Wednesday, August 31, 2005

The power of nature

Watching on TV the Hurricane devastation in New Orleans and the surrounding area makes me grateful that here in little old England we do not really suffer such extreme weather affecting such a vast area.

The pictures I have seen are frightening and both Annie and I want to express our sincere best wishes to anyone in America affected by this tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

This is another reminder of the awesome power of nature and how helpless we all are against that power.

We saw the Tsunami and we have seen numerous earthquakes. Even in Birmingham recently we saw an unexpected tornado that caused incredible damage in a very small part of the city – amazingly there were no fatalities although roofs were literally ripped off houses!

It is great to live in a time where there is phenomenal technological progress – I think we are living through a revolution in that sense. And yet if we need a reminder about our place in the ‘pecking order of nature’ the latest destruction in America is a timely one.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

The storm has been devastating to the areas of the Gulf Coast here in the states. The worst is yet to come. Mother Nature never lets us forget our place in the pecking order. For all our technological advances we will never be able to compete with the awesome power of nature. The only thing more powerful than the force of nature is love. I know we will see many acts of love as a result of this devastattion and in the end that will win out. These situations bring out the best and worst in people. I believe that the best wins out and is very strong in times such as these. What do you think?

Anonymous said...

I agree Rocky. I am in Mexico right now, so the news I get about Katrina is only from the internet--which means I'm not subjected to so much "spin" about things. I have seen the pictures of the looters in New Orleans and it looks to me like the vast majority are just trying to get food, something safe to drink, and necessities like diapers. If you are in that place you still need those things, but no one is supplying them through the usual methods--you have to get them somehow. I'm sure there are those usual lowlife types trying to take advantage of the situation, but from what I've seen and read they look to be just a few.

Even more telling will be what comes out of this for the future. If we yell "the sky is falling" and start believing the recent weather extremes are part of some man-made global warming catastrophe we will take the wrong road and pay a dear price. What we must do is try to remember that these storms do come around from time to time and the last twenty five years have been relatively quiet compared to normal. Better city planning and a different mind-set about coastal development are really what's needed to properly deal with these issues in the future.

And then maybe we can figure out why local authorities still allow mobile home parks in tornado states like Oklahoma...

Trevor Gay said...

Thanks for those comments Rocky and Mike.

It is unfolding into a massive tragedy according to the reports we are seeing on TV here in the UK.

I am sure the best will win out Rocky - this sort of catastrophe always brings out the good in people.

I don’t feel qualified to comment about your planning laws Mike but your comments make a lot of sense.

From thousands of miles across the pond once more please accept our prayers and thoughts to all the people in the areas affected and their families far and wide.

Anonymous said...

As of Friday morning this looks to have reached apocalyptic proportions. New Orleans has ceased to exist for all practical purposes. Please read this:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9156612/

Trevor Gay said...

This is apalling Mike - so sorry for everyone affected.

Some of the pictures we are seeing look more like a third world country than the most modern and powerful and rich country in the world.

God will be with your country as you recover.

Anonymous said...

I'm flying into Dallas and then on home tomorrow morning. I'll bet there are some delays and so forth in Dallas due to refugees coming in to Texas by air, New Orleans airports out of commission, etc. And I already know I'm going to have to listen to some bonehead complain about the delays like there will be anything anyone can do about it, or like a little delay in a nice comforatable airport is going to ruin his (or her) life. God help that bonehead if I'm in the same mood about this tomorrow that I am today! Anyway, it looks like the first Military relief convoys are arriving in N.O. about now. The military have orders to "retake the streets" by any means necessary.Good God, what has this become?