Hurricane Gustav and beyond

[hypatias mom]

I am sure all of us have been watching the progress of Hurricane Gustav along the US Gulf Coast, and wishing those living in the path of this storm well. I am grateful that this storm was less severe than Katrina, that response to it was planned and positioned ahead of time, and that over two million people evacuated the area, this time deciding it was unwise to "ride it out." It is still unknown if the area below sea level will flood as it did after Katrina. The next 24 hours will decide this. After Gustav is gone, at least two other hurricanes seem to be on a collision course with the southern US as well.

Lessons from Katrina seem to have been learned at a visceral level, both by government agencies and by the public at large. No one wanted to relive that horror. I am certain that lives were saved this time by evacuating hospitals and nursing homes, and by encouraging people to evacuate their pets to emergency shelters, rather than having to decide to leave a beloved cat or dog to fend for itself. Many people stayed and drowned, or died of thirst or heat exhaustion by staying and becoming trapped in what seemed a safe refuge. Between all the governmental agencies and the volunteer charitable organizations, people (and their pets) are being cared for and kept from harm. I plan to donate to a charity of my choice to help fund this important work. And the people of the Gulf will need our continued support and prayers as they face their upcoming problems and reclam their lives.

As I finish this post, water is seeping under one levee, threatening over 100 homes in an area ravaged three years ago, with people frantically sandbagging to stop the leak. Another levee has been overtopped in three places.

[Icebreaker]

...HURRICANE "GUSTAV"?

[hypatias mom]

Yep, though it has now been downgraded to a tropical storm. Hanna is right off the coast of the eastern US now, and no one knows where, if at all, she will hit land, and too more are lining up across the Atlantic. Years ago, all hurricanes were given women's names, but women protested, so they now alternate male and female names, retiring those named for espexcially dangerous or damaging storms. http://www.hurricaneville.com/names.html This gives the next few years' rosters.

[Jonas]

I'm thankful that Belgium has no hurricanes.

[hypatias mom]

Jonas--

I am sure all of us who do not suffer from the hurricanes are grateful, but every area has its weaknesses. Droughts hit unexpectedly when rains fail, causing loss of crops, clean drinking water, and massive wild fires; floods strike when rainfall outstrips runoff capacity; crops fail for various reasons. Some areas uffer from tornadoes, others from hurricanes, some from earthquakes of various magnitudes, others from massive winter storms of rain, snow and high waves crashing along the coast, bringing torrential floods, hillside collapses, and destructive slides. Wild fires occur in during very dry periods. In other areas extremes of cold, heat, or even altitude challenge even the hardy. I think hazards are fairly well represented around the world, and we can all be grateful when we come through these potential and actual calamities with our loved ones around us. It is always important also, to remember and try to mitigate the suffering we see happening around us, wherever we find it.

Oh, an addition--many suffer from the inhumanity of governments or individuals who kill, maim, or terrorize those in their power. This is the worst disaster of all, because it shows the inhumanity of those who would perpetrate these crimes.

[Jonas]

Now I read this I'm very grateful not living in (certain parts of) America! Floods? Hurricanes? Massive wild fires?
We just have rainy days with sometimes a sunny day, but nothing that resembles those things you told me.
I'm happy with living in Belgium, we have our problems with criminels but not as terrible as in America with eartquakes,...

[hypatias mom]

As I've said on many previous occasions, earthquakes come in a lot of different sizes: from those you can't even feel, and which are only detectable by sensitive machines placed along the fault lines; to those rare ones which cause massive destruction and loss of life. The horrible earthquakes in various parts of the world remind us that most places have not rewritten their building codes to reflect curent understanding of the forces involved. Places like Japan and California have less destruction and loss of life than many other earthquake-prone areas because they have taken hard-won lessons and put them into practice throughout these areas.

The most important thing to remember when facing whatever is likely to befall your area, is to know ways to mitigate the disaster's effects. This involves preparing for the worst while expecting a less severe situation. Emergency preparedness is now coming into the public mind in many places, with emergency supplies, first aid stations, first responders, communication networks, etc., stocked, trained, and readied near potential disaster areas. The public is also reminded frequently how to stay as safe as possible in the event of any emergency.

*Edited for spelling

[b3n|<3r|\|]

Belgium? Aren't you going to be underwater in 20 years?

[Erik Mortis]

I think it was more amusing when they called them just after women...

[hypatias mom]

Why am I not surprised? (facepalm)

[Erik Mortis]

Because I'm a cynical bastard? Who is annoyed by the behavior of women in my own life... (men annoy me too for equal but different reasons).. and I like pointless non-politically correct traditions some times...

[b3n|<3r|\|]

Damn it, you posted that before I could "Zing!".