Hurricane Katrina
DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED While I do miss New Orleans, I’m not especially fond of hurricanes. (Except that they do provide time off from work…) Still, the warnings being blared this time aorund don’t sound that different than those for, say, Andrew. I did live through a couple of hurricanes — leaving the city, returning to downed trees and the aftermath of some flooding (but not at my house!) — and I can’t recall a time when the predictions came true. One shouldn’t be foolish enough to stick around, though, because you can’t tell when the predictions will come true. Those who stuck around for Camille in a building that was a civil defense bomb shelter were surprised when the building was completely demolished. We haven’t heard from my in-laws or friends and can’t call them since all the lines are tied up. Update: From the TP: Katrina is comparable to Hurricane Camille in intensity, which devastated the New Orleans area in 1969; the difference is that Katrina is larger.