Friday, June 6, 2008
Drop Upon Drop
I was seven years old when Robert Kennedy was murdered by a Palestinian. I remember crying with my Mom. I didn't really understand the tears but I could feeling a sense of loss. We can only speculate what our country might be like today if President Kennedy had not been assassinated and if his brother had only been given the chance to lead our country.
Whether or not one agreed with the politics of John and Robert Kennedy, they both had something in common that is sadly lacking from those today who seek the presidential nomination. They both seemed committed to doing what was best for the country while seeking justice. They seemed to know the difference between fighting for what is right. President Kennedy made missteps and the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Bay of Pigs were the result. He also committed more troops to Vietnam. In this, he was correct. In fighting in Vietnam, the US sought to turn the tide against communism. Communism has been a scourge on this earth. His commitment to landing a man on the men before the 1960's ended led to an unprecedented explosion in technology which has led to the computer I'm using to post what i have written. He had vision.
We will never know what Robert Kennedy would have accomplished. Sirhan Sirhan took that away from us with bullets. Sirhan did so because he believed that Kennedy was "instrumental" in the "oppression" of Palestinians.
Like his brother, Robert Kennedy had the vision and knew the social responsibility of political leadership. The 1960's were a volatile time. He seemed to be able to unite people:
Robert Kennedy was supportive of Israel. He was a young reporter and saw first hand the injustices that were being committed against Jews by both the British and the Arabs. Some of the dispatches he wrote have come to light:
Robert Kennedy knew the difference between right and wrong. He worked for social justice during the Civil Rights movement and when another man of peace was assassinated, he spoke words of comfort to those in a troubled city.
We'll never know what Robert Kennedy would have done for our country. Someone filled with hate took that away from us. They same hate that exists that propels men of hate to smash commercial jet liners into office buildings filled with people. The same hate exists that men of hate to launch rockets toward malls and to become suicide bombers. I have a hunch he would have been unequivocal in denouncing such acts of violence and hatred. He knew the difference between right and wrong. He knew the pain hatred causes and because of that, he was murdered by an assassin's bullet.
Update: Some interesting posts in connection:
Kennedy That Loved Israel
and
June 5: The Anniversary of the First Act of Palestinian Terrorists Against the US
Whether or not one agreed with the politics of John and Robert Kennedy, they both had something in common that is sadly lacking from those today who seek the presidential nomination. They both seemed committed to doing what was best for the country while seeking justice. They seemed to know the difference between fighting for what is right. President Kennedy made missteps and the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Bay of Pigs were the result. He also committed more troops to Vietnam. In this, he was correct. In fighting in Vietnam, the US sought to turn the tide against communism. Communism has been a scourge on this earth. His commitment to landing a man on the men before the 1960's ended led to an unprecedented explosion in technology which has led to the computer I'm using to post what i have written. He had vision.
We will never know what Robert Kennedy would have accomplished. Sirhan Sirhan took that away from us with bullets. Sirhan did so because he believed that Kennedy was "instrumental" in the "oppression" of Palestinians.
Like his brother, Robert Kennedy had the vision and knew the social responsibility of political leadership. The 1960's were a volatile time. He seemed to be able to unite people:
Kennedy was perceived by many to be the only person in American politics capable of uniting the people. He was beloved by the minority community for his integrity and devotion to the civil rights cause. After winning California's primary, Kennedy was in the position to receive the Democratic nomination and face off against Richard Nixon in the general election.
Robert Kennedy was supportive of Israel. He was a young reporter and saw first hand the injustices that were being committed against Jews by both the British and the Arabs. Some of the dispatches he wrote have come to light:
Kennedy was liberal in his praise of the Palestinian Jews (only one month later did the name "Israel" and the term "Israelis" come into being). "The Jewish people in Palestine who believe in and have been working toward this national state have become an immensely proud and determined people," Kennedy wrote. "It is already a truly great modern example of the birth of a nation with the primary ingredients of dignity and self-respect."
One of his dispatches was headlined, "Jews Make Up for Lack of Arms with Undying Spirit, Unparalleled Courage." In one of his accounts, Kennedy describes his traveling with Haganah fighters in a convoy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Robert Kennedy knew the difference between right and wrong. He worked for social justice during the Civil Rights movement and when another man of peace was assassinated, he spoke words of comfort to those in a troubled city.
We'll never know what Robert Kennedy would have done for our country. Someone filled with hate took that away from us. They same hate that exists that propels men of hate to smash commercial jet liners into office buildings filled with people. The same hate exists that men of hate to launch rockets toward malls and to become suicide bombers. I have a hunch he would have been unequivocal in denouncing such acts of violence and hatred. He knew the difference between right and wrong. He knew the pain hatred causes and because of that, he was murdered by an assassin's bullet.
Update: Some interesting posts in connection:
Kennedy That Loved Israel
and
June 5: The Anniversary of the First Act of Palestinian Terrorists Against the US
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Deep Freeze
After criticism and due to financial reasons, FEMA will no longer bring in ice after a hurricane strikes. Instead, the job will now go to the Army Corps of Engineers.
Ice will be available for life saving and not as a comfort item. Some local authorities in Pascagoula have proposed making generators available to local ice houses after a hurricane. There are problems with this solution. Many of the ice houses in cities such as Biloxi were destroyed after Hurricane Katrina. Another problem I foresee: lack of gas or diesel fuel to run the generators.
