Noah’s flood, destruction of Sodom, plagues of Egypt . . . that sort of thing. Do you think it’s hyperbole?
BTW, public service announcement to all rooftop-stranded Orleanians: Watch out for Jasper Johns! 
But don’t forget, the homeless/refugee population includes everybody whose home is now under water, whether they got out before the hurricane hit or not.
Won’t the water run in and out of the city according to the tides?
Well, I was only referring to the comment regarding how large the death toll is likely to be (tens of thousands vs hundreds of thousands). I’m assuming that among the 80% who got out very few died as a result of this storm and thus would not be included in this calculation.
You’re quite right, though, that the refugee problem we are facing is enormous, and now we are facing numbers in the hundreds of thousands, perhaps even approaching a million people who are homeless. That’s a staggering number.
I don’t think so. The water is coming in from Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi, not the Gulf of Mexico. No tides to speak of on the lake or river.
Thanks, BrainGlutton. I wondered about the tides because I know they have an effect on the Thames.
Three of them are in my house (my mom and sisters). My boss has ten people in her house (her ex-husband - the father of her son - and his relatives). Another coworker has three former coworkers of her fiance living with them in a small duplex. My immediate supervisor is going to have a friend’s parents staying with him.
I predict that within the next few weeks, we’ll be seeing more and more folks show up at the shelters. People who are in the hotels are running out of money.
They still won’t be much more welcome in many communities – maybe less so – than the Cambodian boat people of the 70s & 80s. These folks are almost entirely from our “permanent” urban underclass – demoralized and passive for the most part, prone to crime and violence at worst, and every one of them deeply resentful. How many places are really prepared to deal with them? How many want them?
They do? Never heard that. What effect?
Here’s a page that discusses them.
I thought Lake Pontchartrain was actually connected to the Gulf, and rises and falls with the tide. Does it? It’s a salt water lake.
I dunno, maybe. This article – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Pontchartrain – says it’s a brackish-water lake and “To the east the Rigolets strait connects to Lake Borgne, which in turn connects to the Gulf of Mexico.” Nothing about tides.
In any case, whatever the tidal action might be in the lake or the lower course of the Mississippi, I think it’s too much to expect the water in the streets of NO to “run . . . out with the tides.”
Ottawa radio stations have pulled the Tragically Hip song, New Orleans is Sinking from their playlists for the duration.
The length and narrowness of the passage to the Gulf must dampen tidal variation considerably.
It’s only been 5 days, and we already have a new generation of Dust Bowl Okies, our own people, unlucky refugees from a natural disaster but considered inferior human beings for it all the same. Is that it? I sure as hell hope we’ve learned just a little bit since the last Depression.
Have you offered to take anyone into your own home? If you havn’t done so by now, I highly doubt you will once it is clear a good part of 1 million people will be displaced for months. Hopefully at that point the government will have temporary housing for them. As of now these people need to basically be supported for an indeterminate amount of time. That is alot to ask from anyone. Many are generously offering whatevr they can and sacrificing. So what have you learned from the last Depression? How many are moving into your house?