Hurricanes striking the eastern coast of Florida are a seasonal cliché. Floridians plan for them, stocking plywood and bottled water in preparation for each year's big blow. 1992's Hurricane Andrew notwithstanding (the "costliest disaster in U.S history" with 15 directly- and 25 indirectly-caused deaths and $30-billion in property damage, according to a St. Petersburg Times retrospective)—that experience shows. Florida usually weathers these storms.
Katrina, however, jumped the fence, running into the Gulf of Mexico with Category 5 force, heading straight for New Orleans. And the blogosphere watched aghast, and commented, and worried, and sprang into action to offer relief.
Blog watchers at Bloggers Blog reported the virtual storm."A Technorati search for Hurricane Katrina now [Monday] gives over 9,000 results. Nearly double the number we reported on Sunday... Humor writer Dave Barry even blogged about the event." (Barry, who lives in South Florida, writes, "The good news is, I'm fine. There's virtually no hurricane damage where I am. The bad news is, this is because I'm in California.")
At Rising Slowly, the "UK Weather Blog," coverage of Katrina began on Saturday, when the storm, which had already killed 5 in its first assault on the Florida coast, turned around and headed back toward the penninsula.
The blog GulfSails is dedicated to the hurricane; its sub-head now reads: "Located in New Orleans - I will be riding out Hurricane Katrina with a generator, some beer and the ability to post via cell phone after we lose hardlines. I will attempt at least hourly posts. Pictures will be available until land lines are lost." The blogger reminds us that "New Orleans is effectively an island and there are only three exits out of the city." An earlier post worried about the people left unevacuated due to a class-action lawsuit.
New Orleans Mayor, Ray Nagin... has been asked several times why he has not issued a mandatory evacuation of Orleans Parish. (All other SE Louisiana parishes have as of Saturday evening.) His replies have constantly been that he can't because of a legal matter that he has the City Attorney looking into... Apparantly, if he orders a mandatory evacuation, individuals who can not personally evacuate the city for whatever reason become the legal responsibility of the City Of New Orleans. The closest estimate is that there are 100,000 New Orleanians who have no personal transportation.
Poker-blogger adb_davoice, taunts Katrina on Random Musings of Mine with "Do Your Worst Biotch!" The blogger muses, "You know it's not going to be a good day when you live 3 blocks (literally) from the beach where JIM CANTORE from the Weather Channel is doing his updates. This guy is like a freaking hurricane magnet!"
Article comments
1 - Jeff Flock
Thanks Pat. Glad to see our thoughts get wider circulation. Just got out of New Orleans this morning in knee deep water before it got neck deep. It is a horrible situation and I have a lot of experience with disasters. We'll post some new thoughts to the site www.hurricanenow.com in the next hour or so.
2 - thai
I was just looking at pictures on msn of the damage to new orleans.I was overcome with compassion for the people of this city, that was until i got to the second to the last picture. It was taken yesterday, before water level was above 3 feet, it showed a bunch of black youths and adults looting(thats just a nice way to say robbing) a sports shop, holding boxes oif shoes and tons of shirts. I am appalled at this. It shows that most sterotypes are indeed based on the actions of the race.
3 - Search Engine
The 'black youths' (Afro-Americans) shown mostly looting (there was 'white people' that I saw too) was not a stero type thing, the area they were showing down south is populated much by the black community, they are the majority of the people near there...
4 - kim frazier
i just want to say that i give my heart to everyone that is in this mess down there.i wish that i lived closer so i could help.i mean i know how it is to live weekly one a pay check and i know how it is to be homeless.but it wasnt because of a storm.i i live in indiana .i wish i could help.but it will be better god is with them.
thanks kim
5 - Nancy
My heart goes out to all the victims of the disaster. Please don't think it's over. The holidays are here and MANY MANY people still do not have homes to return to - Families have been separated, peopled have died... I have personal friends who's elderly parents were so confused w/the move from New Orleans to Lake Charles that it threw them deeper into disorientation and fell in their 'new home'... only to end up in the hospital and die. Yes, I would call this a hurricane realted death. Go back and read about the reality of this storm.
READ the Special Edition of Hurricane Katrina that NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC published. I bought 50 copies for friends, family & others who want them. Contact me if you are interested in getting a copy for yourself or for a victim. All proceeds go to helping the victims.
If you want to stay on top of what is still happening, look back at how it started and let those images stay you a reminder of the power of mother nature.