Ice was a cool comfort after Hurricane Katrina. After hours of cleaning up debris in the yard, nothing was sweeter than ice-chilled water. It was and is a necessity for those who have infants. Many people already freeze water jugs, as another local authority suggested. This helps to keep refrigerated and frozen items cooler in the days after a hurricane. In the days after Hurricane Katrina, the temperatures were in the low 90's. My food in the freezer and refrigerator had to be thrown out three days after Hurricane Katrina. Ice would need to be replenished, at the minimum of every other day to keep food fresh.
To me, ice is more than a quality of life issue after a hurricane. Ice can also be a great help in slowing down the spoilage of food. One of the health hazards we faced after Hurricane Katrina was all the rotting foods people had to empty from freezers and refrigerators. This coupled with the delays in garbage pick-up can lead to major health issues, not to mention the attraction of rodents, insects, and other animals to all that waste.
Working with each state - MEMA for Mississippi - FEMA has charged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with the job of delivering 3 million pounds of ice within 24 hours to any state hit, Hudak said, but only for medical emergencies and life-saving reasons.
"We want to make sure we're providing ice as a life-saving item and not a comfort item," she said. "We're not insensitive to comfort. That's why we're pushing people to get prepared and be able to help themselves."
Ice will be available for life saving and not as a comfort item. Some local authorities in Pascagoula have proposed making generators available to local ice houses after a hurricane. There are problems with this solution. Many of the ice houses in cities such as Biloxi were destroyed after Hurricane Katrina. Another problem I foresee: lack of gas or diesel fuel to run the generators.
Ice was a cool comfort after Hurricane Katrina. After hours of cleaning up debris in the yard, nothing was sweeter than ice-chilled water. It was and is a necessity for those who have infants. Many people already freeze water jugs, as another local authority suggested. This helps to keep refrigerated and frozen items cooler in the days after a hurricane. In the days after Hurricane Katrina, the temperatures were in the low 90's. My food in the freezer and refrigerator had to be thrown out three days after Hurricane Katrina. Ice would need to be replenished, at the minimum of every other day to keep food fresh.
To me, ice is more than a quality of life issue after a hurricane. Ice can also be a great help in slowing down the spoilage of food. One of the health hazards we faced after Hurricane Katrina was all the rotting foods people had to empty from freezers and refrigerators. This coupled with the delays in garbage pick-up can lead to major health issues, not to mention the attraction of rodents, insects, and other animals to all that waste.
Problems With Youtube
For the past month, I've been experiencing problems trying to view videos at Youtube. I keep getting a java script error that says I need to download the latest flash player and enable java scripting. I downloaded the latest flash player and ensured that java script was enabled. Neither solution worked. I tried disabling my Norton Firewall protection. That didn't work. I downloaded Firefox. Still, the same problem. I downloaded Safari/PC. The videos still will not play at the Youtube site. They will play when they have been embedded at different sites, including blogspot.com
Any ideas?
Any ideas?
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
It's a Cultural Thing
When Michael Vick was arrested for dog-fighting, Whoopi Goldberg made a comment about dog-fighting being a cultural thing. She was castigated for seemingly trying to defend the vileness and cruelty inherent in dog-fighting. She said that cock-fighting is culturally acceptable in places like Puerto Rico and dog-fighting is wide-spread in the Southern states of the US(hey Whoopi, dog-fighting exists in the Northern states as well).
Recently, 9 men in Clinton Mississippi were arrested for having cock-fights. The above picture is one of the poor animals that died as a result of cruelty and for the profit of the men who ran the fights. These men and others across the country who run cock fights and dog fights are rightly condemned for the cruelty they choose to employ.
Whoopi's statements about Michael Vick being a cultural thing is not an isolated incident. It has become politically incorrect to judge other cultures. Women in Saudi Arabia have many restrictions against them. They are treated as second-class citizens by the modesty police and in courts of law. The symbol of their second-class status is the veil they must wear. They do not have the freedom to choose to wear the veil. It must be worn.
Women in Jordan, Gaza, the West Bank, and increasingly in Europe are murdered in so-called "honor killings". In Arab Islamic countries, those murderers face little more than a slap on the wrist. It is a culturally acceptable defense in those countries that women can be murdered for daring to date someone the family doesn't approve of, for becoming pregnant, etc. Do we, in Western countries, dare condemn those murders? We must!!!
We must also condemn the use of terrorism committed by the Taliban, Al Queda, Hamas, Hexb'allah, Islamic Jihad, the terrorists factions of Fatah, and so many other groups. We must condemn in no uncertain terms the bombings of embassies when false outrage is stoked against political cartoons about Mohammed.
You remember that picture at the start of the Second Intifada. We must condemn those who can literally tear living human beings apart with their bare hands. Instead of trying to seek justification for such brutality, it must and should be condemned.
Where does such hate come from? Some try to justify the hatred because of actions by the Israeli government. I do believe it is a cultural thing. From Iran to it's barbaric stonings of women and it's hanging of teenagers, to Saudi Arabia with it's 100 lashings to a rape victim: the barbarity is a cultural thing. The barbarity is interweaved with Sharia law. Because of "cultural sensitivity", we are not to criticize those aspects of Islam which in some countries are barbaric. There will be barbarity like this until there is widespread condemnation of the text books used by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.
