Indonesia 'facing bird flu epidemic'
Indonesia's health minister has warned the country is facing a bird flu epidemic, as two more possible victims died after showing signs of infection.
With four Indonesian deaths already confirmed in two months and mounting international concern that bird flu could mutate into a major killer of humans, Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari warned of more infections ahead.
"This can be classified as an epidemic and most definitely there will be others as long as we are unable to positively identify the sources," Ms Supari told reporters.
A strain of bird flu known as H5N1 has killed 63 people in South East Asia since 2003, the majority of them in Vietnam. Health experts say a major and quick-spreading pandemic internationally could kill millions.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200509/s1465425.htm
Basra Governor Wants Apology From Britain
By THOMAS WAGNER
Associated Press Writer
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BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- The governor of Basra, its provincial government, and hundreds of protesters said Wednesday they will end all cooperation with British forces in the southern Iraqi city until Britain apologizes for deadly clashes between its forces and Iraqi police.
In London, British Defense Secretary John Reid and Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari tried to minimize the effect of the fighting, saying it would not undermine the relationship between the two countries or their determination to lead Iraq to peace and democracy.
But the fighting, which erupted Monday when British forces freed two British soldiers being held by Iraqi police and militiamen, raised new concerns about the power that radical Shiite militias with close ties with Iran have developed in the region.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ?SITE=WIMIL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Mondo Times Poll Results
"President Bush cares about everyone in our country."
True - 414/39%
False - 648/61%
Votes: 1062
Results of Our Last Poll
This poll ran from September 10 to 17, 2005.
The quote is by Edward Langley.
Mondo Times Poll Results
"What this country needs are more unemployed politicians."
True - 836/87%
False - 121/13%
Fluor Leading $860M UK Road Pact
Engineering Company's Share of Deal is $524M
By Pat Maio
Orange County Business Journal Staff
Aliso Viejo-based Fluor Corp. said it and a team of subcontractors won an $860 million contract from the U.K. Highways Agency to modernize England’s highway system with new telecommunications systems and gear.
The engineering and construction company’s portion of the 10.5-year contract, called the “National Roads Telecommunications Services” project, is $524 million and will be booked in the company’s third quarter, Fluor said Monday.
http://www.ocbj.com/article.asp?aID=58389528.9091482.1199315.6870264.5754986.681&aID2=92246
Ceradyne Wins $14.6M Military Pact
Ceramics Armor Maker to Start Shipping Next Month
By Brian Womack
Orange County Business Journal Staff
Costa Mesa-based Ceradyne Inc. has landed $14.6 million in military orders for its ceramic body armor gear, the company said Tuesday.
Ceradyne received a $12 million order to supply “certain elite U.S. fighting units” and another $2.6 million for Marines. Shipments are slated to begin next month and continue through August 2006.
The orders are separate from the $461 million Army contract that was announced in August 2004.
http://www.ocbj.com/article.asp?aID=5148736.8267223.1199705.6435324.8282951.805&aID2=92276
Goldman Sachs 3Q Profits Leap 83 Percent
By MICHAEL J. MARTINEZ, AP Business Writer 2 hours, 35 minutes ago
NEW YORK - While the stock market may be flat for the year and bonds remain volatile, Wall Street firm Goldman Sachs had no problem finding ways to make money as it posted a 83 percent surge in quarterly earnings Tuesday.
