New Orleans

There is nothing particularly unusual or insightful about this post, but I am amazed by the disaster in New Orleans. In a matter of days, a city of half-a-million people has functionally ceased to exist, and it will be weeks or months before recovery can really begin. Maybe it's the duration of this calamity that is most unsettling. At least with a earthquake, tornado, or (poor Mississippi) "normal" hurricane and flooding, the disaster hits, then minds and hands turn to rebuilding. But this inundation just continues, and will continue. I suppose the relatively slow nature of the flooding may have saved many lives. If so, that's a blessing, but many more will be needed in the time to come.