Redwood Reader

People have been given a great excuse for not preparing for environmental disasters by the notion that global warming is a new problem we have created that is having unprecedented effects on our planet. This is an easy out to problems on the table for decades. Never mind that NOAA scientists say it is just a decadal scale oscillation in the ocean that recurs regularly.
New Orleans untenable situation is well known. Situated between a huge lake and the mighty Mississippi River and below sea level, it can only exist in an artificial environment, and everything must work smoothly to maintain it. There are very few roads in or out, and bridges fail regularly in large natural disasters. New Orleans was spared the storm surge that devastated the areas just east of it, where the water acted like the tsunami, rolling five miles inland and destroying most everything it touched. But the biggest problems were caused by removal of the natural protection Nature developed for these situations- the wetlands along the coast that had been removed for development. One report said five miles of wetlands had been “reclaimed”, or drained for development. Another said the Gulf Coast lost an acre of wetland every 24 minutes due to development. The upstream levees along the river have been hotly debated; many claiming the historic record show they hurt more than they help. But this is in bad weather, surely a minority of the time. So far the river levees are not the problem, they are just waiting their own overwhelming incident.
In the big picture, Americans need better planning for major infrastrucure. These so called natural disasters are more often people disregarding obvious threats in order to thrive in good weather, exactly the same as Californians building in the wildfire zones or along the crumbling seashore cliffs. You can’t account for risk people are willing to take. You can regulate activities to improve defenses, though, and America would do well to regard weather as its biggest enemy.
Montana has demanded their Air Guard helicopters back from Iraq for fire fighting. A spokesman talking about sandbagging the levees said yesterday they had gotten the men, sand, and bags needed but the Blackhawks hadn’t shown up. Coast Guard choppers have pulled hundreds of people off rooftops one at a time- obviously more could be put to use. It is expensive though, probably $1500 an hour or better each. This problem and its expense is directly the result of people failing to heed mandatory evacuation order. It appears at least 100,000 people were too stuck or determined to stick it out. That is not mandatory evacuation. The National Guard should have been stood up BEFORE the storm hit in order to assist those needing transportation, and to clear stragglers. With this should have been the martial law declaration along with the deterring shoot to kill orders that go with it. You only need a rumor like the cops are shooting people in downtown to eliminate most of the problem with looting. The officer can always decide if a situation is appropriate at the time- is it a mother getting water or a gang member cleaning out a jewelry store? Looting or scavenging? In any event, the stolen property is as much part of failing to secure the scene as it is in failing complete evacuation. Now people are shooting at the cops with stolen guns, and rescue operations are hampered.
The same is true in the other hard hit areas along the coast. One woman survived the ordeal, and hurried home the next day but the looters had already cleaned out her house. These areas are not flooded although storm surge wiped out the first five miles of along the shore, which should have been wetlands and would have absorbed a large proportion of the surge. Here we have thousands of refugees who are not imminently imperiled but still in need of basic necessities, and more importantly, a positive attitude adjustment for dislocated survivors. How do we do that for them as a nation?
This storm also had the potential for massive pollution from petrochemical plants that dot the area. Offshore platforms, undersea pipes, onshore refineries, tank farms and a host of related activities took a glancing blow. It could have been utter destruction for the Gulf of Mexico, an oil spill of unimaginable proportions, and an unleashing of all kinds of industrial pollutants into the environment. For avoiding that cataclysm we must be thankful.
Once again we see Nature has developed ways to combat her own extremes. High wind and heavy rain have caused Nature to protect herself with wetlands and forests to absorb these powerful events without stripping the surface of the land. Wetlands defend against storm surge. Trees absorb wind so that hurricanes rapidly degrade once they are ashore. Forests absorb heavy rain and delay its path to the draining rivers, spreading the runoff over time and allowing the rivers to work as drains.
Hurricanes were a regular part of growing up on Long Island. It seemed we never got the “big one” we hoped for as kids that would close school. Last minute course corrections, or suddenly lowering winds always made the pronouncements seem overly worrisome. We would go out in the rain and wind to experience it, tying blankets to wrist and ankles and sliding in the water via sail. Later in life we would assist in cleaning the streets, and for one I worked in a twenty-four hour bagel store. That was probably the busiest overnight retail action the store ever saw. After a while we were told to stop charging and coffee and bagels were on the house. I still feel bad for the guys we charged in the beginning of that shift, thirty plus years later. That storm cut a new inlet in the barrier beach that extends along Long Islands south shore a recurring feature. This only allows water into the Great South Bay, and the beaches role as a hurricane defense is well understood. Nevertheless, Newsday reports a storm in size, scope and power like Katrina would be a mortal blow anyway.
The policy of measuring storms in dollars fails to instruct people in the future. IF the record storm surge is twenty feet, it helps to know twenty plus feet will buy you a good measure of protection. Not that there won’t be a thirty foot wave a t some point, but saying the storm cost x billion dollars and so many lives does nothing for preparation. This is especially true in location. A five-mile surge would have nearly cut Long Island in half if it were high enough. The largest point there is a landfill, and the highest natural point about 450 feet as I recall off the top of my head. About six million people would be headed there, since Long Island can only be evacuated routes through New York City. This was the basis for the States case against the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that prevented the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant from getting its operating license. There is just no way to get all those people out of there in a timely fashion. It shows the need for local citizens to be aware of the risks, and for leaders to put in place workable solutions for catastrophic events. It is not if, it is when.
Finally, it seems to me the government should be delivering as many personal water purifiers as it can get its hands on. Backpackers have a wide variety of water filters that would allow people to use that water without risk of disease or having to boil it. I am thinking particularly of the ceramic type since I am familiar with it. It would seem like you would be empowering more people to help themselves and others, as well as ease the need for everyone to be at the distribution centers seeking water repeatedly. In fact, these should be in all preparedness kits around the country, along with crank radios and the new permanent LED flashlights.We can learn from other impacted areas as well. It was found by health agencies that cholera, a deadly water borne disease, could be filtered by using the traditional sari material used for women’s dresses, when folded eight times, caused filtering down to eight microns. Cholera is about 25 microns so a good measure of protection is offered. Lets get this translated into what we have on hand, and be sure this is enough protection for consumers to use, since other types of pollution may not be alleviated this way.
Whether global warming or a regular pattern, there are more hurricanes, more people, more impacted natural systems and more likelihood of these types of events. As is so often the case, a large natural event turns catastrophic when too many people become complacent or are unaware of the potential event. Our natural world is often the best protection we can have. Too many times it is developed and then unable to perform when the time comes.