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The company's record revenues, net income and earnings-per-share illustrated Wall Street brokerage houses' increasing diversity in recent years. Stocks and bonds have been supplemented by trading mortgages, credit products, commodities like oil and metals and currency trading.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050920/ap_on_bi_ge/earns_goldman_sachs;_ylt=AjM8zgX.ld80cvRJ2zQywliyBhIF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
Microsoft Reorganizes to Compete Better
By ALLISON LINN, AP Business Writer Tue Sep 20, 4:33 PM ET
SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. is reorganizing its corporate structure and giving one of its newest executives broader powers in an effort to better compete against its rivals, including Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news)
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The changes announced Tuesday also are designed to respond to criticism that the company has become weighed down by bureaucracy, leading to communication problems and product delays.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050920/ap_on_bi_ge/microsoft_reorganization;_ylt=Apu0A2XgOJtWE6Pve2fAGxhu24cA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
Fed raises rates to 3.75%
Statement implies no pause this year: economists
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By Greg Robb & Rex Nutting, MarketWatch
Last Update: 5:19 PM ET Sept. 20, 2005 [ Page 1 2 ]
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The Federal Reserve raised interest rates again Tuesday, saying Hurricane Katrina could fuel inflationary pressures but does not pose a persistent threat to the U.S. economy.
Quote & News Charts Financials Analysts Options SEC Filings
The 9-1 vote to increase the federal funds target rate by a quarter percentage point to 3.75% leaves the key interest rate at its highest level since August 2001.
Economists said language in the FOMC statement indicated that the central bank would not pause or stop their steady rate hikes this year. The committee said current rates remain "accommodative" and suggested again that rates could be raised at a "measured" pace.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/yhoo/story.asp?guid=%7b590CF073-3135-4A68-9656-6F9D76904CAC%7d&siteid=myyahoo&dist=myyahoo
Hurricane Rita heads for U.S. Gulf
Strengthening storm could hit Texas' refinery row
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By Jim Jelter, MarketWatch
Last Update: 6:54 PM ET Sept. 20, 2005
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Hurricane Rita gathered strength Tuesday as it swept past the Florida Keys and headed for the oil-rich Gulf of Mexico and Texas coast, home to about a fourth of U.S. refining capacity.
Oil companies said they were evacuating offshore personnel from rigs and platforms in the storm's path as forecasts show Rita pounding across much of the same water hit just three weeks ago by Hurricane Katrina.
On its current path, Rita looks set to cut a swath across the Gulf just south of the most densely developed oil tracts off Louisiana, turning north into fields off Texas and heading for shore early Saturday in the vicinity of Freeport, Texas, just west of Galveston.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7BCCACB0C0%2DE8FB%2D4BD4%2D97D5%2D54DF7D55EB87%7D&siteid=myyahoo&dist=
Insurance rates may rise after Katrina
Industry losses may halt recent price declines: analysts
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By Alistair Barr, MarketWatch
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- The huge financial hit that insurers and reinsurers face from Hurricane Katrina may halt a recent period of falling prices that's dogged the industry, analysts said on Tuesday.
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Katrina, a 140 mph hurricane that hit Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi on Aug. 29, could end up being the most expensive catastrophe in U.S. history.
Catastrophe modeling firm Risk Management Solutions expects the hurricane to cost insurers between $40 billion and $60 billion, which would eclipse industry losses from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 and Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7BE17FBF26%2DE343%2D4C9C%2D8881%2DE33CCCBCF9FC%7D&siteid=myyahoo&dist=
Michael Moore Today
TOP PRIORITY - The troops in Afghanistan and Iraq are under profound attack due to poor leadership. The Iraqis in Basra have taken British troops into custody and prison to put them on trial. This was the established authority in Basra like it or not these are not opposition fighters. They might be militia. The USA Coalition has never been able to establish security for the Iraqis and now the Shiites are under attack by the minority ethnicities. They are allowed to protect themselves. The British retaliated by breaking into the jail with a tank. The USA Coalition is the FOURTH Ethnicity in Iraq. The Iraqis have a right for self-determination. The Shi'ites have a right to be autonomous and not viewed as 'the puppets of the coaliton.' Due to the Shi'ite empowerment with the capture of Saddam they have now become targets of the Sunnies. Enough already. We are not helping any longer.
We need to leave there. We don't belong in Iraq. We never did.
NOW !!
Yesterday nine USA military died. There is a total dead of now 1907. The wounded 14,382.
Cindy is right !!!
