New Orleans: Gone With The Water

[Starkist]

It was a broiling August afternoon in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Big Easy, the City That Care Forgot. Those who ventured outside moved as if they were swimming in tupelo honey. Those inside paid silent homage to the man who invented air-conditioning as they watched TV "storm teams" warn of a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. Nothing surprising there: Hurricanes in August are as much a part of life in this town as hangovers on Ash Wednesday.

But the next day the storm gathered steam and drew a bead on the city. As the whirling maelstrom approached the coast, more than a million people evacuated to higher ground. Some 200,000 remained, however—the car-less, the homeless, the aged and infirm, and those die-hard New Orleanians who look for any excuse to throw a party.

The storm hit Breton Sound with the fury of a nuclear warhead, pushing a deadly storm surge into Lake Pontchartrain. The water crept to the top of the massive berm that holds back the lake and then spilled over. Nearly 80 percent of New Orleans lies below sea level—more than eight feet below in places—so the water poured in. A liquid brown wall washed over the brick ranch homes of Gentilly, over the clapboard houses of the Ninth Ward, over the white-columned porches of the Garden District, until it raced through the bars and strip joints on Bourbon Street like the pale rider of the Apocalypse. As it reached 25 feet (eight meters) over parts of the city, people climbed onto roofs to escape it.

Thousands drowned in the murky brew that was soon contaminated by sewage and industrial waste. Thousands more who survived the flood later perished from dehydration and disease as they waited to be rescued. It took two months to pump the city dry, and by then the Big Easy was buried under a blanket of putrid sediment, a million people were homeless, and 50,000 were dead. It was the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States.

When did this calamity happen? It hasn't—yet...

This was written in October, 2004, nearly a year ago. It is a little disturbing to note how closely the prediction matches the catastrophe. Read the full story here (http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature5/).

[Lilith]

Yeah, that's really weird and kind of creepy...I bet whoever wrote that is seriously creeped out right now, lol.

The problem with predicitions is that they are totally useless. No one knows what or when something is going to happen until it happens. It sucks.

On another note, I'm getting pissed at everyone saying omg, you're dumb to live in New Orleans anyway because it's a disaster waiting to happen. Just fyi, most of the world is built on places with large possibilites of natural disasters. It can be near impossible to escape.

Thinking about that, foreshadowing is really just being really observant of patterns.

I really wish I'd been able to visit New Orleans before this...

[MottZilla]

That's not creepy at all. They've known this was coming for many years. They've just been lucky so many times or ignored it. But really the government and such knew it was going to happen sooner or later. Also, they knew it was going to be bad before it ever hit as they knew how horrible the storm system was before it hit.

And the people who built New Orleans the way they did were the idiots. The people living there and many of those suffering now probably had no idea, and more importantly didn't build the fucking city there, and didn't have a way to get out.

Anyways, it doesn't really matter, and no matter how stupid the design of the city was, it affects us all indirectly and many people directly and they deserve your sympathy as again you can't blame them all for it.

By the way, if you want to avoid natural disasters there are many places that are far less likely to have one than other places like sea borders.

[Darth Marsden]

It was a horrific disaster, and it feels really weird knowing that an entire city has, effectively, been wiped off the map. Apparently (or so the Sun says) the looters are having a field day.

[Beldaran]

All the people I might have felt sorry for were smart enough to leave days if not weeks ago. I don't really know what the people who stayed expected to happen. I remember a day or so before the hurricane hit, they'd interview these poor people on the TV and they'd be smiling smugly saying "we aint' don't got not nothin' to fear white people are bad and created the hurricane with their republican money." Now those "blessed poor" are acting like animals, raping, burning, and looting. Curse them and good riddance. Just leave them there and build a new town somewhere else.

The only people I feel sorry for are honest people and business people who lost their posessions.

[Foxy]

That is, indeed, an interesting story. I'll have to do more research into it when the boys are taking their naps so I can pay more attention to it. ;)

I am saddened by what happened there. I've been watching Harry Conick Jr's interviews by the Today show every morning, and it's just breaking my heart to see the pain and suffering. I too wish I could have visited New Orleans before this happened, because I highly doubt that it will ever be the same again.