This multiculturalism and "cultural sensitivity" is making a mockery of the laws of justice in Europe:
A German court quoted from the Koran and wanted to keep a Moroccan woman in a abusive marriage. These are not laws of justice. It should not be "culturally insensitive" to criticize others. Human rights abuses must be condemned. It seems that the only country that it is "politically correct" and not "culturally insensitive" to condemn is the Jewish State of Israel.
The above picture was taken at an Israel Day Parade held in New York. Whenever supporters of Israel get together, they are subjected to this. If this sign had referenced Palestinians, it would have been splashed across the news world-wide.
British academics call for the boycott of Israel on a yearly basis. Multiculturalism has led to an absurd and skewed vision of human rights.
It has sapped us in the West of being able to change the barbarity that exists across much of the world. We mustn't condemn Mugabe because European colonialists were in Africa. We mustn't criticize the Koran because it might led to riots. We mustn't draw political cartoons showing Mohammed because it is "insensitive".
How much more "cultural sensitivity" must we show? Criticism has the ability to make us change for the better. Multiculturalism is taken away the ability to bring justice to those who languish in prisons and in repressive societies because it is a "cultural thing".
Recently, 9 men in Clinton Mississippi were arrested for having cock-fights. The above picture is one of the poor animals that died as a result of cruelty and for the profit of the men who ran the fights. These men and others across the country who run cock fights and dog fights are rightly condemned for the cruelty they choose to employ.
Whoopi's statements about Michael Vick being a cultural thing is not an isolated incident. It has become politically incorrect to judge other cultures. Women in Saudi Arabia have many restrictions against them. They are treated as second-class citizens by the modesty police and in courts of law. The symbol of their second-class status is the veil they must wear. They do not have the freedom to choose to wear the veil. It must be worn.
Women in Jordan, Gaza, the West Bank, and increasingly in Europe are murdered in so-called "honor killings". In Arab Islamic countries, those murderers face little more than a slap on the wrist. It is a culturally acceptable defense in those countries that women can be murdered for daring to date someone the family doesn't approve of, for becoming pregnant, etc. Do we, in Western countries, dare condemn those murders? We must!!!
We must also condemn the use of terrorism committed by the Taliban, Al Queda, Hamas, Hexb'allah, Islamic Jihad, the terrorists factions of Fatah, and so many other groups. We must condemn in no uncertain terms the bombings of embassies when false outrage is stoked against political cartoons about Mohammed.
You remember that picture at the start of the Second Intifada. We must condemn those who can literally tear living human beings apart with their bare hands. Instead of trying to seek justification for such brutality, it must and should be condemned.
Where does such hate come from? Some try to justify the hatred because of actions by the Israeli government. I do believe it is a cultural thing. From Iran to it's barbaric stonings of women and it's hanging of teenagers, to Saudi Arabia with it's 100 lashings to a rape victim: the barbarity is a cultural thing. The barbarity is interweaved with Sharia law. Because of "cultural sensitivity", we are not to criticize those aspects of Islam which in some countries are barbaric. There will be barbarity like this until there is widespread condemnation of the text books used by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.
This multiculturalism and "cultural sensitivity" is making a mockery of the laws of justice in Europe:
In the UK, Islamic Sharia law courts, where the laws of evidence are more lenient, now operate as an alternative to the legitimate courts of the British government, according to The Telegraph, undoubtedly encouraged by the climate fostered by idealists such as the ruling Labour Party, which had insisted for many years that their country is “multicultural.” In Germany, the judge of a German court cited the Koran in rejecting a Moroccan woman’s petition for an accelerated divorce due to domestic violence and death threats from her husband, according to the International Herald Tribune. While mainstream Muslim leaders, to their credit, swiftly condemned the ruling, the apparent alacrity with which the judge subordinated German legal principles to the Koran illustrates the paralysis of justice which could result from permitting cultural accommodation to become too ingrained. In France, philosopher Jean-Francois Revel has commented that the institutional reluctance to teach French to immigrant children in French schools has stunted the upward mobility of these immigrants, causing resentment which sometimes boils over into the youth riots we have witnessed in recent years. Homosexuals, in particular, comprise one group which has much to fear from the growing Islamization of Europe. In the Netherlands, attacks on gays have increased in recent years, mostly perpetrated by Moroccan youths, according to Radio Netherlands. In Iran, Sharia law calls for the execution of homosexuals. It may be ridiculous now to think that something like that could happen in western Europe, but such changes do not occur suddenly, and we only notice too late when things have gone too far, just as a frog submerged in a pot of cold water does not jump out of the pot if the water is brought gradually to a boil.
A German court quoted from the Koran and wanted to keep a Moroccan woman in a abusive marriage. These are not laws of justice. It should not be "culturally insensitive" to criticize others. Human rights abuses must be condemned. It seems that the only country that it is "politically correct" and not "culturally insensitive" to condemn is the Jewish State of Israel.
The above picture was taken at an Israel Day Parade held in New York. Whenever supporters of Israel get together, they are subjected to this. If this sign had referenced Palestinians, it would have been splashed across the news world-wide.
British academics call for the boycott of Israel on a yearly basis. Multiculturalism has led to an absurd and skewed vision of human rights.
It has sapped us in the West of being able to change the barbarity that exists across much of the world. We mustn't condemn Mugabe because European colonialists were in Africa. We mustn't criticize the Koran because it might led to riots. We mustn't draw political cartoons showing Mohammed because it is "insensitive".
How much more "cultural sensitivity" must we show? Criticism has the ability to make us change for the better. Multiculturalism is taken away the ability to bring justice to those who languish in prisons and in repressive societies because it is a "cultural thing".