It is time to bring THE TOUR home !
STOP THE WAR
(Do you have something better to do this weekend?)
Cancel your meetings, load up the kids, gather up your friends -- COME TO WASHINGTON, DC and surround the White House.
You know you want to.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
September 24th:
10:00AM -- Gather at the Washington Monument.
11:30AM -- Rally begins
12:30PM -- Surround the White House -- the march steps off
2:00PM -- Operation Ceasefire Concert begins (FREE). Hosted by Jello Biafra, featuring Cindy Sheehan, with music by Steve Earle, The Coup, Le Tigre, Joan Baez and many more.
More info/full schedule...
(Full details of the weekend's Festival of Peace)
GETTING THERE
#1: If You Have a Car
#2: If You Don't Have a Car
#3: You Can't Find a Ride
#4: Get on the Bus
#5: Planes, Trains, and Commercial Buses
#6: Can't Go? DO SOMETHING
Need Housing?
Option #1: If you have a car:
Load up your friends and hit the road.
If you don't have any friends or just have extra room in your car, give someone a ride.
First, check the United for Peace Transportation Center for people in your area who need a ride to DC. If no one is listed, then post a message offering a ride to DC.
Second, post a note in a local coffee shop or at the local university. People want to go, they just can't find a way to get there.
There will be people all along your route who are looking for a ride to DC -- bring people with you! (And make them pay for gas... have you seen how expensive that stuff is?)
Option #2: If you don't have a car:
C'mon! Your buddy has a car. Turn off his Playstation and tell him the two of you are going on a road trip (you don't even have to tell him where you're going!).
If none of your friends have cars or if they won't let you borrow their car for the weekend, check the United for Peace message board for people with space to spare.
If no one in your area is offering a ride, take the initiative and request a ride.
Also, go to your local coffee shop or university. Maybe someone in your town has already posted a sign offering a ride.
Option #3: You don't have a car, your friends don't have cars, and you can't find anyone to give you a ride:
Well that's easy. Get a group of people together and rent a car (or a van... or a bus... or a jet!)
You want to go to DC but you can't figure out how to get there. There are hundreds of thousands of people just like you all across the country.
Hundreds, if not thousands, live right there in your town. Find them, pool your resources and hit the road already!
That was a famous saying from The Civil Rights Movement, "Get on the Bus !"
Option #4: Get on the Bus:
There are many progressive and activist groups around the country who have secured buses and caravans and are selling tickets. Maybe there's already a bus leaving from where you live.
Check the list of buses and orgs headed to DC at TroopsOutNow.org.
Check the list of buses and orgs headed to DC at UnitedForPeace.org.
Option #5: Planes, Trains, and Commercial Buses:
Okay. All other options have failed but you still want to go. It's not even a question of "want." You know you must go.
As George W. Bush might say, it's your duty. He's right -- it is your duty. As a patriot you must go to the White House and try to shake some sense back into this sorry lot of leaders.
And that's why God made credit cards.
Pick your poison:
Amtrak Greyhound ($40 roundtrip special from NYC) Expedia Orbitz Travelocity Priceline Southwest Airlines into Baltimore
Option #6: Fine, your best friend is getting married on Saturday and you're the maid of honor but you still want to DO SOMETHING:
Tell your other friends to go (you know... the ones that didn't get invited to the wedding).
Get someone to go in your place. Give them some gas money or book a hotel room for them. Give them $20 to buy a beer or some lunch when they get to the big city. BRIBE PEOPLE.
Just because you've got your stupid responsibilities doesn't mean you can't pitch in. Find a way. Hire a stand-in.
Do something.
NEED HOUSING?
Sure, you can swing in Saturday morning and just stay for the march, but if you're gonna stick around for the music (and you should; you don't want to miss Le Tigre who don't go on until midnight) and need a place to stay, it's probably best to plan ahead.
United for Peace has put together a list of affordable hotels, hostels, and nearby campgrounds.
