Storms... have things changed?

[Lynn]

All of Louisiana and most of the Texas coastal regions have been effected by the storms this year. The season is only half over. Katrina just 3 years past. With Gulf waters growing ever warmer, storms seem to be coming more often and with greater intensity. Ike set a new record for size of wind field and with larger wind fields come larger water surges. So a storm does not even have to be a direct hit to greatly effect us with flooding. Example... Bayou Woman's home in Lafouche Parish. The water from Ike which didn't actually even "hit us" caused more flooding than even Rita.
So, what I'm wondering is... what does the future hold? Will we be evacuating, watching the wind blow and the water rise 1? 2? 3 times a year?
How many times will we evacuate New Orleans, Gulfport or Houston each year? I can't remember a time when we have had storms blow back in before we have even had time to recover from the last. But we had Katrina followed by Rita. Now Gustav followed by Ike.
Have things changed?

[bart]

Maybe it has. We sure seem to be getting bigger storms now.
I hope we don't have to do this every summer. It interferes with LSU football too much. :eek:

[fish4god2001]

They do seem bigger and more often, but I was thinking that back in the day we didn't have the technology and the population that we have now. Radar and storm planes can measure a storm better then in the past and the cost of the damage is higher because of the populations.

The media seems to compare storms by how much damage costs run. :confused:

The good thing about the media is that it makes sure people are scared enough to get out of the way. Fewer and fewer people are killed from the monster storms.

Edit: I hate anything that interferes with LSU football!

[T-Joe]

I was just looking at the NOAA site and some related links the other day. The increased population sure plays into the increased dollar amount of damages. But what really stood out to me are the records that have been set the last 3 years for how rapid storms intensify and how large the wind fields have become. That whole wind field thing worries me too because of the surge it pushes in.
When a hurricane hits Galveston and it throws surge water over the highways in Mississippi, we got us a problem.

[surfinsapo]

The Hurricanes and tropical storms go in cycles. It's been 38 years since a big one has hit Corpus. It was Celia 1970. It's nature. Nothing you can do to control it. All ya can do is get out of the way. We love to live on the water, but there is a price to pay.. We can all try to protect the environment as best as possible and there are still going to be hurricanes,earth quakes,etc.. I'm just glad we have fair warning these days via NOAA, NHC, etc on the internet...I stayed for IKE, but once it got giant.. I felt like an idiot. I would have jumped into my truck if it didn't turn north..Hey, at least I have a generator now for camping and fishing....:D

[pattiecakes]

If it's part of a "cycle", we sure are in the bad part of the cycle. And I hope it don't get any worse. I don't wanna be doing this every summer.

[Bayou Woman]

And it should be a wake-up call for Louisianians and all Americans when homes in Southeast Louisiana flood from a storm surge created by a storm making landfall over Galveston. There are no barrier islands and marsh left to protect many of us. And having my home flood two times in the past three years, where it has NEVER flooded in the 30 years it's been there, is just more than I care to deal with. And dealing with it we are. But you won't see that on the news.

For a continuing first-hand story and photos, visit this blog:

bayouwoman.wordpress.com

(and MRE's suck. I don't care how hungry you are! :D )

[Kayaker]

!!! GLOBAL WARMING !!! Ignore the politics, just look at the numbers.

[Lynn]

!!! GLOBAL WARMING !!! Ignore the politics, just look at the numbers.

I agree. I think this is a subject that has been way too politicized.
Just look at the data. Does not matter how we got here. We are here.
Coastal restoration is our only hope in Louisiana of keeping our coastal parishes inhabitable.
JMHO

[Old CooT]

I agree that hurricane seasons come in cycles, I've been here 50+ yers and had good and bad seasons, It's not global warming, cooling or the other fad weather phenomen like that, it's partially what we have done to our environment (ex. MRGO, oilfield canals,) It's also the lack of a coast. there are no more Chandeleur Islands, and other barrier islands,

Many years ago I would have thought the state would have taken examples from the Netherlands where they reclaim land from the North sea, They build a levee around a 20 or 30 mile area then proceed to drain it and make it liveable.

We could do similar for a the barrier islands, pump up a levee for a island, we could line it with the busted concrete from the roads and fill it with sand and plant marsh grass to retain the sand.. or something similar.

Something CAN be done,.. politics cloud up the process and make it costly

Bayou Woman,.. I agree with the MRE's, also keep in mind, you should only eat about half of one at a time.. they are loaded in calories, for those soldiers on the run, us average floks don't burn half the calories they do daily. I also found they made the dog fat.. After Katrina, I had many spam n egg breakfasts, beefaroni, and canned fruits.. I lost a house in Slidell, my father, and my grandma lost her house too..she was 99 at the time.. the farm became a primary residence for mom, grandma and me, no phones or electric for a few months,, I am lucky to have 2 wells and generators.

We all learned from katrina except the gov't and I feel the farm will be waterfront in a few years.

~CooT~

[bart]

I think the companies that cut the canals all through the marshes should be held responsible for correcting the problems their work created.
I've worked the oil fields and many friends and relatives still do. But if you create a problem you should be held accountable.
Just seems like our government spends all their time taking care of the oil companies and not much taking care of the country. Now I can take care of myself and don't require much from the government. (and I hate the leeches who depend on government for everything) But they should at least keep big companies from doing things that threaten our safety.
I also think global warming is a real threat. I'm not sure if this is a natural cycle or a man made deal. Most likely a combination of the two. But in my lifetime, we have never had this much extreme weather before.

[Old CooT]

I've seen it more extreme.. and then in the late 40's or early 50's,. Slidell was flooded wayyyy worse.

Yes.. I worked the oilfields and marshes and the oil companies should have been held accountable, but in the early days,. it was a unknown factor . Hindsight is wonderful,.. isn't it.

But lets work for the future... fix and improve our defenses