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Running Through My Mind
For the past several years, a curious thing has been happening. A sing will get stuck in replay in my mind. It doesn't last for a day. Sometimes, like in the case of V'shamru, it will be last for weeks. Sometimes it is Jerusalem of Gold, my boss really appreciated when I started singing it aloud! Sometimes it is Alienu. At times, it is various zemirot.
This week, it is different nigguns by Carlebach and others. I think I choose my Hebrew name well. Songs are always just a thought away.
This week, it is different nigguns by Carlebach and others. I think I choose my Hebrew name well. Songs are always just a thought away.
Monday, June 2, 2008
To Touch the Wall
To touch the Wall, to stand at the remnants of the Second Temple and to offer up our prayers to HaShem: This has been a longing for Jews for over two thousand years. In 1968, 40 years ago today, we once again could stand at the Wall and the Old City was filled with life.
The Palestinians try to deny Jewish ties to the Wall and to the Temple Mount but history cannot be denied. Arch of Titus was made after the Romans captured Jerusalem and destroyed the Second Temple.
Treppenwitz and his family went to visit Jerusalem.
I still get goosebumps when listening to this recording.
The blowing of the shofar and this prayer said at the Temple Mount are filled with the emotion of the dreams and hopes of 2,000 years:
Le-shana HA-ZOT be-Yerushalayim ha-b'nuya, be-yerushalayim ha-atika
The Palestinians try to deny Jewish ties to the Wall and to the Temple Mount but history cannot be denied. Arch of Titus was made after the Romans captured Jerusalem and destroyed the Second Temple.
Treppenwitz and his family went to visit Jerusalem.
I still get goosebumps when listening to this recording.
The blowing of the shofar and this prayer said at the Temple Mount are filled with the emotion of the dreams and hopes of 2,000 years:
El male rahamim, shohen ba-meromim. Hamtse menuha nahona al kanfei hashina, be-maalot kedoshim, giborim ve-tehorim, kezohar harakiya meirim u-mazhirim. Ve-nishmot halalei tsava hagana le-yisrael, she-naflu be-maaraha zot, neged oievei yisrael, ve-shnaflu al kedushat Hashem ha-am ve-ha'arets, ve-shichrur Beit Hamikdash, Har Habayit, Hakotel ha-ma'aravi veyerushalayim ir ha-elokim. Be-gan eden tehe menuhatam. Lahen ba'al ha-rahamim, yastirem beseter knafav le-olamim. Ve-yitsror be-tsror ha-hayim et nishmatam adoshem hu nahlatam, ve-yanuhu be-shalom al mishkavam [soldiers weeping loud]ve-ya'amdu le-goralam le-kets ha-yamim ve-nomar amen!
[Translation: Merciful God in heaven, may the heroes and the pure, be under thy Divine wings, among the holy and the pure who shine bright as the sky, and the souls of soldiers of the Israeli army who fell in this war against the enemies of Israel, who fell for their loyalty to God and the land of Israel, who fell for the liberation of the Temple, the Temple Mount, the Western Wall and Jerusalem the city of the Lord. May their place of rest be in paradise. Merciful One, O keep their souls forever alive under Thy protective wings. The Lord being their heritage, may they rest in peace, for they shalt rest and stand up for their allotted portion at the end of the days, and let us say, Amen.]
Le-shana HA-ZOT be-Yerushalayim ha-b'nuya, be-yerushalayim ha-atika
Sunday, June 1, 2008
A Mighty Wind
Today is the start of the Atlantic/Caribbean hurricane season. Hurricanes are usually classified by their winds. The definition of a hurricane seems innocuous:
The definition doesn't even include the fact that hurricanes produce storm surges. It is very inadequate to describe the destruction that can be generated by wind and storm surge.
In Mississippi, in cities such as Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula, Bay St Louis, Lakeshore, and other coastal cities, time is demarcated by Before Hurricane Katrina and After Hurricane Katrina.
I'm so proud of the way we in Mississippi, looked at the miles upon miles of debris, the empty spaces where tens of thousands of homes once stood, the loss of businesses, and the loss of loved and resolved to rebuild better and stronger. That has been our slogan since August 29, 2005. I'm proud of the rebuilding that has been ongoing. From my eyes, great strides have been made in our rebuilding efforts. Therefore, I was slightly taken aback when a volunteer made the comment to the effect that it still looks like a bomb hit us. Where she saw the acres of empty spaces: I saw the debris gone. Where she saw sporadic rebuilding: I see how much has been rebuilt.
The news media has focused mainly on New Orleans. Even when the History Channel reports on Hurricane Katrina, it focuses on New Orleans while stating its documentary is about the Gulf Coast. Its documentary shows video footage from Biloxi and Bay St Louis while narrating about New Orleans. It briefly mentions Mississippi but doesn't have sub-titles when the footage is of Mississippi. Most documentaries about Hurricane Katrina are like that. The notable exception is the Weather Channel. Since Jim Cantore was in Gulfport Mississippi during Hurricane Katrina, he knows what we faced and narrates the documentary and tells our story very well.
As much as I like and admire Jim Cantore, I hope we are not visited by him this hurricane season when a mighty wind is looming in the Gulf of Mexico. His presence has come to mean we are going to be hit.
