This is the second time this year that I have found myself writing about the devastation caused by water as it is unleashed upon civilization. Hurricane Katrina is, by now, known to nearly everyone in the world. It hit New Orleans with 145 mph winds, lashing the coastline of the South from Louisiana to Florida. As I write, it has moved north, carrying rain to already ground-soaked regions of the country, adding to the damage and authoring tornados.
But nothing compares to the damage it has brought to New Orleans, land of jazz and Mardi Gras. Where culture as old as the South itself is now lost to future generations. Yes, they will rebuild, at least partially. And yes, people will eventually get on with their lives. But this grand old city will never be the same. There is simply too much damage to irreplaceable structures and too much anguish in the lives of its half a million residents to expect the area to ever return to anything like it was before the storm.
And although the wind was responsible for blowing out windows in tall buildings, ripping up trees and flinging cars about like toys, still it is the water that is taking the life out of New Orleans. Water that has been held back by levees, now released to fill the streets and buildings, and water which carries with it death and disease. It is water that has carried debris across the landscape and piled it into heaps, now garbage. It is water that has overwhelmed the pumps that have labored day and night to keep the city streets drained of rainfall. It is water that will breed the mosquitos that will make so many people ill. It is water that allows alligators and snakes to freely encroach on the people's "territory." This is water that we are told may take months to drain off...when the levees are repaired...when the pumps are working again...when the power is restored...when the debris is cleared...
This is a water nightmare, but I fear it is not the last. We have been warned about the warming of the oceans and what it will do to our weather patterns. Global warming is a theory that is proving itself. It is not waiting for our scientists, nor our government, nor our leaders. Global warming is speaking directly to us and using the strongest language possible: the language of disaster.
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