For all of you more adventurous people who are less inclined to planning, there will also be plenty of nice people in the 100,000+ crowd who may be able to help you out.
Don't be shy. Make friends. Come to DC.
*****
And remember: You're either with us or you're against us.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=507
New Zealand Herald
The British are not treating Basra as part of a sovereign country. They are looking at legitimate actions by the Iraqi police as if an insurgency. It is time to leave.
Iraq denounces British rescue in Basra
21.09.05 1.00pm
By Alaa Habib
BASRA - Iraq has denounced British forces for their dramatic rescue of two undercover soldiers.
British forces used an armoured fighting vehicle yesterday to burst into an Iraqi jail in search of soldiers held by police in Basra. The British commander said he learnt they had been handed to militia and ordered their rescue from a nearby house.
"It is a very unfortunate development that the British forces should try to release their forces the way it happened," Haider al-Ebadi, an adviser to Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari, told a news conference in Baghdad.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10346639
Britain reacts to Basra fury with vow to stay
22.09.05
BASRA - Britain yesterday vowed not to cut and run from Iraq and sought to calm fury in an increasingly volatile south over the rescue of two undercover British soldiers held by Iraqi police.
British forces used an armoured vehicle to burst into an Iraqi jail in Basra in search of the soldiers.
The operation followed rioting that began, say police and local officials, when the two soldiers fired on a police patrol.
"We do not have designs to stay [in Iraq] as an occupying imperial power. Nor are we going to cut and run because of terrorists," British Defence Secretary John Reid told the Daily Telegraph.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10346744
Dolphin killed by multiple stabbings
21.09.05 4.20pm
MELBOURNE - A dolphin has been slaughtered in a stabbing attack in Australia.
The carcass of the adult female dolphin with as many as seven stab wounds was retrieved on Monday from Corio Bay, near Geelong's Eastern Beach in Victoria.
It was recovered by Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) staff and veterinarians following reports from distressed members of the public.
DSE spokesman Ron Waters said the department was outraged by the violent act.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10346665
EU ratchets up pressure on defiant Iran
21.09.05 1.00pm
By Louis Charbonneau
VIENNA - The EU has turned up the pressure on Iran with a draft resolution reporting Tehran's nuclear program to the UN Security Council, but diplomats said Russia was strongly opposed.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator reacted angrily, warning that Tehran might pull out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and resume uranium enrichment, which can produce fuel for energy or bombs, if reported.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10346637
War - what is the phrase good for?
22.09.05
New Zealand advertising guru Kevin Roberts has been telling the Pentagon how to "spin" its war on terror.
His advice? "Call our struggle, the Fight for a Better World," American marketing magazine Brandweek reports.
Mr Roberts, chief executive of global advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, was invited by the United States Department of Defence to address various "US defence intelligence agencies" at a conference in New York on March 9, according to Brandweek, which obtained a copy of his speech, Loyal Beyond Reason.
The New Zealander's recommendation - apparently derived from his 2004 book, Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands - appeared to have provided the concept for a term top Bush Administration officials used in August to replace the phrase "war on terror".
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10346769
War - what is the phrase good for?
22.09.05
New Zealand advertising guru Kevin Roberts has been telling the Pentagon how to "spin" its war on terror.
His advice? "Call our struggle, the Fight for a Better World," American marketing magazine Brandweek reports.
Mr Roberts, chief executive of global advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, was invited by the United States Department of Defence to address various "US defence intelligence agencies" at a conference in New York on March 9, according to Brandweek, which obtained a copy of his speech, Loyal Beyond Reason.
The New Zealander's recommendation - apparently derived from his 2004 book, Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands - appeared to have provided the concept for a term top Bush Administration officials used in August to replace the phrase "war on terror".
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10346769
Anti-cancer agent may have opposite effect on smokers
22.09.05
Eating a lot of the pigment beta-carotene seems to increase the risk of cancer for current or past smokers, new research suggests. But it seems to cut the cancer risk among people who have never smoked.
