Sunday, 29 April 2007
The Big Easy
Off to the Big Easy later today until Thursday with work and looking at my schedule a few minutes ago there won't be much easy about it. I have never been to New Orleans before, it has always been on the list, just quite a way down it, but of course the world changed for the city and it's people on August 29th, 2005 when category 3 Hurricane Katrina made landfall not once but three times, which although battered New Orleans to hell, it did actually stand up pretty well to the 125mph winds, however it was the resultant storm surge that caused the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States.
Off to the Big Easy later today until Thursday with work and looking at my schedule a few minutes ago there won't be much easy about it. I have never been to New Orleans before, it has always been on the list, just quite a way down it, but of course the world changed for the city and it's people on August 29th, 2005 when category 3 Hurricane Katrina made landfall not once but three times, which although battered New Orleans to hell, it did actually stand up pretty well to the 125mph winds, however it was the resultant storm surge that caused the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States.The storm surge breeched man-made levees in more than 20 places. 80% of the city was flooded, with some areas 15ft underwater. More than 1,836 people were killed.
The aftermath was ugly too with out of control looting, violence, unrest and the spread of disease caused by contamination of food and drinking water supplies, all compounded by the city's characteristic heat and stifling humidity.
My job is all about protecting companies from risk, both natural and man-made. Hurricane Katrina cost the insurance industry $81.2bn and those industry people that will flock to New Orleans this week will make unusual bedfellows with the locals, as they, some would say foolishly, try to rebuild the place they call the Big Easy.
¶ 12:25 The aftermath was ugly too with out of control looting, violence, unrest and the spread of disease caused by contamination of food and drinking water supplies, all compounded by the city's characteristic heat and stifling humidity.
My job is all about protecting companies from risk, both natural and man-made. Hurricane Katrina cost the insurance industry $81.2bn and those industry people that will flock to New Orleans this week will make unusual bedfellows with the locals, as they, some would say foolishly, try to rebuild the place they call the Big Easy.
