August 28th

More than 2 years since Hurricane Katrina, the US senate has only now passed a Water Projects Bill which, among other things, authorizes money for the long term strengthening/securing of the levees in New Orleans.

The day before reading about that bill I found myself listening to a lecture by political strategist James Carville on the topic of Katrina, other storms, and preparedness issues. He said something in his opening remarks that struck me as a remarkable coincidence - that the two most destructive hurricanes in the history of the USA, Andrew (1992) & Katrina (2005), both made landfall on the 28th of August in their respective years. The significance of this concidence stems from the fact that storms only get named when they reach a certain level of intensity and potential for destructive capability, with names following the order of the alphabet. As climate scientists have long warned that rising water levels and warmer oceanic temperatures would result in a greater frequency and magnitude of severe storms - that 2005 saw the 11th named hurricane by the time in the season that we had our first in 1992, lends support to the inconvient truth that it isn't some distant future they prophesize about.

And its not just about the frequency of bad weather. At the time Katrina hit, it was the 4th most severe Atlantic hurricane in recorded history - a short lived ranking as it was eclipsed by both Hurricane's Rita and Wilma later that year. Some relevant observations from this current 2007 season include:

- When the Atlantic Hurricane Felix hit the Nicaragua-Honduras border, it signalled the first time time in recorded history that two hurricanes made landfall at Category 5 status in the same season
- The intensity with which Felix moved was also unprecedented in that it grew from a Category 2 to a Category 5 storm in just 15 hours
- Felix hit Nicaragua on 04 September. Just a few hours earlier, the Pacific Hurricane Henriette made landfall in Mexico, marking the first time that Atlantic and Pacific hurricanes have made landfall on the same day.

Severe weather patterns in the Americas are more unpredictable than ever, and greater numbers of people are and will continue to be affected.

So what are policymakers doing about it? Katrina might have kickstarted a new wave of thinking about how we respond to disasters when they occur - but when it comes to prevention, however, and preparing at risk populations against future events - it's much more talking than action. I understand that the political process is slow and deliberate, and I am pleased that the Water Projects Bill passed with such a healthy majority. But a full two years after New Orleans was under water, this really is just a first step in that this Bill only authorizes the amount of money that is allowed to be spent on these projects - it does not committ anyone to implement anything or set a timeframe for when they might do so. Because of this, the Louisiana levees, for example, could remain inappropriately secure for sometime - and for those of us wanting greater action on this soon, we've gotta keep talking about it, keeping the agenda public, and not get complacent in thinking that the situation is resolved because a vote has passed.