The findings are based on a study of women, but researchers believe similar results would be found in men.
"Based on the findings from our study and others, I would advise against beta-carotene supplements for current or past smokers," said senior author Dr Marie-Christine Boutron-Ruault.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10346690
Beer, spirits raise colon cancer risk
22.09.05
Beer and spirits drinkers face a higher risk of colorectal tumours, but wine drinkers may have a lower risk, according to a report in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
"Alcohol is pernicious with regard to colorectal tumours," said Dr Joseph Anderson from New York's Stony Brook University. "Lifestyle plays a role, as genetics does, in the development of these tumours."
Dr Anderson and associates investigated the impact of regular alcohol consumption on colorectal tumours in 2291 patients undergoing screening colonoscopy.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10346691
Revised diabetes statistics show it to be fifth deadliest disease
22.09.05
NEW YORK - Estimates of deaths from diabetes suggest that it may be a leading cause of death worldwide, researchers report.
In 2000, approximately 2.9 million died of diabetes, about three times the level of previous estimates.
"Diabetes is a significant cause of death in adults of working age, even in low-income countries where diabetes is often not recognised as a public health problem," said lead investigator Dr Gojka Roglic, of the World Health Organisation.
"This fact is not captured in existing national or global health statistical reports, which are used for planning interventions and allocating resources."
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10346693
Hariri probe takes UN investigators to Syria
21.09.05 12.20pm
DAMASCUS - A UN team investigating the killing of Lebanon's former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri moved to Syria to hear testimony from Syrian officers.
"The head of the international investigation committee Mr Detlev Mehlis arrived to Damascus today and he is expected to meet a number of Syrian persons as witnesses in the framework of his mission," the official Syrian news agency SANA said.
A Reuters reporter saw the team's convoy cross from Lebanon at the border post of Masnaa under heavy security earlier in the day.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10346625
Israel hotel blast 'not by militants'
21.09.05 2.20pm
JERUSALEM - An explosion inside a hotel in central Israel on Tuesday was likely not a militant attack and caused no casualties, Israeli emergency services said.
The explosion ripped through a room on an upper floot inside a hotel in the city of Bat Yam. The room, which was unoccupied at the time, was set ablaze, the Zaka emergency ambulance services said.
Attacks against Israelis by Palestinian militants have decreased in recent months since major armed factions, such as the Islamic Hamas group, agreed in February to an eight-month ceasefire by request of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10346629
Vietnam to stock bird flu drug, boost surveillance
22.09.05
By Darren Schuettler
HANOI - Vietnam, fearing fresh outbreaks of deadly bird flu this winter, will begin stockpiling the anti-viral drug Tamiflu and boost monitoring at 800 hospitals nationwide, state media reported yesterday.
Two years after the initial outbreak of the H5N1 virus which has killed more people in Vietnam than anywhere else, Hanoi plans to import 600,000 tablets of the drug before winter when the virus seems to thrive best, the Vietnam News Agency said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10346749
Times - Picayune
Falls from roofs, steps on nails send returning residents to hospitals
6:57 p.m.
By Michelle Hunter
East Jefferson bureau
Elmore Crosby didn't give a whole lot of thought to the nail stuck through his plastic slip-on shoes or to the little cut on the bottom of his foot, which he treated with hydrogen peroxide.
"I pulled the nail out, washed the shoes out, put the slippers back on, went and sat on the porch, smoked a cigar and drank a beer," said Crosby, a 52-year-old Gretna resident.
Eleven days and no tetnus shot later, however, Crosby lost two of his toes to infection and gangrene, said Dr. Brian Cain of West Jefferson Medical Center in Marrero.
http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/
Blocked canals raise future flooding risk
Federal agency helps clear trees and debris
Flood-protection pond is full, therefore useless
By Charlie Chapple
St. Tammany bureau
St. Tammany Parish officials have been keeping a wary eye on the weather, fearing that a major rain could cause flooding problems because debris and giant trees toppled by Hurricane Katrina are clogging rivers, bayous, canals and streams throughout the parish.
