As I write this Katrina is a Category 3 Hurricane churning away in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico about 250 miles from where I sit. Hurricanes are generated by the warm ocean waters, without them the sea life would die from overheated water. Hurricanes cool the waters. The sun warms the waters, and the sun and the waters create hot air which rises higher and higher. Cold air meets the rising hot air, creating winds that form a cyclone around the hot air. The cyclone performs convection cooling pulling more and more heat energy into the atmosphere and generating more and more whirling wind. The heavy rains from a hurricane that comes ashore to flood rivers, soak mountains, and renew ecological systems. It is wisdom that hurricanes are part of nature, necessary for the balance of sea life, and beneficial to the ecology of earth bound life systems.
Katrina crashed through Southern Florida Thursday night, causing damage and loss of life to the metropolis that stretches from Miami to Palm Beach. She then crossed the everglades and exited Florida into Gulf. She is now taking aim at New Orleans.
There are six hurricane vulnerable metropolitan areas in the United States, cities where a direct hit could cause catastrophic loss of life. Galveston, Tampa, Miami, Charleston, Long Island's south east coast, and New Orleans. Katrina was blowing at 85 mph when she blew through Fort Lauderdale, Florida two days ago. It looks like she will be blowing at 140 mph when she comes a shore again.
They are evacuating southern Mississippi and Louisiana as I write. Last year we were in the midst of evacuation of Tampa and St. Petersburg. I pray that that map is off, way off.
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