As Hurricane Gustav Hits the Gulf Coast, Republicans Dare Not Fiddle if New Orleans Floods

(Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

I'm, writing on Monday morning, September 1. Today is Labor Day. Through the miracle of the Internet, I'm watching the live broadcast of WDSU-TV6 in New Orleans at 11 AM Central Time as the eye of Hurricane Gustav makes landfall west of the city.

A WDSU reporter is saying that about two million people have evacuated the gulf coast and perhaps 10,000 people have remained in New Orleans. The city, the nation and the world is holding its breath while waiting to see if the levees hold.

The counter clockwise rotation of the hurricane is now driving the storm surge northwest into New Orleans and across the Mississippi gulf coast, pushing water into Lake Pontchartrain at the same time as heavy rains add to rising levels in all the coastal waterways. The National Hurricane Center warns that tidal waters could reach 14 feet before the storm is over.

The most critical concern at this hour is the rising water level at the inner harbor Industrial Canal, the site of a major levee breach from Hurricane Katrina three years ago.

The water level at the Industrial Canal is at 11.2 feet and rising, reports WDSU, which means the water could soon top the cement levee wall there to begin flooding the neighboring areas. On one side of the canal is New Orleans Parish with rail yards acting as a buffer before any housing. On the other side of the canal is St. Bernard Parish, home of the poverty-plauged lower Ninth Ward, which suffered the worst devastation from Katrina.

(Source: WDSU-TV6, New Orleans, Louisiana)

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is now on the phone with the station anchor. He confirms that wave "overtopping" of the levees along the Industrial Canal on the New Orleans side has begun. A related concern is that the water beating against and spilling over the concrete sea wall could undermine the levee and cause a breach.

The mayor reports that two ships and a barge in the navigational canal have broken loose of their moorings and at least one of these vessels is now pounding against the canal wall. New Orlean's electric power grid already has gone out, he adds, and the city is now operating on backup.

Another 24 hours must pass, the mayor is saying, before New Orleans knows the full impact of the storm.

The one reassurance, I'm thinking, is that Gustav has been downgraded from a Category 3 hurricane to Category 2.  I'm also thinking that Katrina began as a Category 3 storm before rising to Category 5.

Another perspective came last night in a phone message from Nell Bolton, executive director, Office of Disaster Response for the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana. She's coordinated an evacuation inland to Baton Rouge and other areas.

"The coastal region are still quite vulnerable," she said, "not just because levee repairs were not expected to be completed in the New Orleans area before  2011, but because of all the coastal wetlands lost over the past number of decades."

The wetlands around the Mississippi delta once acted as a buffer for hurricanes, I learned from adjunct research. Each mile of  wetland would reduce the severity of an incoming hurricane, which feeds on the warm water in the Gulf of Mexico. Most of these wetlands have been eliminated, however, by the construction of navigation canals by the U.S. Corps of Engineers.

Miss Bolton said more than the coastal areas are vulnerable. "Our whole country is vulnerable when you consider how much oil and gas comes through this area and how much comes through the port of New Orleans." She also noted potential losses to food supplies of seafood and fisheries in the region.

She continued by saying the people themselves are psychologically vulnerable. "You can imagine this is a difficult time for this storm to be coming," she said. "Emotions are running pretty strong, considering this is the anniversary of Katrina. We hope this will be a wake up call to better protect and restore this vital part of our country."

I reached Miss Bolton by phone a few minutes ago. She countered the prevailing notion across the nation that the levees had been fully repaired. "We've always known here on the ground that the levees would not be back up for years."  

A major levee reconstruction plan was developed and approved 40 years ago after the devastation of Hurricane Betsy in 1965, she said. "That plan was still not complete when Katrina hit in 2005. So this is all a question of political will. Saying you are going to protect the levee system is not the same thing as actually funding the work."

She raises a good point. I have to wonder what will be the political blowback if there's a levee breech and major flooding in the New Orleans area.

The Republican Party announced yesterday that it's significantly scaling down the political convention in Minneapolis-St Paul this week. The shortened convention kickoff session today will be limited to the essential business of fulfilling the legalities for nominating the party candidates for president and vice president. John McCain and Sarah Palin.  Both will give prime-time TV speeches later this week.

Republicans wisely have decided to cut pack on the partying this week. They do not want to risk being seen as fiddling around as New Orleans floods.

If New Orleans or any of the surrounding parishes suffers significant flooding, however, be certain that Democrats will vigorously attack the "inept" response of the Republican White House to Katrina and Gustav. Democrats will raise a big stink about the lack of timely action in the Big Easy.

In the meanwhile, I can only monitor the live feed from the TV station in New Orleans. I can only watch and pray.