Parish President Kevin Davis said Wednesday that drainage arteries blocked by trees and debris are a growing concern among local officials, and the parish is getting the help of a federal agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, to begin clearing streams and canals.
The parish and the NRCS this week reached an agreement for the agency to hire contractors and oversee the clearing of debris along major drainage arteries, Davis said, with federal dollars paying for most of the work. Work could begin as early as Friday, he said, and it could take more than a year to unclog all arteries in the parish.
http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_21.html
Infections frequent in post-Katrina injuries
Puncture wounds, falls are common
By Michelle Hunter
East Jefferson bureau
Elmore Crosby didn't give a whole lot of thought to the nail that stuck through his plastic slip-on shoes or to the little cut on the bottom of his foot, which he treated with hydrogen peroxide.
"I pulled the nail out, washed the shoes out, put the slippers back on, went and sat on the porch, smoked a cigar and drank a beer," said Crosby, a 52-year-old Gretna resident.
After eleven days and no tetanus shot, however, Crosby lost two toes to infection and gangrene, said Dr. Brian Cain of West Jefferson Medical Center in Marrero.
http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_21.html
Levee system projections flawed, experts say
Flood risk may be greater in some areas
Data on powerful hurricanes is limited
By John McQuaid
Staff writer
Before the giant storm surge from Katrina, a Category 4 hurricane, washed away some levees and crashed through others, the Army Corps of Engineers had maintained that the levee system surrounding the New Orleans area could protect residents from a fast-moving Category 3 hurricane.
But that estimate is a piece of guesswork based on old data that experts say underestimates the risks in some spots.
Even if accurate, the risk estimate says that statistically, the long-term likelihood of a flood overflowing the levees is not significant – in New Orleans, for example, it was estimated at 10 percent in a 30-year period, the current lifespan of the levee project.
http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_21.html
Washing Away - Special Report
It's only a matter of time before South Louisiana takes a direct hit from a major hurricane. Billions have been spent to protect us, but we grow more vulnerable every day.
Five-Part Series published June 23-27, 2002
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/?/washingaway/
Part 1 - In Harm's Way
FATEFUL DECISION:
Nearly 300 years ago, Jean Baptiste le Moyne, sieur de Bienville, settled along a strip of land between the Mississippi River and the marshes south of Lake Pontchartrain. While the location would prove ideal for commerce, it left the city vulnerable to hurricanes and flooding.
On the night of Aug. 10, 1856, a powerful hurricane struck Last Island off the southern tip of Terrebonne Parish. The sea rose in the darkness and trapped hundreds of summer vacationers visiting the popular resort. Wind-driven waves 8 feet high raked the island and tore it in two.
By morning, everything standing upright was broken, splintered and washed away, including all of the island's trees, its casinos, a hotel and the summer homes of wealthy New Orleans families. More than 200 people died. Many were crushed and others drowned after being struck by wreckage in the maelstrom.
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf?/washingaway/harmsway_1.html
THE BIG ONE
A major hurricane could decimate the region, but flooding from even a moderate storm could kill thousands. It's just a matter of time.
By Mark Schleifstein and John McQuaid
Staff writers
The line of splintered planks, trash and seaweed scattered along the slope of New Orleans' lakefront levees on Hayne Boulevard in late September 1998 marked more than just the wake of Hurricane Georges. It measured the slender margin separating the city from mass destruction.
"A catastrophic hurricane represents 10 or 15 atomic bombs in terms of the energy it releases. Think about it. New York lost two big buildings. Multiply that by 10 or 20 or 30 in the area impacted and the people lost, and we know what could happen."
