Crap. Katrina moved north and will be hitting us here in Ottawa. Obviously it's weakened to even less than a tropical storm, but we'll be getting 80mm of rain. If it were snow, that would be 8feet of snow in one day. They are predicting that a number of houses in low lying areas will be flooded. It has to be one hell of a hurricane to still have something left after crossing that much land.
BTW - Most radio stations have pulled "New Orleans is Sinking" from rotation. "The Bear" here in Ottawa said that they usually play it 3 or 4 times a week.
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As for the looting, we're not seeing the other side of the story. They show the scum of the earth looting and miss the kindness being shown. Donations are pouring in from around the world (you can donate @
www.redcross.ca). People opening their homes to near strangers. Volunteers, most of whom have lost their own homes and victims themselves, are keeping things relatively under control.
I witnessed what happened in Halifax when Juan hit. Granted, it was a Category 1, the weakest a storm could be to still be considered a hurricane, but the trees in Nova Scotia aren't strong enough to withstand that kind of punishment. Typically, they don't have to be. Houses and cars were crushed. Flooding was commonplace. It was far more damage than work crews were able to quickly remedy... so the people just got it done themselves. The St. Mary's football team went out in teams to remove heavy debris. Help lines with volunteers were set up for anyone needing aid, such as elderly people not able to get out of their homes to get food. Plumbers were volunteering their time. But that shinguard just doesn't make the headline news.
Welp, it's about time that I head out into Katrina and wreck a few umbrellas....