near the Times Picayune building.
Because many wisely heeded the evacuation advisories and later orders, fatalities for the area might very well be under 100, though it may be days before bodies are discovered in collapsed residences that are also submerged.
On a personal note, I would like to thank those who have e-mailed me about my well-being. I had family who were not able to leave St. Bernard due to their "essential employee" status with the local government and I hope to hear from them soon. Since what little news dribbling out of St. Bernard is coming from the government complex, this is probably a sign that they are probably ok. Within the next few days, I will hopefully learn if Hurricane Katrina beat the Kelo-era US Supreme Court to my property.
posted by BourbonConservative at 3:02 PM
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