[Accecyncphory]

I cannot believe how much gas went up ever since the hurricane. But more important things than gas were all the lives lost and in danger.

[Misiotoagodia]

I heard a rant on tv yesterday saying that New Orleans population were 'ordered' out of the area, but still loads remained.
My immediate thoughts were, "idiots! its their own fault", but i'm sure there's more to it than that, like hardship of getting transport etc etc.
I aint religious so i won't pray, but my thoughts are genuinely with those suffering and hope that New Orleans pulls through.

Am i right in saying that the flooding will never subside naturally, and that it will need to be pumped out? Jeez that could take ages

[WaydayTew]

Could we please not have the Global Warming political discussion here?

[85IbLcwQ]

Could we please not have the Global Warming political discussion here?

This discussion has been a mix of the disaster and science. I was discussing a point about the science and not politics. A clear understanding of the science is critical for making informed political decisions and hopefully avoiding or mitigating future tragedies. I apologize if the place and timing of making this point offended anyone.

There really are no adequate words for the ongoing unfolding human tragedy. My uncle lived in the city and evacuated Sunday to a hotel in Memphis. He thought he could return in a week or two. It hasn't sunk in for any of us yet that it may be months before he can possibly return and start to pick up whatever pieces remain.

Michael Moscoso

[Rjvpicux]

How many have died so far?
Not to be cynical, but considering the amount of people starving to death across the globe, then a storm in the richest country in the world is a piece of cake... Not saying that it will make you feel better though...

It's kewl dude, I'm just pissed knowing some people out there wishing bad things and planning to destroy a country that always go help any disaster and no one returns anything. I'm still pissed back in the Tsunami that I was laughing in anger when people say Americans are not generous enough by not donating enough money. Oh the couple millions we sent over really are not enough. I didn't donate a penny after I heard that.

P.S. - I fogot to mentioned that I didn't mean they should help financially, but just help cleaning up and stuff.

[Lån-Penge]

I heard a rant on tv yesterday saying that New Orleans population were 'ordered' out of the area, but still loads remained.
My immediate thoughts were, "idiots! its their own fault", but i'm sure there's more to it than that, like hardship of getting transport etc etc.
I aint religious so i won't pray, but my thoughts are genuinely with those suffering and hope that New Orleans pulls through.

Am i right in saying that the flooding will never subside naturally, and that it will need to be pumped out? Jeez that could take ages

Well the ppl there are blue collar in income so they can't afford the funds to move out and to move back in again so a lot of them decided to stay even though the hurricane was bearing down on them.

Tim

[xT0U3UGh]

This discussion has been a mix of the disaster and science. I was discussing a point about the science and not politics. A clear understanding of the science is critical for making informed political decisions and hopefully avoiding or mitigating future tragedies. I apologize if the place and timing of making this point offended anyone.

Oh no...sorry. I was just anticipating where it could be in short order and didn't want this to deteriorate. I did my undergrad degree in Oceanography, am well versed in the science and completely agree with you. Unfortunately, this particular topic always degrades into politically-driven speculation pretty quickly.

[VDAu5p33]

Its the global warming and the polution levels thats causing it.

My thoughts are with the people out there

[xanaxist]

I hope that everyones friends and family from that area are alright. I have a friend who lives down there. They were supposed to have headed up north 4 or 5 days ago, so they should be alright, but i havent hear from them yet...oh well. Lets hope people down there recover.

Yes, i noticed it was unusually cold last night...and i have a bad feeling that things are about to get worse.....

[streMunford]

You also gotta realize that 30% of the city is at or below the poverty line. I have seen the true New Orleans, not just the stuff you see on Cops every year at Mardi Gras.

These people can't move since they have no money to do so. If they had the opportunity to move elsewhere where they can live a better life, then some would have moved a long time ago. For others, New Orleans is their home. I am pretty sure that most of you have such pride in your homes. These people aren't stupid. They love the town and the people that they are with so they would be more reluctant to move.

I can easily spout off the most politically correct babble saying that you would skip town and do this and that when you are sitting on the outside. But who knows what you would do if you were actually in that situation. Everything that you have worked hard for is now gone, and the vibrant city that you once knew is now an empty pool of sludge.

Well, I don't want this to be an argument. Differences or no, we need to take this time to remember those that live not only in New Orleans, but on the entire Gulf Coast. We might be the world's strongest nation, but we are human as well.

