It Could Happen to Us
As we announced last night, Pacific Northwest Portal's web team has launched a special coverage section to cover Hurricane Katrina.
Katrina has strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane - with wind gusts of 175 to 200 M.P.H. winds - and appears poised to slam right into New Orleans, Louisiana.
It's the 100, 200, or maybe even 500 year storm that scientists and meteorologists have long feared could wreak havoc and devastation on one of the biggest cities in the Southeast. The mayor of New Orleans has ordered mandatory evacuations for the entire city.
The city sits an average of five or six feet below sea level on the Mississippi River delta. Even if Katrina doesn't hit the city directly, the hurricane's force could overwhelm the levee system that normally protects the city from flooding, causing massive drestruction.
Giant waves over two dozen feet in height could slam into Lousisiana's coastline, smashing the levee system to pieces. The storm is likely to drop more than dozen inches of rain on New Orleans and the surrounding area.
New Orleans is facing the ultimate disaster scenario. As we follow the storm coverage, we have to pause and raise the question, "Could it happen to us?"
Now, the West Coast doesn't get hurricanes. And we're lucky not to be Tornado Alley, either. But we are unlucky enough to live in an earthquake zone. And Washington State, as well as the Northwest region, is no stranger to flooding, either.
A major earthquake could strike at any time. It's not a question of "will it happen" but where, and when.
Much of our transportation infrastructure isn't built to withstand earthquakes. There are bridges and other critical structures that have been around for decades that aren't up to current safety standards. Should an earthquake hit the state, many of those bridges could collapse, causing huge problems.
It's happened in California. We're bringing you the pictures every Thursday so you can see the devastation for yourself.
A big disaster could happen to us. Are we going to be prepared? Proponents of Initiative 912 don't want us to be. Instead, they want everybody to save just a few dollars every year - at the expense of our safety and future.
As they say, it's going to be up to the voters. What's more important? A few dollars saved - or a safer, better future for Washington State?
Obviously, the safer better future is more important. Look at what's happening to New Orleans. Imagine for a minute that Seattle sits on the Mississippi River Delta and New Orleans sits on the shores of Puget Sound. Would you want your city and region to be unprepared as Katrina comes your way?
We can't stop the disasters. But we can do our best to get ready.
Katrina has strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane - with wind gusts of 175 to 200 M.P.H. winds - and appears poised to slam right into New Orleans, Louisiana.
It's the 100, 200, or maybe even 500 year storm that scientists and meteorologists have long feared could wreak havoc and devastation on one of the biggest cities in the Southeast. The mayor of New Orleans has ordered mandatory evacuations for the entire city.
The city sits an average of five or six feet below sea level on the Mississippi River delta. Even if Katrina doesn't hit the city directly, the hurricane's force could overwhelm the levee system that normally protects the city from flooding, causing massive drestruction.
Giant waves over two dozen feet in height could slam into Lousisiana's coastline, smashing the levee system to pieces. The storm is likely to drop more than dozen inches of rain on New Orleans and the surrounding area.
New Orleans is facing the ultimate disaster scenario. As we follow the storm coverage, we have to pause and raise the question, "Could it happen to us?"
Now, the West Coast doesn't get hurricanes. And we're lucky not to be Tornado Alley, either. But we are unlucky enough to live in an earthquake zone. And Washington State, as well as the Northwest region, is no stranger to flooding, either.
A major earthquake could strike at any time. It's not a question of "will it happen" but where, and when.
Much of our transportation infrastructure isn't built to withstand earthquakes. There are bridges and other critical structures that have been around for decades that aren't up to current safety standards. Should an earthquake hit the state, many of those bridges could collapse, causing huge problems.
It's happened in California. We're bringing you the pictures every Thursday so you can see the devastation for yourself.
A big disaster could happen to us. Are we going to be prepared? Proponents of Initiative 912 don't want us to be. Instead, they want everybody to save just a few dollars every year - at the expense of our safety and future.
As they say, it's going to be up to the voters. What's more important? A few dollars saved - or a safer, better future for Washington State?
Obviously, the safer better future is more important. Look at what's happening to New Orleans. Imagine for a minute that Seattle sits on the Mississippi River Delta and New Orleans sits on the shores of Puget Sound. Would you want your city and region to be unprepared as Katrina comes your way?
We can't stop the disasters. But we can do our best to get ready.
