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Two
'100 Year' Storms Devastate Gulf Coast
by Steven Giordano
Two monster storms, aptly called
100 year storms savaged the Gulf Coast last month. Hurricanes Katrina
and Rita swept in from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. As winds
began to blow, reporters gave horrific forecasts of what was to come.
Hurricane Katrina, a category 4 (intensity level out of 5), devastated
much of the United States along the Gulf Coast.
The epicenter of the destruction was the Louisiana city of New Orleans.
Once a port coveted by the earliest Americans, this diverse and dense
city is now essentially a barren ghost town. What previously held
the hustle and bustle of jazz, gumbo, and Creole culture now holds
nothing but remains of water that had flooded streets and destroyed
houses. Forming in the latter weeks of August, Hurricane Katrina immediately
required federal action. As soon as this storm reached category five,
evacuations became a necessity. Hoping for community integrity, store
owners left behind their livelihood, yet looters ran unrestricted
revealing the desperation of the circumstance.
Before hitting land, Katrina degraded to a category 4, nevertheless
the devastation was inconceivable. About 30 states offered to shelter
storm evacuees. Many landed in San Antonio, Houston, Los Angeles,
and even San Jose and San Francisco. On the other hand, longer term
housing is definitely needed. Numerous possibilities are being considered
such as public housing complexes, military bases, but the best hope
is to rebuild in the devastated towns.
Despite almost overwhelming challenges, most evacuees would prefer
to rebuild.
Tragically, many of those either unable (financially or physically)
or unwilling to leave New Orleans were directed to the Super Dome.
Home to the NFL Saints, this building provided refuge for those many
remaining in the city. Yet even this massive structure could not fully
deflect the howling winds, its highest sustained speed was 175 miles
per hour. Pieces of roof began to crumble, falling into the huddled
crowds. Even more alarming is the fact that many even refused to leave
their actual houses and pets due to attachment and reluctance to part
ways with their certainty and confidence. One man, as reported by
Fox News, refused to part ways with his golden retriever and house
because of they were all he had.
Two weeks after Katrina, Hurricane Rita was a second bitter blow to
the Gulf Coast. This category 4 hurricane slammed into East Texas.
Gridlock reigned as 2 million Houston residents struggled to evacuate.
New Orleans was again hit, and once again, some levees gave way.
Natural disasters can never be completely defended against, the only
hope is for adequate preparation, systematic evacuations and rescues
and timely resources for recovery. The Red Cross, Salvation Army,
churches, schools, entertainers, communities, and governments have
gathered together to provide almost 2 billion dollars for those in
need. Blankets, food, clothes, money, and prayers have all been directed
to the American South. Not since the terrorist attacks of September
11, 2001 have the people of America come together so quickly to rescue,
shelter, feed, offer prayer, and lend financial support to their fellow
countrymen.
The federal government also approved $63 billion to the recovery effort.
While the discussions revolve around if and how to rebuild New Orleans,
there have been many good lessons learned about emergency preparedness
and response. Who knows, the next time, it could be an earthquake
in California!
The hurricane caused much devastation for the people in New Orleans.
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Headlines
Shakespeare, Where Art
Thou?
For some people, spending eight hours on a bus seems like some new
type of torture. Everyone going on the 11th Annual Oregon Shakespeare
Festival trip, though, saw things a little differently.
Coming prepared, all the students had some sort of diversion from
the drive; the neon glow of iPods, cell phones, and even a Pokémon
gameboy, poured out of people's seats and into the aisle.
- Read
More
Two '100 Year' Storms
Devastate Gulf Coast
Two monster storms, aptly called 100 year storms, savaged the Gulf
Coast last month. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita swept in from the waters
of the Gulf of Mexico. As winds began to blow, reporters gave horrific
forecasts of what was to come. Hurricane Katrina, a category 4 (intensity
level out of 5), devastated much of the United States along the Gulf
Coast.
- Read
More
Warriors of the Waves
The start of the new season for the Warriors Varsity Water Polo team
has actually been going strong since the beginning of summer. An intense
training regiment filled early mornings and late evenings with long
hours practicing the fundamentals and conditioning. All this work
helped the Water Polo team prepare for another grueling schedule in
the West Catholic League. Senior Andrew Kikuta and
Junior Jonathan Langdon are this year's team captains.
- Read More
Gathering of the Unashamed
On the night of September 21 a large group of youth and
adults gathered together to worship God. The Ghatering of the
Unashamed is a worship concert that brings Christians together
to stand unashamed before God and the community. This year The
Gathering of the Unashamed took place in San Jose, Oakland, San
Francisco, Foster City, and Fremont. This concert brought teenagers
from all over the Bay Area to worship God.
- Read
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