There is no doubt that the recent flooding by Hurricane Ida was terrible for millions of Americans. Everyone was concerned initially about the possible impact on New Orleans and instead for a week we watched a single storm march across the nation like Sherman’s March to the Sea; unstoppable and truly frightening. We saw in no uncertain terms, the might of mother nature. In my mind, anyone who believes that we can have a decisive impact on nature in terms of stopping or controlling such power must have a self-image that defies all reason.
It is a shame that New York did not learn any lesson from their last storm when they suffered so much damage. Fortunately, the monies spend in New Orleans were well used. Perhaps the leaders of the “Big Apple” are not quite up to the job of protecting their city.
Will the same communities which suffered so much from this storm face more terrible flooding in the future? Probably. Will future terrible flooding be caused by “global warming” (or is it cooling; no, only plain old change). Perhaps, but as the article linked below by Bjorn Lomborg points out, much of the damage is self-inflicted as our cities and towns continue to expand into areas that are known flood plains. In a very practical way, we have confronted mother nature and taken practical. Growth is natural; cities want growth as it creates a larger tax base and can make politicians look fantastic. But such growth without the proper attention paid to the dangers is dereliction of duty. And individuals who knowingly settle in flood plains must be made to understand the dangers they face.
We don’t often hear quiet, reasoned voices regarding our environment, but Lomborg manages to put the weather and our actions into reasonable context. Will any “leaders” after this latest disaster address the very genuine issues in their areas? Does anyone want to take a bet?
