Storm Front

Most of you are probably aware by now of the devasation caused by Hurricane Katrina as it blazed a trail across Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennesee and Kentucky. Particularly hard hit was the city of New Orleans - which lies in a delicate position, given that it is a few metres BELOW sea level. Pictures on CNN tonight saw a city completely deluged with floodwater. Conditions were so bad that casinos, large buildings usually present on barges at the sea front (don't ask) were picked up and deposited on the highway by the sea. An oil rig in Mobile Bay for repairs was pulled loose and got wedged under a bridge. Last I heard, the death toll was 80 and was definitely set to rise.

Living, as I do, in a SE coastal city that resides at sea level, there is a sense of awareness about developing hurricanes - particularly those heading for Florida - as there is a good chance that they will crossover and bend back across the Panhandle (the thin strip of Florida at the NW of the state) to hit Charleston. The last big hurricane that hit Charleston was Hugo in September of 1989 - some of the lab staff can remember it well - essentially, a mandatory evacuation of the city was called. The same thing happened a few years ago (1999) when Hurricane Floyd was approaching but veered off late in the day towards North Carolina, giving something of a glancing blow here - enough to uproot trees and take a few roofs off mind you. This time, Charleston was lucky - Katrina stayed out to sea longer and went further west - but it was tense times for a couple of days.

The season this year (June-November) is currently breaking records for the number of storms and hurricanes so far (we're up to K already - when Hugo hit, it was three storms less and a month later!). Of those predicted, three are proposed to hit the USA badly. With experts suggesting a link between the increased number of events with global warming, some might say it is an irony that the world's major polluter (and one not in the Kyoto accord) bears the brunt of the storms. I say that it's all very well to judge from afar - but come out here to the danger zone, see the devastating effects at a much closer distance, and there's a good chance that you'll think differently.