Hurricane Could Leave 1 Million Homeless

[KBlagburn]

By MATT CRENSON, AP National Writer 2 hours, 15 minutes ago

When Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans on Monday, it could turn one of America's most charming cities into a vast cesspool tainted with toxic chemicals, human waste and even coffins released by floodwaters from the city's legendary cemeteries.

Experts have warned for years that the levees and pumps that usually keep New Orleans dry have no chance against a direct hit by a Category 5 storm.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050828/ap_on_re_us/katrina_the_big_one_1

[liberaliraqvet26]

1. this is sad

[bluetuesday]

2. Katrina

Very very sad!

[caligirl]

3. t but the title looks like he is trying to get the headline first.

Predicistions are grim but this seems to far.

[rocktivity]

4. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA

DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED...

MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS...PERHAPS LONGER...

AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD...AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH
AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES...

ONLY THE HEARTIEST (trees) WILL REMAIN STANDING...BUT (will) BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED...

WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS...

:scared:
rocknation

[malaise]

6. In seven years all the trees

will have recovered. It's the lives that count. We were treeless after Gilbert - I saw neighburhoods from distances that I never dreamed about. The place looked naked. It was really sad to watch, but an old man told me not to worry since they would be back in a maximum seven years and he was right.

Let's accept that there will be severe dislocation and significant loss of life.

I've never been able to understand why they don't turn off power before a hurricane hits in the US. In the Caribbean, they turn power off minutes before the hit to prevent unnecessary deaths.

[ladjf]

7. There are thousands of live oak trees in N.O. that are over

a hundred years old. They won't recover in five years if they fall tomorrow.

[malaise]

8. New ones will replace them

Of course you lose some old trees. We lost some that were 400 years old. Trees outlive humans by centuries. They can be replaced.

I'd rather lose some beautiful old trees than hear that a mother has lost her kids.

<edit - add sentence>

[markus]

5. One million is a stretch

The entire SMSA (which includes a lot more than just NOLA) was only about 1.2 last time I checked, but that was a long time ago.

However, hundreds of thousands being displaced is not unreasonble. On current track and strength, I expect New Orleans East and St. Bernard Parish to be innundated. That's probably close to 100,000. The central city see serious flooding, but the truly catastrophic storm surges will be on the city's eastern levees.

A lot of other people will be displaced, but anywhere the levee impoundment is filled by overflow or catasgrophic levee failure, the water will stand there until they blow holes in the levees to let teh water out. Even then it could take weeks to drain.

I'm not an engineer, but I think if you submerge your basic wood frame home under water for a couple of weeks, the next step is to call in the bulldozers.

At least 100,000 people face this very catastrophe right now, plus tends of thousands more in the greater storm-threatened area.

[AngryAmish]

9. They will become Bush's slave army

to take over Amerika.

[Bridget Burke]

10. You have no respect for the people of New Orleans.

And shouldn't you spell it "AmeriKKKa"?