Joseph Suhayda
LSU Engineer
The debris, largely the remains of about 70 camps smashed by the waves of a storm surge more than 7 feet above sea level, showed that Georges, a Category 2 storm that only grazed New Orleans, had pushed waves to within a foot of the top of the levees. A stronger storm on a slightly different course -- such as the path Georges was on just 16 hours before landfall -- could have realized emergency officials' worst-case scenario: hundreds of billions of gallons of lake water pouring over the levees into an area averaging 5 feet below sea level with no natural means of drainage.
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf?/washingaway/thebigone_1.html
EXPOSURE'S COST
Insurance companies are pulling out. Oil and gas infrastructure is threatened. Flood-prone homes may be abandoned. Louisiana's economy is feeling the pinch from the risk of hurricane damage.
By John McQuaid and Mark Schleifstein
Louisiana tops the nation in the number of repeat claims for flooding, one of the reasons cited for the ever-rising cost of insurance. For areas that regularly flood, such as Irish Bayou in eastern New Orleans, seen here after Tropical Storm Frances in 1998, some residents have developed something of a post-flooding cleanup routine: clean out muck and debris, shoo out vermin, scoop up snakes and take down furniture and possessions that have been stacked up, elevated away from floodwaters.
When insurance bills started coming due this spring, officials in local governments and school districts were stunned. In St. Charles Parish, premiums to insure the school district's properties more than tripled, forcing officials to devise a complex scheme to buy insurance from five different companies to keep costs down.
In Jefferson Parish, most of the buildings and other property owned by the government are not currently insured at all. The parish could not find an insurance company to cover more than a third of the value of the $300 million worth of property, and the cost of doing that was a budget-busting $6 million in a total budget of $318.5 million. Officials are trying to find a cheaper alternative. But if a hurricane strikes first, taxpayers could have to foot the bill.
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf?/washingaway/exposure_1.html
TEMPTING FATE
Hurricane Andrew left thousands homeless and billions of dollars in damage as it shredded its way across Florida and on to Louisiana.
(NWS ARCHIVE PHOTO)
Across the country, development in disaster-prone areas is accelerating in the path of hurricanes, floods, wildfires and earthquakes. It's a recipe for catastrophe.
By John McQuaid and Mark Schleifstein
Staff writers
Hurricane Andrew was a turning point in the modern history of natural disasters. In August 1992 the storm tore apart hundreds of houses in Homestead, Fla., leaving nothing but splintered beams and rubble across dozens of city blocks.
Andrew survived its first landfall, grew stronger and pummeled the small bayou communities and oil and gas rigs of Louisiana's Atchafalaya Basin.
Florida and Louisiana had seen big storms come and go. But as insurers and government officials tallied the numbers in the following days and weeks, Andrew's most significant feature emerged: It had broken all U.S. records for disaster damage. The mounting toll in cleanup costs, wrecked property and lost business eventually hit $30 billion.
The number crunchers were shocked at first. Most had never imagined such a total was possible. But in 1994 the record was quickly shattered by an earthquake that jolted Northridge, Calif., causing losses ultimately estimated at $44 billion.
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf?/washingaway/temptingfate_1.html
COST OF SURVIVAL
New Orleans and south Louisiana will always be vulnerable to a catastrophic hurricane, yet there are ways to make the area safer. But implementing the proposals may be prohibitively expensive.
By Mark Schleifstein and John McQuaid
Staff writers
I
f hurricanes haven't seriously scarred coastal Louisiana or swept it out to sea in the next 50 to 100 years, the very process of protecting the region may still end up altering it almost beyond recognition.
Based on current plans and proposals, here are some changes that coming generations may see:
A giant wall, more than 30 feet high in places, cuts through New Orleans and across Jefferson Parish to create a "safe haven" should a storm surge from Lake Pontchartrain top the levees. The levees themselves are 10 feet or more higher than today, and some are crowned with a sea wall, blocking views of the lake. A large collapsible wall sits atop some levees, ready to be raised during hurricanes.
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf?/washingaway/costofsurvival_1.html
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