My one pet peeve with all this is - where do we come off complaining about gas prices?? Sure, it's difficult and it will cost more for us to get to and from work, to and from school, to and from the grocery store, to and from friend's houses. But the point is, we've got work, school, stores, and friend's houses to go to! We've got our own houses to go to. We've got our own cars to drive. Instead of complaining about the price of gas, we should be thankful that we have a car to put the gas in.

I don't understand why someone would choose to stay in their house when they know that a huge storm like Katrina is coming. I guess I would have to be in their shoes to see why. Even then, I might have chosen to leave instead of taking my chances staying with my belongings. But no matter what, there are people dieing and there are people that need help. I have no money to offer, but I would love to be able to go there and give of my time and energy to give those people at least a little bit of relief, a little bit of hope, a little bit of the life they once knew.

My heart goes out to everyone who has been affected by Katrina. Our prayers are with you. <3

[AtmaWeapon]

I'm in the "not creepy" boat. New Orleans is a city below sea level and the only thing that has stopped the Mississippi River from washing it away is the concrete we dump along its banks to stop it. Anytime you have to spend millions of dollars and lots of man-hours just to stop nature from destroying your city, it's time to reconsider your location. Additionally, when the threat nature poses is constant, it is idiocy to continue.

2 weeks ago, before I even knew about Katrina, I told one of my friends how horrible it would be if a real hurricane ever hit New Orleans. Fact is just as bad as the fiction I described.

*edit* I don't need to hijack the thread, I will make my own.

[bigjoe]

I agree with Atma. As hurtful as it might be to say, rebuilding New Orleans in the same place will be a waste of effort if tragedies like this could happen again. I'm praying for the people who are stranded out there now, that they may find a safe place or shelter and start life anew. I heard that the Cajundome here in town is acting as a temporary shelter, and Im sure theres many other places open for people. Hope they kind find some for the people who had to get turned away from the Astrodome in Texas. :(

[Axel]

New Orleans was built to take advantage of the mouth of the river. It made good strategic and economic sense at the time. They were building a colony, a port to serve the mother country. Not a permanent city. You could as well blame the people of Venice for building a city that would sink when the sea level rose, or the people of Pompeii for building too close to the volcano.

In any case, this isn't impressive at all. Last year my environmental science teacher predicted that one day we'd be discussing the "lost city of New Orleans." Amazing what discussions of global warming can spawn.

[Beldaran]

In any case, this isn't impressive at all.

The most distructive natural disaster in american history? What would impress you?

[AtmaWeapon]

Beldaran I think he meant the prophetic nature of the story wasn't impressive, not the magnitude of the disaster.

[Starkist]

You could as well blame the people of Venice for building a city that would sink when the sea level rose, or the people of Pompeii for building too close to the volcano.

And I do! :thumbsup:

[Axel]

Then blame anyone foolish enough to build a city, or take any action. Since it's all inevitably going to fail. All nations must fail, all cities must fall, all people must die.

[ctrl-alt-delete]

Axel, only Sith deal in absolutes. :-p

Prophetic? No.

Guy that wrote it shitting his pants? Yes.

[Darth Marsden]

Just browsing one of my many 'comedy' sites, and I came across THIS (http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/video/kanye). I'll let it speak for itself.

[AtmaWeapon]

No, Kanye West is an idiot and that video clip differs from the "hey I found this prophetic story about New Orleans" theme of this thread and is an attempt to hijack it in the "Bush hates black people" direction.

This (http://simcityneworleans.ytmnd.com/) is a much better joke that stays somewhat on topic.

[Darth Marsden]

It was the most appropiate thread that was still active. Sorry if you thought I posted here otherwise. Still, if it prompted your post, then I have no regrets. Risky, but hilarious.

[AlexMax]

Wasn't New Orleans above sea level when it was first built?