Krazy Kat Eyes New Orleans

Okay, I thought that we were safe from Hurricane Kat but it merely sniffed at battered Florida and turned its finicky head for fresh meat. Feeling like a wary mouse facing the jittery kat, I'm contemplating on whether I should hold on to the big cheese or drop it and run. This kat's tail is just too twitchy for me to take decipher its intentions so I'd rather be safe than have this kat pounce on me!

According to the National Hurricane Center's map and to the latest report, this is not looking good for us New Orleanians. For those who don't know, New Orleans is several feet below city level - in some areas by 30 feet!! Because of the erosion of marshlands south of New Orleans which acts a buffer, our coastline has been been receding due to past hurricanes, continuous sedimentary discharge of the Mississippi River into the Gulf and other natural causes as well as lack of state funds for the coastal restoration program. Since there is less land to break down hurricane winds, the warm waters will uphold its strength before striking and deluge the city with Gulf waters and rain. That's one problem.....the levees are another. According to the Times Picayune article recently, there is speculation that the levees in some areas have been declared structurally unsound. With a break in the levees, the mighty Mississippi River will have a new diversion and flow right into the city.

So what does this all mean? To give you the visual of what will happen to my city, watch this*!

Here's another way of looking at it. Put a bowl in a sink full of water and run the faucet into the bowl. When the bowl fills up to the brim, it will sink. That's New Orleans. So if this hurricane is indeed THE ONE, it'll be months or even years before the waters will recede. Why? Our pumping stations will be underwater as well.

So where does that leave me? With a few belongings and a prayer.

Until then, I'll keep you posted.


*For more information on this, read this.