When Hurricane Katrina was still gathering storm in the Gulf of Mexico a few weeks ago, I commented that if any country were equal to the task of Mother Nature’s fury, it is the United States. I cited America’s abundant resources, emergency management protocols and evacuation plans as all anyone could hope for to limit the loss of life from Katrina’s onslaught. But I also warned that if protocols and plans were not executed properly or if people refused to heed evacuation orders, then the loss of life would be significant. But that was then….
Now comes Hurricane Rita – still churning in the Gulf and already packing more punch than the heaviest blows Katrina landed on New Orleans or Mississippi. But, to give the Americans a fairer fight this time, Mother Nature has targeted the big, rich and very white state of Texas. And, her sense of humour (or poetic justice) is not lost on those of us who appreciate the synergistic drama in her choosing the state from whence hails the U.S. Commander-in-Chief, President George W. Bush.
(Nevertheless, late reports are that she might still give New Orleans a glancing blow just to see if they’ve learned their lessons….)
The hurry-up-and-wait evacuation of Texans from the predicted path of Hurricane Rita…
By all accounts, Texans are as prepared as boy scouts…for a hurricane. But whether they’ll survive the road rage and traffic jams as over one million of them flee for their lives (and return with equal frenzy to survey property damage) is a different matter.
Rita is expected to unleash her full fury late-tonight or early-tomorrow. But just to make sure everyone knows who’s in charge, Bush intends to fly down to survey the battlefield today to ensure that all of his troops are ready for what he expects to be all out war with the mother of all hurricanes.
Good luck Texas. May the force be with you….
News and Politics
Anonymous says
This is what always baffled the shit out of me…….Why not open all six or five lanes of traffic to the evacuees? I always see three lanes, packed with cars, and the other lanes totaly empty!
I bet you the response this time will be unprecedented! Guarantee you that there will be humanitarian drops of food and, most importantly, water at this time Sunday or maybe even tomorrow night. It never ceases to amaze me how this shit works out.
Noel
Anonymous says
ALH – I think your reference to mother nature’s sense of humor or poetic justice is brilliant: big, rich and very white Texas. And, with the President himself taking charge no less. You gotta love it.
Anonymous says
We people in the Netherlands are still amazed when we look at the so called protection for these kind of weather situations. The dykes in the town where we live (population 30.000) are even better as the ones i saw along the coastline in Texas. Good luck!