HERE WE GO AGAIN!
Hurricane Rita is rolling inexorably toward the Gulf Coast, and hundreds of thousands of people are trying to get out of her way. This time, the authorities are really seriously trying to get everything right. They're using buses to evacuate people who can't drive themselves; they're evacuating hospitals and nursing homes; they're getting people onto the roads as early as possible. And it may still not be enough. Already a bus full of nursing home patients has exploded, killing more than 20 people in a fire that was probably intensified by their oxygen tanks. Many evacuees have run out of gas before getting anywhere near a safe destination. Some of the levees in New Orleans are in trouble again, and the hurricane hasn't even made landfall yet.
On one hand, it's good that the disaster mavens are getting a second chance to do right what they screwed up last time. On the other hand, it's really scary when, with a lot better information, a lot more willingness to pay attention to that information, and a serious commitment to protecting all the people in harm's way, they still CAN'T do the job.
I am still seeing right-wingers claim that global warming has nothing to do with the fact that we are getting more hurricanes every year, and more of them are Category 3 or higher. As I understand it, the relationship of large bodies of warm water to the frequency and intensity of hurricanes is Meteorology 101, right up there with the cycle of rain and evaporation of water. The only people who can seriously deny it are the flat-earthers. But we have elected a government that puts flat-earthers in positions of responsibility requiring scientific know-how and common sense. That probably means that, for the next 3 years, we are committed to taking no long-range action to protect the southern US from more and nastier hurricanes.
What would such long-range action entail? Maybe a permanent evacuation of barrier islands, beaches, and low-lying Gulf Coast areas. Maybe a permanent evacuation of the entire Gulf Coast. Certainly a revision of building code standards in that part of the country, and a revised flood insurance plan that either bans residences in flood-prone areas, or makes it outrageously expensive. Maybe a plan to move hazardous chemical manufacture and storage away from parts of the country prone to hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes. Whatever it takes, we probably won't get around to it under this administration. So the next election becomes literally a matter of national life or death.
A month or so back, my husband and I watched the ultra-disaster movie, "The Day After Tomorrow." It purports to portray the ultimate result of global warming--a nationwide plague of hurricanes and tornadoes culminating in an instantaneous ice age. At the time, it looked pretty far-fetched, to the point of absurdity. It still does, but not quite as much. Probably its producer will not enjoy telling us "I told you so" any more than I will. Seize the time.
On one hand, it's good that the disaster mavens are getting a second chance to do right what they screwed up last time. On the other hand, it's really scary when, with a lot better information, a lot more willingness to pay attention to that information, and a serious commitment to protecting all the people in harm's way, they still CAN'T do the job.
I am still seeing right-wingers claim that global warming has nothing to do with the fact that we are getting more hurricanes every year, and more of them are Category 3 or higher. As I understand it, the relationship of large bodies of warm water to the frequency and intensity of hurricanes is Meteorology 101, right up there with the cycle of rain and evaporation of water. The only people who can seriously deny it are the flat-earthers. But we have elected a government that puts flat-earthers in positions of responsibility requiring scientific know-how and common sense. That probably means that, for the next 3 years, we are committed to taking no long-range action to protect the southern US from more and nastier hurricanes.
What would such long-range action entail? Maybe a permanent evacuation of barrier islands, beaches, and low-lying Gulf Coast areas. Maybe a permanent evacuation of the entire Gulf Coast. Certainly a revision of building code standards in that part of the country, and a revised flood insurance plan that either bans residences in flood-prone areas, or makes it outrageously expensive. Maybe a plan to move hazardous chemical manufacture and storage away from parts of the country prone to hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes. Whatever it takes, we probably won't get around to it under this administration. So the next election becomes literally a matter of national life or death.
A month or so back, my husband and I watched the ultra-disaster movie, "The Day After Tomorrow." It purports to portray the ultimate result of global warming--a nationwide plague of hurricanes and tornadoes culminating in an instantaneous ice age. At the time, it looked pretty far-fetched, to the point of absurdity. It still does, but not quite as much. Probably its producer will not enjoy telling us "I told you so" any more than I will. Seize the time.
posted by WiredSisters at 12:06 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home