Kate,

I agree with you completely regarding scope. I don't think many people appreciate the massive scope of the critically affected areas. From beyond Mobile to Biloxi to New Orleans and at least two miles inland. Let's just say the "debris field" is on a catastrophic scales even in the socialist dictionary. It's heartbreaking.

A lot of good people are working their tails off to save as many as possible, but the scope is overwhelming. This is a catastrophe on a nuclear scale in every way.

It would be interesting to take those same grids and lay them over the populated areas of Canada to give people a better perspective of scale.

For once, I agree: flying takes the size out of the world. My family did the Via Rail trans-Canada trip from Vancouver to Toronto--beats flying any day, even with the latter's view of the Rockies.

I think it was Brian Fawcett, in his postmodern novel Public Eye, who suggested that flying separates body and soul: when we fly to a place, he said, the soul sets out walking in the same direction, and so takes a while to catch up: explaining such phenomena as jet lag and the "settling-in" period where everything seems unreal for a while. A nice image that squares with my felt experience.

A sobering thought, indeed! All of it! A convergence of factors- weather, location, culture, economics, politics, gross incompetence and stupidity, tragedy, and those photos of elderly people, dead and ignored in their wheelchairs, in the richest and most powerfull country on earth!?!
I remember, driving past New Orleans back in 1972. ( We did not enter the city- not our destination at the time), and at one point, the truck was on an overpass kind of thing- the highway was built on pillars for miles, and we passed over a gulley or something, and there was a pile of mobile homes, house-trailers, and they were all in a pile at one end of it !?! And I pointed to the pile and asked my guide: What on earth is that? He replied: "They knew that could happen when they parked those things there.
They will drag them back out and set them up- right in the same place- until the next time that happens........."
If there is a lesson to be learned in this, it has to be: Look after yourself! Do not place yourself in any place where you could come to harm. (But if you HAVE to- make sure you cover your own ass! Don't depend on anybody else to do that for you! Prepare yourself, and know that your family and friends are gonna be depending on YOU for that.) Convergence! Looks like it is all coming down. (Happy Canadian Father's Day, to all youse Dads out there! YOU know what Dads are for, doncha?)

With regards to scale and population. Taking Delisle as an example. Population 1200. Area about two square miles. Population density 600 per square mile. Canadian population 30,000,000. Divide by 600 and get 50,000 square miles. Saskatchewan area roughly 400,000 square miles. The entire population of Canada could fit in one corner of Saskatchewan at the density of a small prairie town. As for looking out the window of the plane I don't think Big Paulie has ever bothered to do so. He should have to drive the Trans Canada from T-Bay to Winnipeg. Once a week.

Blush! Scrub my last post- I looked at my calendar again, and discovered it was printed in Australia!?! (Happy Dad's Day to all youse Aussies and New Zealanders!) Now I know why my kids never called...............

Somewhat off the topic of the written post, but in relation to the photo (and also to daves's comment above):

I'm currently composing a nasty snot-gram to the St John's Telegram regarding their editorial yesterday which essentially praised government as the source of all comfort and succour in times of trouble (along with tossing in the mandatory drive-by smear of George Bush). My response is the same as dave's - look after yourself, because when it comes right down to it, government will cock things up if they possibly can.

Witness the photo. My first thought: what a perfect helicopter landing zone for airlifting supplies or evacuating the stranded or whatever, except for all the f***ing cars up there!! Why weren't they cleared away (and the top level blocked off) before the storm hit? Answer - because the local and state authorities (the ones with the actual responsibility for disaster preparedness) didn't do their bloody jobs.

Same comment regarding the buses shown a few posts earlier. They weren't used to evacuate the poor and helpless because the government authorities stuck their heads up their butts.

Yes, the scale of the task is an issue that many fail to grasp. But people also fail to grasp the danger of relying on the nanny state for protection. And when the government demonstrably fails in its primary duties, these same people will demand more of the same incompetence and vote accordingly.

The extent of the devastation boggles the mind. I just can't see how they're going to rebuild on that scale. Better to relocate everyone.

Doug - the rooftop might be a perfect landing site for a helicopter to evactuate people, but, still those people have to get to that site.
If the land is under water, and no land vehicles can travel, then, you need boats. They have to bring the boats in - by air. How many boats can a helicopter handle?
etc, etc.

I put the blame squarely on the Mayor of the town and the Governor - neither of whom listened to the long term analyses, set up emergency plans and did a thing when this storm struck - other than 'advise people to leave'. And then, blamed Bush...

