Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans

Vintage Guitars,
New Orleans,
Louisiana.






In June, I went to New Orleans for the Golden Crown Literary Society Convention. Everyone, from the taxi drivers to the hotel staff to the fiction "addicts" from the area were gracious and friendly, always mixing courtesy with a flash of humour. Because my time in New Orleans was brief, and convention activities were many, I didn't get out of the hotel much. I swore that for NEXT YEAR's convention, I would schedule one or two extra days to see something of the city, perhaps take a tour, certainly spend time on Bourbon Street.

Next year. Now Hurricane Katrina is threatening New Orleans and its people with a storm surge predicted to be between 18 and 28 feet. New Orleans, remember, is at or below sea level, and only her levies normally keep the Gulf of Mexico from covering the land. People are "buried" above ground, because the ground is too saturated for burial "six feet under."

Here's hoping the people of New Orleans, now under an evacuation order, make it safely through the storm. Here's hoping the city itself has less damage than is being predicted. And here's hoping the U.S. government delivers the promised help to the whole region after the storm.

New Orleans, I'll see you again next year.