As destructive as Hurricane Katrina was, there was good that came out of her. I've seen first-hand the generosity of the people of the United States. It amazes and gladdens me that hundreds of thousands of people were and are still willing to give up so much of their time to volunteer and help us rebuild. In September 2005, I estimated it would take 10 or more years for us to replace the 65,000 Mississippi homes destroyed outright by Hurricane Katrina and to replace the 35,000 Mississippi homes which had to be demolished due to the damage by Hurricane Katrina.
It is a daunting task but our slogan still holds: "Rebuild better and stronger: Together". The news media may focus on New Orleans and it is their loss and ours. It leads to incidents when people are asked to share their Hurricane Katrina stories that someone from Gulfport will be told to sit-down and that nothing happened to Mississippi.
I want the Mississippi numbers to be seared into people's consciousness. Before Hurricane Katrina, the Mississippi Gulf Coast had a population of approximately 400,000. There were 238 people killed during Hurricane Katrina. There were 100,000 homes destroyed/demolished. Businesses such as the casinos, Chevron, Northrop Grumman, the Port of Gulfport(the third busiest in the Gulf of Mexico), and so many others that were heavily damaged or destroyed. There was loss of 20% of rental housing. Libraries, police stations, fire stations, city halls, court buildings, postal facilities, banks, power plants, water and sewage lines, and communication infrastructure that were destroyed.
Some police and fire stations still have trailers as their stations. Some court houses are still trailers. Libraries have yet to be rebuilt. Work is ongoing to repair water and sewage lines impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Work is still ongoing to repair power lines. Work is still ongoing to repair communication lines.
There is a lot to be done and I want Mississippi's story to be told. I'm so tired of every time I see or read about Hurricane Katrina, the focus is on New Orleans with just a blip about the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Katrina is two stories. New Orleans suffered levee breaks because of the massive storm surge which impacted the levees from the south via the Mississippi River and from the north, when the winds swung around and pushed the storm surge towards New Orleans. The pictures of a flooded city cannot be forgotten. Mississippi's story is not so well known. The Mississippi Gulf Coast has no levee system to protect us from the ravages of a hurricanes storm surge. We are not under sea level like many places in New Orleans.
Our story is one of a brutal storm surge that official guestimates place at 28 feet. I say guestimate because many of the gauges used by NOAA to determine storm surge height were destroyed. I guestimate the storm surge to have been 30 feet in Pass Christian and 26 feet in Back Bay Biloxi. The storm surge came far inland when it followed the rivers and creeks. I live 12 miles inland. Two miles to my west, there was flooding from Katrina's storm surge. The power plant was flooded and it is ten miles inland.
The Mississippi Gulf Coast faced a very different hurricane than New Orleans. The flooded homes seen of New Orleans leave an impact. The 100,000 homes of Mississippi no longer exist and the empty spaces do not grab the eye as the flooded ones do. It is not until you are on the ground and look in every direction that you can see the terrible destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina when her storm surge swept away so much of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
I want the remarkable story of quiet determination of people like Noah, Lionel, Ms. Shannon, and so many others of the Mississippi Gulf Coast to be known. They lost all and with the help of family, friends, and volunteers, they are rebuilding their lives. Whether it was receiving a Katrina Cottage or rebuilding a home: each story deserves to remembered.
At this start of the 2008 hurricane season, as in years past, it is always best to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. The Harrison County Civil Defense has a very comprehensive list on being prepared.
It is not just people along the Gulf Coast that need to be prepared. In 1938, a hurricane skirted the coast of New England and caused major damage and the loss of 500 lives. Hurricanes need to be taken seriously. 1900 Galveston hurricane took 6,000 lives. Hurricane Camille had winds of 200 mph. It took the Mississippi Gulf Coast over 20 years to rebuild after her. Hurricane Ivan had both a destructive storm surge and destructive winds. My cousins finally finished rebuilding their home last year. As bad as the hurricanes are in the United States, we are fortunate to have the technology and the resources necessary to evacuate well ahead of impact. Myanmar recently suffered a cyclone. The death toll is still climbing but it is not the worst to impact that region. The Weather Underground archives show the deadliest cyclones/hurricanes. None from the United States are on the list. The recent Myanmar is tied #10 with the Great Bombay cyclone of 1882.
People in the United States hate to see others suffering. The news images of people being plucked from rooftops led to and unprecedented outpouring of donations and volunteers. Many were outraged at the seemingly slow response of the federal government. We don't want to see U.S. citizens or anyone in distress. A massive rescue operation took place in New Orleans. That story is buried under the unrealistic outrage at the supposed slow response. Think about it. What other country has the resources necessary to rescue in 6 days 50,000 trapped people? Much has been said about the lack of FEMA bringing water, ice, and food into New Orleans. The city was under water and people were being evacuated. The National Guard was correctly rationing water and food. Would it had made sense to allow volunteers who had no rescue training into a city that was being evacuated? The news media focused on stories of rape and murder. Those stories proved to be false and actually hampered rescue operations.
As I've stated before, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Hurricane Katrina is very different from New Orleans. Base don the destruction of rail lines, downed power lines, downed trees, debris across roads, and the destruction of major bridges and highways: I was astounded that the FEMA trucks full of water and ice arrived on the Mississippi the Wednesday, three days after Hurricane Katrina struck. I wasn't expecting them until at least Friday.
Because of the uncertainties involved with hurricanes, people need to prepare well in advance. If you wait until that big bulls eye is targeting your area, it is already too late. Personally, I start preparing two months before the start of the hurricane season.
