How soon we forget, page 1

posted on Sep, 14 2005 @ 08:56 AM

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Lets take a look at the past 8 years and the relationship Louisiana has with Tropical Storms and Hurricanes.

Hurricane Danny: July 18, 1997 Danny

Evacuations were ordered in parts of Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes (counties) southwest of New Orleans, but people in some areas began returning to their homes Thursday night as the storm went east.

In low-lying St. Bernard Parish, southeast of New Orleans, officials handed out sandbags to seal off flood-prone roads and recommended that residents leave.

In New Orleans, late-night revelers on Bourbon Street barely broke stride as light rains and intermittent gusts swept the historic French Quarter.

Even though officials had feared flooding in the city, which is below sea level, Danny hit the Big Easy with a weak punch.

Hurricane Georges: Sept 30, 1998 Georges

Most of LA saw winds 40-mph or less. About 14,000 took shelter in the Superdome. A tidal surge topped a levee in Florissant, east of New Orleans, letting loose 8 to 9 feet of water. Outages left as many as 260,000 without power. Two deaths.

In the first 60 days or so after Georges made its final landfall in Mississippi, the American Red Cross spent $104 million on relief services in the United States Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, the Florida Keys and the Florida Panhandle. This makes it the most expensive disaster aid effort in the organization's 117-year history.

Tropical Storm Allison: June 11, 2001

Following the floods generated by Tropical Storm Allison, President Bush declared a federal disaster in Louisiana on June 11. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness (LOEP) have teams in the field inspecting damages and many disaster assistance programs are active. The disaster declaration covers 23 parishes.

Over $7.2 million has been disbursed to help individuals make emergency repairs to their homes or to find adequate temporary living space.

The storm tallied approximately 18 inches of rain in Louisiana's state capital of Baton Rouge, and 12 inches in Houston, Texas.

Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is available through Louisiana Department of Labor Job Center Offices. This program provides unemployment payments up to 26 weeks for workers who temporarily lost jobs because of the disaster and who do not normally qualify for state benefits, such as farmers, farm workers, migrant farm workers and other self-employed individuals.

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News release from FEMA:

Louisiana, the hardest hit area, was battered by four storms including the powerful Hurricane Lili and Tropical Storm Isidore. The 2002 season's storms caused 9 deaths in the United States and about $900 million in damages. Max Mayfield, director of the NOAA National Hurricane Center, said, "Four storm strikes on Louisiana remind us of the need for preparedness during every hurricane season. It's not the number of storms that counts-it's where they go."

Tropical Storm Bertha Aug 6, 2002 No data of consequince found.

Tropical Storm Isidore Sept 27, 2002

Tropical Storm Isidore's sweep across Louisiana wrought an estimated $18 million in flood damage and left thousands of residents without power as they looked ahead to long days of bailing water from cars and homes.
Residents were spared hurricane-strength winds, but not by much. The sprawling storm's ill-defined eye passed over the Louisiana coast packing 65-mph winds -- 9 mph shy of hurricane speed.
Gov. Mike Foster said the storm caused at least $18 million in damage in Louisiana, including $3.7 million in lost sugar cane. Foster said the damage estimate will grow, and he was seeking a federal disaster declaration.

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that President Bush has declared a major disaster for Louisiana, triggering the release of federal funds to help meet the recovery needs of families and businesses swamped by Tropical Storm Isidore's torrential rains.

Hurricane Lili Oct 3, 2002

Lili made landfall on the central Louisiana coast as a category one hurricane and left behind a trail of muck and misery from widespread wind and flood damage. Strong winds toppled trees onto houses and into roadways, stripped shingles from roofs, and blew out windows. The wind and driving rain flattened sugar cane fields throughout southern Louisiana. A combination of storm surge and rain caused levees to fail in the southeastern part of the state. Lili also temporarily curtailed all oil production in the Gulf of Mexico. The latest insured property damage total from the American Insurance Services Group is $430 million U.S. dollars, $415 million for Louisiana and &15 million for Mississippi. The total dollar damage estimate is twice this value or $860 million dollars. President Bush declared that Louisiana is eligible for federal assistance.

Tropical Storm Bill June 30, 2003

After coming ashore in Louisiana, the storm's maximum sustained winds dropped from 55 mph to 45 mph, but it also spawned several possible tornados as it moved across the New Orleans region and into neighboring Mississippi. Louisiana Gov. Mike Foster declared a statewide state of emergency as a "precautionary measure," so state resources could easily be made available if necessary. New Orleans closed 68 of the 120 floodgates around the city, said Lou Reese of the Orleans Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness, but so far there had been only localized flooding in the city's center.

Tropical Storm Matthew Oct 10,2004
nice pics with good information here

With a total of 8 storms to hit Louisiana over the past 8 years one would think that the state would be well versed in Hurricane preparedness. The people of New Orleans are accustomed to being blasted by storms/hurricanes and their lackadaisical approach to these storms proves such. If hurricane Ivan would of hit Louisiana just like Katrina did, they would be in the same situation as they are now.

It's only a matter of time before another Hurricane hits that reigon, and once and for all puts New Orleans under water. Its nature at work and there is nothing you or I can do about it.

The only thing that we can do is, heal our people and thank your God that no lives of catastrophic proportions have been lost. I hope that the people of Louisana have learned a lesson from all this. The Government needs to make a command decision about New Orleans. Spend billions rebuilding or spend Billions relocating, either way it's going to cost us tax payers, and I fear that the choice the government will make will cost us even more.

yadboy

posted on Sep, 14 2005 @ 12:00 PM

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Great post, very well spelled out. I've brought some of these same points up in other threads and people just totally ignored them. Seems like a lot of people don't like the idea that the local government has had a lot of practice dealing w/ this situation w/ little success. How long were they going to put off upgrading the levee system and getting a good hurricne evacuation plan put together. Apparently one year too long.

People love to bring up the fact that money was diverted to the Iraq war, but guess what, they've been getting funds to upgrade the levee system for years, and have done little real work. Makes one wonder where the money was really going.

rancid1

posted on Sep, 15 2005 @ 03:06 AM

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Thanks for the input yadboy!
Yes, I pretty much thought that this topic would get "swepted under the carpet". People don't like to get reminded that LA has a very strong relationship with storms/hurricanes, it seems that they just live for the moment. One would think after 4 storms in the 2002 season they would learn their lesson.

The main reason I submitted this post was more of a venting for me. Everyone looking to blame someone else for their own actions or inactions. And, by that I mean if you choose to live in an area that is prone to this type of weather you should accept the consequences of such.

Winchester Ranger T

posted on Sep, 15 2005 @ 02:57 PM

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Good posting.

The message is clear, don't live in Florida, or on the Gulf Coast. That area is pretty much looking to be uninhabitable on a long term basis.