That sinking feeling

We’re sinking, sinking, arrrrrrrrrgh. But wait, haven’t we been sinking since I was a little kid? Isn’t that why we always had to get those piles of dirt that we used to slide down until dad managed to spread it out over the lawn? So isn’t this dire news really not news at all? OK maybe we are sinking faster than they thought we were. But did anyone really think they knew how fast we were sinking? I mean, I may not have known that a hurricane might obliterate us all, but I did know we were sinking. EVERYONE knows we are sinking. So maybe I shouldn’t give up hope yet.

This article on the other hand is full of more an “imminent threats”. Levees slumping 6 feet overnight? Granted that is way out in the marshland in Buras, it’s a wonder that place is even there anymore. But now the Army Corps of Engineers is backtracking on their pumping capacity promises at the compromised canals in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish. Apparently they haven’t even decided where and how to situate the pumps and are still thinking about it. They decided to skip the “computer modeling step” due to the aggressive schedule. But after they put in the first few pumps they decided computer modeling wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Col. Richard Wagenaar, chief of the New Orleans District, called it "a hydraulic challenge," and described the pumps as all wanting to suck up the same water.
"You can't just buy 15 or 16 more pumps and just stick them out there," he said "You have to put them in the right place and tie them into concrete and steelworks. It's major construction."

Sometimes I think we do deserve to have our city die, as a punishment for our gross stupidity.

If that’s not bad enough news, evidence is gathering to support the concept that maybe hurricanes are related to global warming after all. I suppose its good new that they are figuring it out, but bad news if it’s true.

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