« The Silence of the Worms.... | Main | You Otter Be in Pictures….. »
August 31, 2005
The Big Soggy...
As time passes there will be a lot written about New Orleans and the ravages of hurricane Katrina. I do not have access to all the information and reporting capacities of the big news agencies and so I will not repeat their fine efforts here. But, I can use this space to offer some personal observations and ask a few questions.
As of this date, August 31, 2005, New Orleans has been shut down. Over half a million people and growing have no homes, or jobs or anything. They have their lives and that’s a good thing. Though I am sure the number will grow that counts those that were not so lucky.
What was interesting to watch as the hurricane came and went was the forecasting of the costs and how it might be an expensive storm. "Maybe even as expensive as hurricane Andrew that hit Homestead, Florida in 1992," they were saying. Well, the costs for Katrina will eclipse those of Andrew many times over and will have ripple effects that will even affect all of us living on the other end of the continent. When I look at pictures of the event I am reminded of the devastation of the Tsunami that hit on Boxing Day 2004. And that gets me to thinking.
The price and availability of gasoline will immediately change. Jet fuel will go up again and an already beleaguered airline industry will suffer further. Shipping costs will change and go up all across the land as one of the continent’s major ports is shut down. The costs and availability of lumber and building products will affect housing costs. And the sheer cost of feeding and housing and maintaining nearly a million lost souls will be a huge burden on an already stretched economy. And this is bringing me to a point of personal curiosity:
Who, if anybody, will step up to the plate and offer assistance to the country who more than anybody else in this world, steps up and helps all those others in need when disaster strikes? Who?
I know the Canadian Red Cross is being called up and getting ready to help. But will Canada’s federal government have the decency to offer what we can? I hope so, because you know damn well that if a massive earthquake were to hit the lower mainland, you better believe that the United States would be right there with help. The US Army Corps of Engineers is the only hope we would have of getting bridges across rivers and communications and transportation going if we got hit real bad. Well, our only hope if we wanted it done within our lifetimes that is.
I want to see if Indonesia offers access to oil at a special rate to get us through the worst. I want to see if Thailand even offers cheap fruit for the hungry. I want to see if Saudi Arabia steps up production and directs a few extra ships to American refineries on the West Coast. I want to see if Israel sends financial aid to help feed or shelter the homeless. I want to see if Holland offers expertise or manpower to help rebuild the levees and dikes around the city. I want to see if Germany can help by getting its famed steel mills working to produce the piping and fittings needed to rebuild oil refineries and drilling platforms and bridges. I want to see if England or France or Italy offer anything at all. I want to see if the world that seems to expect so damn much from the United States of America will step up and give a little payback for all the American lives that were lost and money that was spent making it a better world to live in.
I really want to see that…..
~ AP
Posted by Anonymous Pundit at August 31, 2005 09:58 PM