By Ezra
A few months back, Chris Mooney, a New Orleans native, penned a scary and, I hope, totally wrong article on what'd happen if a category 4 or 5 hurricane engulfed New Orleans. To say the picture isn't pretty is an understatement. This'd give Hieronymus Bosch nightmares:
A direct hit from a powerful hurricane on New Orleans could furnish perhaps the largest natural catastrophe ever experienced on U.S. soil. Some estimates suggest that well over 25,000 non-evacuees could die. Many more would be stranded, and successful evacuees would have nowhere to return to. Damages could run as high as $100 billion. In the wake of such a tragedy, some may even question the wisdom of trying to rebuild the city at all.
The rest of his article was dedicated to what needed to be done in preparation. The recommendations, so far as I know, were not followed. Let's hope New Orleans gets a second chance.