Sorry To Nag, But...

It makes sense to be upset by the immense damage (if not complete destruction) that Hurricane Katrina is inflicting on New Orleans, but it also makes sense to recognize that much of it could have been avoided. It's not as if we haven't known about the risks for quite some time. Half-assed preparation was bound to result in problems eventually.

Of course, in the long run, the city is probably doomed. That's also been obvious for a while. The city is next to an enormous, shallow lake; it's right in the middle of a region that is periodically hit by hurricanes and much of its territory (including the most historically important neighborhoods) is below sea level, for Christ's sake.

But there are still steps we can take to try to keep some of the city alive. Not that I think any of those steps actually will be taken. I predict a couple of months of activity followed by years of convenient amnesia, until the next Category Five hurricane hits, and hits more precisely than Katrina has.