When a hurricane strikes, you are told by the emergency management officials to prepare to be on your own for 3-5 days. Each town, city, county and state prepares for disasters. Drills are held for the government to get help to you at the minimum of 3 days and the maximum for 5 days. When a disaster of Katrina's magnitude strikes, if you are not personally and adequately prepared, you will suffer the consequences.
Any effective response begins with you. You are responsible for insuring that you, your family, and your pets have food, medicine, water, and the tools necessary to survive a disaster. When a Hurricane Katrina strikes, there will be no magic wands to replace destroyed infrastructure. There will be no instantaneous emergency response. There will be no magic to restore downed communication lines, power lines, or water and sewage lines.
The fire and police are no longer just a phone call away. If you even have a working land line, there may not even be a police or fire station left. The flick of a switch will not bring the safety and comfort of electricity.
You will not be able to pull up to a gas station with the expectation that there will be gas and the power to pump it if there is.
We are so used to having everything being at our fingertips. We tend to have unrealistic expectations as to how fast an emergency response should be. We criticize our government in order to improve that response. However, there are some disasters which have a such a wide range of destruction, that it just isn't possible to have that emergency response within a day. The swath of Hurricane Katrina's destruction was huge. An area almost the size of the country of England suffered catastrophic damage and destruction.
Much has been written about letting corporations such as Wal-Mart direct disaster response. Corporations do have the advantage of being vastly more flexible than government agencies. But even Wal-Mart doesn't have the rescue capabilities of the US Coast Guard, the National Guard, and individual states departments of wildlife and fisheries. Wal-Mart does have the logistical ability to provide water and ice faster but would that have worked in New Orleans? Again, the question arises as to how much should be attempted to be trucked in to a city that is being evacuated.
We don't like seeing US citizens being plucked from rooftops and then placed on highways. We want something to be done now. And it was being done. I think the focus was too much on FEMA trucks not rolling into New Orleans and too little on the rescue efforts of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the US Coast Guard, and the National Guard.
Too little focus was given to cities such as Houston Texas, Jackson Mississippi, Baton Rouge and so many others who opened centers to accommodate the evacuees. Too little focus was given to something truly remarkable: the doors individuals of those in Hattiesburg, Gulfport, Baton Rouge, and so many others were opened to provide shelter to those whose homes were destroyed or flooded.
The much greater story of hand reaching out to hand has been lost in the criticism. Far from being discouraged by the seeming lack of government: I'm grateful to live in such as country whose government(city, county, state, and federal), businesses, and citizens work together to provide what is needed to help others in distress.
Just look at Myanmar and you can see the difference of between an ineffective government and one that cares. There were mistakes made by FEMA and other agencies but given the scope of Hurricane Katrina's destruction, in reality it was an efficient disaster relief effort. It didn't happen overnight and nor should there have been expectation that all relief needs would be meet in that time.
That is why when a hurricane warning is given, all are told to prepare enough food and water to last 3-5 days. Based on the extent of the disaster, that is how long it may take for relief to start pouring in. It starts with you. You must take personal responsibility to be prepared to be on your own in the aftermath of a major disaster.
Things will be chaotic after a major disaster. I've related this before but feel it still needs to be said again. The police will not be a phone call away. I was fortunate my land line worked on and off. My cell phone would not work but my sister's in Biloxi worked. Two nights after Hurricane Katrina, my sister called me. She said there were strangers walking up and down her street. She could not call the Biloxi Police Department because of land line problems. I had to call the Biloxi Police Department for her. They did not think it strange that I, in Gulfport, were calling them for my sister in Biloxi. They took her address and my sister said it took 30 minutes for them to show up. But they did show up.
You begin to see the problems faced in the aftermath of a disaster. You have to be prepared. The government you are used to will not be there. The grocery stores will not have aisles of food ready for you to purchase. Gas stations will not gas. Home repair stores will run out of items very quickly. Flushing a toilet will not be a viable option each time you use it. The water will not pour forth from your faucets. A bath or shower will be a luxury. Food in your freezes and refrigerators will quickly spoil. Even if you have a gas-powered generator, you will have trouble finding gas to be able to run it.
You need to prepare and it needs to be done before a threat looms over the horizon. Yopu will be on your own. If you are prepared then you can share with your neighbors who may have lost everything.
Main Entry: hur·ri·cane
Pronunciation: \ˈhər-ə-ˌkān, -i-kən, ˈhə-rə-, ˈhə-ri-\
Function: noun
Etymology: Spanish huracán, from Taino hurakán
Date: 1555
1 : a tropical cyclone with winds of 74 miles (119 kilometers) per hour or greater that occurs especially in the western Atlantic, that is usually accompanied by rain, thunder, and lightning, and that sometimes moves into temperate latitudes — see beaufort scale table
2 : something resembling a hurricane especially in its turmoil
The definition doesn't even include the fact that hurricanes produce storm surges. It is very inadequate to describe the destruction that can be generated by wind and storm surge.
In Mississippi, in cities such as Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula, Bay St Louis, Lakeshore, and other coastal cities, time is demarcated by Before Hurricane Katrina and After Hurricane Katrina.
I'm so proud of the way we in Mississippi, looked at the miles upon miles of debris, the empty spaces where tens of thousands of homes once stood, the loss of businesses, and the loss of loved and resolved to rebuild better and stronger. That has been our slogan since August 29, 2005. I'm proud of the rebuilding that has been ongoing. From my eyes, great strides have been made in our rebuilding efforts. Therefore, I was slightly taken aback when a volunteer made the comment to the effect that it still looks like a bomb hit us. Where she saw the acres of empty spaces: I saw the debris gone. Where she saw sporadic rebuilding: I see how much has been rebuilt.