Perhaps we don't need to blame anyone. Naturally we want to, when we helplessly watch the suffering and death and chaos continue. But as Kate says, the scale of the disaster is immense. Some things are just beyond any reasonable efforts to prevent, protect, plan, etc. America is a great nation, but nature is still greater.
When I have to start the 4x4 and go pull my husband's Geo Metro out of a snowdrift on the street in front of our house, I don't blame the town. It's not reasonable to expect them to have all the streets cleared first thing in the morning after the storm. Is it reasonable to expect that a plan would have been in place to clear building roofs as landing pads for helicopters, mobilize small armies of school bus drivers, all through the efforts of city and state employees on a weekend? But perhaps, as Kate has hinted in a couple of posts, if there was less reliance on the state to do these things, and more habit of just pitching in and getting things done, the school bus drivers would have shown up unbidden, the right person would have turned up with a key to the bus yard, the car owners with extra vehicles wouldn't have parked them on a roof but instead would have handed the keys to others and sent them looking for people needing rides...

I think also that there is a lingering perception, fostered by the fact that the American news media tends to concentrate on major cities like New York and Washington DC, that the US is nothing but one large urban wasteland. I can't remember the name of the British "travel" writer who penned some really stupid article stating that very theme. People have no idea 1) just how big the US is, 2) how much of it is not only rural, but wilderness, and 2) despite the fact that we are the world's "wealthiest" nation, we have poor and sick people just like any other country.

Okay, that last one should be "3" -- I need more coffee...

Did anybody see Larry King last night? Three hours of practical suggestions from folks there or from there. Cut to Celine Dion. Yes, the French Canadian who donated a million, sat and railed against the US government and how they could so easily bomb people on the ground but couldn't get them water, etc. Sobbing and wailing, herself the mother of a child who couldn't bear the images, etc. Then: So, will you sing us a song. Sob, sob, sob. Anaccompanied, eyes dried, she belts out a song. Cut to Larry: What a trooper. Sigh.

Andrea, I think the writer you refer to is Matthew Engel; he writes for the Guardian. Likeks wrote a blistering response to his article on 'flyover country'. Which can be enjoyed here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/bush/story/0,7369,658094,00.html

Cheers
JMH

Good post Kate! So very true. I've driven to and stayed overnight in every province and territory in Canada. I used to be a salesman for western Canada and I've driven the west VERY extensively. It's why I feel those hippie tree-huggers are so stupid, they just don't seem to grasp how large our country (let alone the Planet) really is and how hard it would be to destroy it (barring a large-scale nuclear war).

Morris, Makes you feel tiny when you have a sense of scale. eh? Flying north of Prince Rupert, Wow, what a sight! Lakes and lakes for miles.

Eastward and south from Alice Arm, land of a million lakes. Who wooda thunk it? '3s TG

Great post Kate too many subjects in one post First You're right flying sucks - I love a good drive down the highway, but then I'm an irredeemable speeder! Many years ago I took the train from New Brunswick to Calgary with several stops along the way. (Fond memories 19, single chick, bar car!) Unfortunately, Canada is a vast land and planes are required for some trips. I prefer not ... claustrophic ... live and work in Calgary ... site trip to Weyburn ... company ain't letting me take 2 days to get there.

The scope of this disaster defies imagination - over one million people homeless, some or whom will be permanently displaced. Is it even possible to attempt to rebuild this city ... And if so where do you begin. Mind boggling questions really ... cana city as vibrant as NO really just cease to exist.

As for placing blame - you can't - I don't think anyone could imagine devastation on this scale. Dispite FEMA forecasts I don't think anyone really believed that the New Orleans levees would break or that 28' waves would hit. Everyone likely believed that engineering being what it is, things were over-designed and over built, even though "modeling" is at best guess work.

This whole last week has been so bizarre.

Again you were right on the mark with your comments re: Canadian smugness!

Thanks, Kate

sarge knows the new orleans scenario was gamed by the US govenrment agensies and FEMA only two years ago-a force 5 storm was predicted to kill 50,000 people plus monetary damage in the 100 billions. bush had members of his staff involved in the game and so should have known what was at stake. the head of FEMA, previously fired from his job representing an arabian horse owner's group, didn't bother to call the head of home land security for deployment of extra people till after the hurricane hit thge coast, then gave the emergency people 48 hours to 7 days to respond-the focus being on not rescue but in human services and "PR"...as i recall the govenor of louisianna had 1st asked for help on aug. 28th. the weather service predicted surge capable of breaching the levies as in the "hurricane pamala" scenario. this is bush's america-a governement run by incompitants and defunded by norquist's legions, in hopes of "drowning the federal government". sarge thinks its funny ya kanukistani thinks the mayor and governor were soley responcible for declaring emergency and requsting help in a force 4 or 5 hurricane. how you suppose these boys is gona respond to a major terror attack such as a dirty bomb or small nuke where there is no warning. america is waking up to the fact we is spending billions to be protected by incompitant criminals who simply can't do the job. sarge urges yall to consider what will happen if your own government becomes as criminallly neglegent as our own cause thats what yall seem to be working for.

sarge knows miss kate hates smart people specially...smart people who is nearly alsways on the money, but the run down of who is who in the hurricane disaster, and what really happened is well told at www.talkingpointsmemo.com