Hope the incoming traffic stops in time…

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Bridge To Biloxi

Count on the oil platforms shutting down soon. Do you have your gas tank filled?

Has anyone blamed Bush yet? May as well get that out of the way.

Will Landrieu actually punch Bush this time?

Will Nagin get off HIS ass this time?

Will the Ray Nagin Memorial Motor Pool be put to good use this time?

Will the City of New Orleans actually follow its own Office of Emergency Preparedness Mission Statement this time?:

The Office of Emergency Preparedness is responsible for the response and coordination of those actions needed to protect the lives and property of its citizens from natural or man-made disasters as well as emergency planning for the City of New Orleans.

Our primary responsibility is to advise the Mayor, the City Council and Chief Administrative Officer regarding emergency preparedness activities and operations. We coordinate all city departments and allied state and federal agencies which respond to city-wide disasters and emergencies through the development and constant updating of an integrated multi-hazard plan.

Have there been any actual lessons learned?

UPDATE: Looks like its coming my way now. That’s okay, I’ll make that sacrifice to keep it away from NOLA, the Mississippi coast and, most importantly, the oil rigs.

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Ernesto: Hurricane Katrina part two?

I was able to shake free of the trance to take a few pictures, but like I said, seeing it here is nothing compared to being there in person. So, why aren’t there any pictures other than some landscape-type shots? Well, although there may not be much more than foundations left to many of the homes, I felt it to almost be a violation of a resident’s privacy to display a picture of what used to be their living room, bedroom, etc. Time permitting, I would like to return for an extended visit. It is somewhat awkward though. I do feel guilty of “gawking/rubber-necking”, but it seems that New Orleans has received most of the spotlight here and the Mississippi gulf coast has gone mostly forgotten. I do admire the residents for their resolution and strong chin.

…and I only *thought* I was shellshocked when Ivan hit here (Pensacola.)

Oddity: I noticed that many of the Hwy 90 road signs were upside down. Then it hit me: This is the residents’ way of saying “06 will be a better year”.

BTW, the buffet at the Palace is still kick-butt.

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Five months later

Another important event happened today. This is the last day of hurricane season. After the season we’ve been through, I think this day should be made a new holiday – National Snoopy Dance Day.

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HB to Me

Tropical Depression 24. The NHC is calling for this to become an intense hurricane over the next few days. So, what’s the next storm name letter? W? We should call this one Hurricane WTF.

Mayor Negligence? Gov Boo Hoo? Are you paying attention here?

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You gotta be friggin kidding me

Josef Goebbels would have been happy with much of the mainstream media in the past few weeks since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Goebbels, for those of you too young to know, was Hitler’s propaganda minister. He is credited with creating the concept of The Big Lie. The idea was that if you tell a lie big enough often enough, people will believe it.

A Big Lie Put To Rest

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A Big Lie Put To Rest

OTOH, perhaps there’s a market here for filming a "Blair Witch" type movie.

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3 hurricanes later…

Journalists who are long on opinions and short on knowledge have no idea what is involved in moving hundreds of tons of relief supplies into an area the size of England in which power lines are down, telecommunications are out, no gasoline is available, bridges are damaged, roads and airports are covered with debris, and apparently have little interest in finding out.

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Hammer Meets Head – 9/12

Disasters, says the cliche, usually bring out the best in people. But the cliche doesn’t take into account the current generation, our current understanding of how government works, our current understanding of our place in the world or even our current understanding of right and wrong.

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Hammer Meets Head – 9/7

• Bush panics and sends in the marines – Scotland
• Bush gears up but too late for New Orleans – India
• Bush Admits Inadequate Aid Efforts – Turkey
• Congress Likely to Probe Guard Response – UK
• US South drowns in bitterness – India
• Katrina takes a toll on Bush – India
• Survivors’ fury at relief efforts – Australia

This is just the first page for the news search for Katrina. What’s sad here is that there are 30 entries on this first page. At least 23 were from sources outside the US.

Says alot about Google News.

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What’s the world saying?