The news media has focused mainly on New Orleans. Even when the History Channel reports on Hurricane Katrina, it focuses on New Orleans while stating its documentary is about the Gulf Coast. Its documentary shows video footage from Biloxi and Bay St Louis while narrating about New Orleans. It briefly mentions Mississippi but doesn't have sub-titles when the footage is of Mississippi. Most documentaries about Hurricane Katrina are like that. The notable exception is the Weather Channel. Since Jim Cantore was in Gulfport Mississippi during Hurricane Katrina, he knows what we faced and narrates the documentary and tells our story very well.
As much as I like and admire Jim Cantore, I hope we are not visited by him this hurricane season when a mighty wind is looming in the Gulf of Mexico. His presence has come to mean we are going to be hit.
As destructive as Hurricane Katrina was, there was good that came out of her. I've seen first-hand the generosity of the people of the United States. It amazes and gladdens me that hundreds of thousands of people were and are still willing to give up so much of their time to volunteer and help us rebuild. In September 2005, I estimated it would take 10 or more years for us to replace the 65,000 Mississippi homes destroyed outright by Hurricane Katrina and to replace the 35,000 Mississippi homes which had to be demolished due to the damage by Hurricane Katrina.
It is a daunting task but our slogan still holds: "Rebuild better and stronger: Together". The news media may focus on New Orleans and it is their loss and ours. It leads to incidents when people are asked to share their Hurricane Katrina stories that someone from Gulfport will be told to sit-down and that nothing happened to Mississippi.
I want the Mississippi numbers to be seared into people's consciousness. Before Hurricane Katrina, the Mississippi Gulf Coast had a population of approximately 400,000. There were 238 people killed during Hurricane Katrina. There were 100,000 homes destroyed/demolished. Businesses such as the casinos, Chevron, Northrop Grumman, the Port of Gulfport(the third busiest in the Gulf of Mexico), and so many others that were heavily damaged or destroyed. There was loss of 20% of rental housing. Libraries, police stations, fire stations, city halls, court buildings, postal facilities, banks, power plants, water and sewage lines, and communication infrastructure that were destroyed.
Some police and fire stations still have trailers as their stations. Some court houses are still trailers. Libraries have yet to be rebuilt. Work is ongoing to repair water and sewage lines impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Work is still ongoing to repair power lines. Work is still ongoing to repair communication lines.
There is a lot to be done and I want Mississippi's story to be told. I'm so tired of every time I see or read about Hurricane Katrina, the focus is on New Orleans with just a blip about the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Katrina is two stories. New Orleans suffered levee breaks because of the massive storm surge which impacted the levees from the south via the Mississippi River and from the north, when the winds swung around and pushed the storm surge towards New Orleans. The pictures of a flooded city cannot be forgotten. Mississippi's story is not so well known. The Mississippi Gulf Coast has no levee system to protect us from the ravages of a hurricanes storm surge. We are not under sea level like many places in New Orleans.
Our story is one of a brutal storm surge that official guestimates place at 28 feet. I say guestimate because many of the gauges used by NOAA to determine storm surge height were destroyed. I guestimate the storm surge to have been 30 feet in Pass Christian and 26 feet in Back Bay Biloxi. The storm surge came far inland when it followed the rivers and creeks. I live 12 miles inland. Two miles to my west, there was flooding from Katrina's storm surge. The power plant was flooded and it is ten miles inland.
The Mississippi Gulf Coast faced a very different hurricane than New Orleans. The flooded homes seen of New Orleans leave an impact. The 100,000 homes of Mississippi no longer exist and the empty spaces do not grab the eye as the flooded ones do. It is not until you are on the ground and look in every direction that you can see the terrible destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina when her storm surge swept away so much of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
I want the remarkable story of quiet determination of people like Noah, Lionel, Ms. Shannon, and so many others of the Mississippi Gulf Coast to be known. They lost all and with the help of family, friends, and volunteers, they are rebuilding their lives. Whether it was receiving a Katrina Cottage or rebuilding a home: each story deserves to remembered.
At this start of the 2008 hurricane season, as in years past, it is always best to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. The Harrison County Civil Defense has a very comprehensive list on being prepared.
It is not just people along the Gulf Coast that need to be prepared. In 1938, a hurricane skirted the coast of New England and caused major damage and the loss of 500 lives. Hurricanes need to be taken seriously. 1900 Galveston hurricane took 6,000 lives. Hurricane Camille had winds of 200 mph. It took the Mississippi Gulf Coast over 20 years to rebuild after her. Hurricane Ivan had both a destructive storm surge and destructive winds. My cousins finally finished rebuilding their home last year. As bad as the hurricanes are in the United States, we are fortunate to have the technology and the resources necessary to evacuate well ahead of impact. Myanmar recently suffered a cyclone. The death toll is still climbing but it is not the worst to impact that region. The Weather Underground archives show the deadliest cyclones/hurricanes. None from the United States are on the list. The recent Myanmar is tied #10 with the Great Bombay cyclone of 1882.
