Man Needs to Gain a Better Understanding of Nature

It’s 2021, we need to be better prepared for nature’s wrath.

Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisana and wreaked havoc on the state. It’s been 16 years since Hurricane Katrina devasted the Lower East Ward, breaching the levees and flooding the area. Thousands of people spent days in the Louisana Super Dome, packed inside, hungry and scared. Some people died while just outside the dome. And that was 2005. We should have been better prepared then and even more prepared now.

But it seems that we were not. Louisana has been slammed again and the damage appears to be even more severe than Katrina’s onslaught. It wouldn’t seem possible, but it was. I watched footage on Good Morning America of high winds blowing off roofs of buildings. Reporters stood in the wreckage of the aftermath of entire neighborhoods. They had been wiped out.

While it isn’t possible to stop a hurricane, it should have been possible to minimize the damage. Millions were given to Louisana to revitalize the flooded neighborhoods and rebuild the levees. But construction over the past 16 years was a series of starts and stops and it was reported that the new levees were unable to protect the area. Why?

The death toll will rise. Cities have no power. Water has been tainted by sewage overflows. FEMA has stepped in to help those rescued. Search parties are out looking for others. People have returned to some parts of the start to assess the damage. Some homes were flattened by the hurricane while some were left untouched. A hurricane doesn’t discriminate, but it has a sick sense of humor.

Something needs to be done to help areas that are in hurricane zones. Many Southern states are often in the path of hurricanes and tropical storms. Hurricane season doesn’t end until November. Who knows if another Category 4 hurricane, like Ida, will hit the U.S.? We need to stop playing Russian roulette and get a better handle on our knowledge of hurricanes.

Lastly, Southern governments must invest more in infrastructure for their states. These hurricanes happen every year. It is almost a guarantee. States need to be ready. The Biden Administration had its infrastructure bill passed. Please send some money to the Southern states. They need it. Nature will not wait.