[RooldpalApata]

For those of you who don't know yet, Hurricane Katrina has put much of the Gulf Coast from New Orleans to Florida in ruin. I would just like say that I am praying for those of you who were affected by it.

I have family that live in New Orleans, which has been terribly flooded during and after the storm. Fortunately, most of my family have left town or are on their way to Houston from the now defunct Superdome. There are still a few people not accounted for, like my Great-Grandmother and a few cousins and we are just trying to see how things are going over there with them. One of my grandparents' house is fine since they are on the Westbank (south of the river). However, the other's house is most likely flooded since she stays in the immediate vacinity of the Downtown/Superdome area. All we know is that people in that area might not have a home to go back to.

I guess you can say that it was bound to happen sometime, but you really aren't hit with it until it actually happens. I really hope that things can get up and running as soon as possible, but we shall see that as time goes on. The effects have been felt not only in the affected areas, but around the country due to higher gas prices ($3.19 in my area) and a general economy that might worsen. Again, I send my deepest prayers to all those that were caught up in the devistation.

[DaleJrGirl]

No, it's not. Sorry but that theory has already been disproven in this particular case. Global warming may be happening, but thats not whats causing the increased storm activity. Its a shift in the ocean currents, that MOST scientists on the gulf coast beleive are simply a natural cycle. There is good evidence that storms worse than this have happend in the past, just not in the recent past.

Here is a reference (WHOI Ocean and Climate Change Institute) in support of global warming influencing increased storm frequency and intensity. Please post your references disproving the theory and we can compare notes.

Michael Moscoso

[xanaxist]

Great post, Chris. For many of the people in New Orleans, it's been their family home not just for generations, but for centuries.

[corsar-caribean]

It's kewl dude, I'm just pissed knowing some people out there wishing bad things and planning to destroy a country that always go help any disaster and no one returns anything. I'm still pissed back in the Tsunami that I was laughing in anger when people say Americans are not generous enough by not donating enough money. Oh the couple millions we sent over really are not enough. I didn't donate a penny after I heard that.

P.S. - I fogot to mentioned that I didn't mean they should help financially, but just help cleaning up and stuff.

Before you get comfortable on your high horse, let's remember that the Center for Global Development’s “Commitment to Development Index” ranks the U.S. 19th out of 21 wealthy countries in terms of the overall quality of its foreign aid. People in glass houses...

[VladFal]

i am sorry that the people are suffering but if they chose to live in a region vulnerable to hurricanes, than by living there, they agreed to deal with thigs like that. its like living in tornado alley to me. if you live there, you have to deal with the consequences.

it sounds harsh i know but thats what i feel.

[Gabbavnf]

I can't speak to changes in global weather patterns, but I'm reluctant to put too much credit in some of the sensational accounts I'm reading about predictions of doom and gloom. I work with a bunch of guys from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) pretty regularly and, beyond some discussion of the El Nino effect (which has been documented for some four centuries), there's nothing to indicate a general downward trend in the weather. I mean, the term "Storm of the Century" has been around for...well..centuries....

Amen to the prayers that have been offered, not only on behalf of those killed and injured but for their loved ones as well.

Here are the data on hurricanes by decade. The peak for major hurricanes (categories 3,4,5) came in the decades of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, when such storms averaged 9 per decade. In the 1960s, there were 6 such storms; in the 1970s, 4; in the 1980s, 5; in the 1990s, 5; and for 2001-04, there were 3. Category 4 and 5 storms were also more prevalent in the past than they are now. As for Category 5 storms, there have been only three since the 1850s: in the decades of the 1930s, 1960s and 1990s.

Remember, theories have to fit the data, and not the other way around. And the null hypothesis is true until proven otherwise. Run these numbers by your biology teacher, and see what he/she says.

Instapundit has a list of sites where you can contribute if you feel moved to assist your fellow man in time of need.

[Kokomoxcv]

There are over a dozen countries that have offered aid and assistance. People live where they can make a living...

[bmwservis]

Forget about Global Warming... where the hell is everybody when America has disasters? I haven't seen any country helping us! I was so mad when I thought about this.

How many have died so far?
Not to be cynical, but considering the amount of people starving to death across the globe, then a storm in the richest country in the world is a piece of cake... Not saying that it will make you feel better though...

[Niiinioa]

im sitll trying to find out if my kinfolks got to my house for the generators last night....


if anyone has family in louisiana that needs things bought, drop me a pm. My mom lives right across the border into texas and would be happy to help people gather supplys up(might even be able to get hold of another generator)