People in the United States hate to see others suffering. The news images of people being plucked from rooftops led to and unprecedented outpouring of donations and volunteers. Many were outraged at the seemingly slow response of the federal government. We don't want to see U.S. citizens or anyone in distress. A massive rescue operation took place in New Orleans. That story is buried under the unrealistic outrage at the supposed slow response. Think about it. What other country has the resources necessary to rescue in 6 days 50,000 trapped people? Much has been said about the lack of FEMA bringing water, ice, and food into New Orleans. The city was under water and people were being evacuated. The National Guard was correctly rationing water and food. Would it had made sense to allow volunteers who had no rescue training into a city that was being evacuated? The news media focused on stories of rape and murder. Those stories proved to be false and actually hampered rescue operations.
As I've stated before, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Hurricane Katrina is very different from New Orleans. Base don the destruction of rail lines, downed power lines, downed trees, debris across roads, and the destruction of major bridges and highways: I was astounded that the FEMA trucks full of water and ice arrived on the Mississippi the Wednesday, three days after Hurricane Katrina struck. I wasn't expecting them until at least Friday.
Because of the uncertainties involved with hurricanes, people need to prepare well in advance. If you wait until that big bulls eye is targeting your area, it is already too late. Personally, I start preparing two months before the start of the hurricane season.
When a hurricane strikes, you are told by the emergency management officials to prepare to be on your own for 3-5 days. Each town, city, county and state prepares for disasters. Drills are held for the government to get help to you at the minimum of 3 days and the maximum for 5 days. When a disaster of Katrina's magnitude strikes, if you are not personally and adequately prepared, you will suffer the consequences.
Any effective response begins with you. You are responsible for insuring that you, your family, and your pets have food, medicine, water, and the tools necessary to survive a disaster. When a Hurricane Katrina strikes, there will be no magic wands to replace destroyed infrastructure. There will be no instantaneous emergency response. There will be no magic to restore downed communication lines, power lines, or water and sewage lines.
The fire and police are no longer just a phone call away. If you even have a working land line, there may not even be a police or fire station left. The flick of a switch will not bring the safety and comfort of electricity.
You will not be able to pull up to a gas station with the expectation that there will be gas and the power to pump it if there is.
We are so used to having everything being at our fingertips. We tend to have unrealistic expectations as to how fast an emergency response should be. We criticize our government in order to improve that response. However, there are some disasters which have a such a wide range of destruction, that it just isn't possible to have that emergency response within a day. The swath of Hurricane Katrina's destruction was huge. An area almost the size of the country of England suffered catastrophic damage and destruction.
Much has been written about letting corporations such as Wal-Mart direct disaster response. Corporations do have the advantage of being vastly more flexible than government agencies. But even Wal-Mart doesn't have the rescue capabilities of the US Coast Guard, the National Guard, and individual states departments of wildlife and fisheries. Wal-Mart does have the logistical ability to provide water and ice faster but would that have worked in New Orleans? Again, the question arises as to how much should be attempted to be trucked in to a city that is being evacuated.
We don't like seeing US citizens being plucked from rooftops and then placed on highways. We want something to be done now. And it was being done. I think the focus was too much on FEMA trucks not rolling into New Orleans and too little on the rescue efforts of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the US Coast Guard, and the National Guard.
Too little focus was given to cities such as Houston Texas, Jackson Mississippi, Baton Rouge and so many others who opened centers to accommodate the evacuees. Too little focus was given to something truly remarkable: the doors individuals of those in Hattiesburg, Gulfport, Baton Rouge, and so many others were opened to provide shelter to those whose homes were destroyed or flooded.
The much greater story of hand reaching out to hand has been lost in the criticism. Far from being discouraged by the seeming lack of government: I'm grateful to live in such as country whose government(city, county, state, and federal), businesses, and citizens work together to provide what is needed to help others in distress.
Just look at Myanmar and you can see the difference of between an ineffective government and one that cares. There were mistakes made by FEMA and other agencies but given the scope of Hurricane Katrina's destruction, in reality it was an efficient disaster relief effort. It didn't happen overnight and nor should there have been expectation that all relief needs would be meet in that time.
That is why when a hurricane warning is given, all are told to prepare enough food and water to last 3-5 days. Based on the extent of the disaster, that is how long it may take for relief to start pouring in. It starts with you. You must take personal responsibility to be prepared to be on your own in the aftermath of a major disaster.
Things will be chaotic after a major disaster. I've related this before but feel it still needs to be said again. The police will not be a phone call away. I was fortunate my land line worked on and off. My cell phone would not work but my sister's in Biloxi worked. Two nights after Hurricane Katrina, my sister called me. She said there were strangers walking up and down her street. She could not call the Biloxi Police Department because of land line problems. I had to call the Biloxi Police Department for her. They did not think it strange that I, in Gulfport, were calling them for my sister in Biloxi. They took her address and my sister said it took 30 minutes for them to show up. But they did show up.
You begin to see the problems faced in the aftermath of a disaster. You have to be prepared. The government you are used to will not be there. The grocery stores will not have aisles of food ready for you to purchase. Gas stations will not gas. Home repair stores will run out of items very quickly. Flushing a toilet will not be a viable option each time you use it. The water will not pour forth from your faucets. A bath or shower will be a luxury. Food in your freezes and refrigerators will quickly spoil. Even if you have a gas-powered generator, you will have trouble finding gas to be able to run it.
You need to prepare and it needs to be done before a threat looms over the horizon. Yopu will be on your own. If you are prepared then you can share with your neighbors who may have lost everything.
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