Displaying items by tag: Hurricane Katrina

Let us congratulate President Donald Trump for doing his job now that he cannot fabricate a campaign narrative of a “nothing burger” virus.

Today, we know that the Coronavirus, which he insists upon branding it as the Chinese Virus, is so much worse than what he and his gang had previously told us.

The heavy spring rains have been incessant up and down the Mississippi River, and there are projections for more Midwest thunderstorms later on this week. And all this water has, over the years, been channeled in tight levee systems that are right now under massive pressure.

Author John Barry, who has been a guest on my radio show on several occasions, documented the dangers of flooding on the Mississippi in his award-winning book, “Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi river Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America.” I asked him about his concerns today. “I know the power of this river, and quite frankly it makes me nervous to see this much water on the move,” he says

Have you heard the cries that Louisiana is unable to take care of its problems, and should be treated differently than other states? Some even say, OK, then — make it a protectorate of the federal government.  And you know what?  Maybe that isn’t too bad of an idea.

The proposal took legs recently when Froma Harrop, a nationally syndicated columnist broached the idea in print. “Louisiana has had more than its share of tragedies in recent years, and some, such as hurricane Katrina, could be deemed an act of nature.  But whatever the cause, every calamity that befalls Louisiana is made worse by a corrupt civic nature. A protectorate could provide the structure of government people need.”

The only problem is, you can’t count on a disaster occurring every five years or so to cover up mistakes made in governing.

New Orleans proceeds with its infrastructure rebuild after the hurricane disasters of 2005. Given $2.4 billion to accomplish this, about a sixth of that should commence this year, albeit on a pace that would see the last of it completed just before two decades have passed since Hurricane Katrina struck.

One more time, shocked and sorrowed.

On Sunday, we learned that Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, the state’s first female governor and matriarch of the State disclosed her bad news, once again.  She was suffering with cancer of the liver, a condition that appears to be terminal.

Although it seems like forever when I first heard about Governor Kathleen Blanco’s rare eye cancer, but, looking back, it was only six. We first published an article on Wednesday, June 8, 2011 shortly after we had received word of the horrible news.  She had first learned about the cancer one week before.

When I really think about it, the words "slim and none" come to my mind.

That's what I think when I consider the actual chance that an African American woman, hailing from California, arriving here in 1990 as a Xavier University student, would be one of two remaining candidates to be the next Mayor of New Orleans--a historically closed-community, if ever one. 

In the chaotic days after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, members of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) were ordered to confiscate legally owned firearms. Not only was it an illegal breach of the Second Amendment rights of New Orleans citizens, but it also deprived vulnerable hurricane victims the best means of protecting themselves. 

The Cajun Navy wasted no time.  Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Texas Coast on a Friday.  By Sunday, hundreds of boats were on their way to Texas.  I passed a supermarket parking lot two days after the storm hit, and a large contingent of boats and trailers were lined up to head for the Lone Star State.  As this column is being written, thousands of Louisianans are offering help.  That’s what many Texans did for us here in the Bayou State exactly twelve years ago. 

One of the city leaders most responsible for helping to bring back New Orleans from the drowned and from the despaired believes the current rendition of FEMA is much more effective than what previously existed during Hurricane Katrina.

Today is Katrina Anniversary.

Twelve years ago today, it appeared at the time the world came to an end for so many of us.