backtracking

Regarding my last post: I spoke too soon when blaming all the death, chaos and current situation in the southern United States, specifically New Orleans, on the hurricane.

It's not Katrina's fault alone the levees broke, it's not her fault people were left to wait and wait and wait and wait for water, food and to be rescued. The destruction she caused should have been a surprise to NO ONE. The damage could have been mitigated. The government should have been prepared. I found an excellent series published by a Louisiana newspaper on how vulnerable the state was to major damage from a hurricane. Don't know when it was written, but I'm pretty sure the Times-Picayune staff wouldn't have had time to whip it up this week. Haven't read it all yet (it's five parts and so long), but in part 1 this section just jumped right out at me:

If enough water from Lake Pontchartrain topped the levee system along its south shore, the result would be apocalyptic. Vast areas would be submerged for days or weeks until engineers dynamited the levees to let the water escape. Some places on the east bank of Orleans and Jefferson parishes are as low as 10 feet below sea level. Adding a 20-foot storm surge from a Category 4 or 5 storm would mean 30 feet of standing water. Whoever remained in the city would be at grave risk.
According to the American Red Cross, a likely death toll would be between 25,000 and 100,000 people, dwarfing estimated death tolls for other natural disasters and all but the most nightmarish potential terrorist attacks. Tens of thousands more would be stranded on rooftops and high ground, awaiting rescue that could take days or longer. They would face thirst, hunger and exposure to toxic chemicals