[€uroMeinke]

I'm overwhellmed as all of you are at the situation. If anything it point to just how fragile modern civilized living really is. Everything I see and read seems like it should be coming out of a third world country, but instead it's coming from New Orleans, a place I've enjoyed several times. How could things deteriorate so quickly? How long will it take to restore? and what will the "new" New Orleans become - I am just dumbfounded by these questions.

But I think Prudence really hit it on what we oursleves should be doing, taking a look at our own situations and seeing what we would do to survive a disaster in our towns. Most disaster planners recommend that you have supplies enough to last 72 hours on your own, as it could take at least that long for someone to respond - clearly after Katrina, we'll have to up that expectation.

I used to make fun of the fact that when we bought our house we had to sign an aknowledgment that we were in a Tsunami inundation zone; however, today as I exited the freeway and crossed over the typically dry Los Angeles River bed, I cast a glance at the recently upgraded floodwalls and wondered if they were high enough, or strong enough to protect our home from a freak-tsunami-caused flood.

So perhaps it's time to check out the camping gear, the propane stove, and make sure they're in a higher elevation of the garage. Contemplate how would I keep our 5 cats safe (gotta get another carrier), wattered, and fed. Think about what I would need to take, and what could be left behind.

You see this stuff and think it shouldn't happen to us, as advanced as we are, yet nature always finds a way, and always triumphs. God, I hope things are finally turning around for those who live in the gulf coast but I know it will be a long time till anything is close to normal again.