Can't believe it is already October 2005. Oh well....

My brother-in-law drove down to Slidell today. He called about 9 PM to say he left Baton Rouge at about 6:00 PM and was still not in Slidell. He said traffic is horrible. I guess it is still too early to go back. It is going to take forever to get that area back to normal.

Also heard that very few of the residents of St. Bernard had flood insurance. Unfreakin' believable!!!! How can banks provide mortgages for homes and businesses that are BELOW SEA LEVEL and not REQUIRE flood insurance!

Granted the Feds screwed up, but you need to also look at the local and state government as well. In addition, the people of Louisiana and rest of the United States share in the blame. They elected the idiots that did nothing. They moved their families into an area that was destine for disaster.

How do I know this? My wife was born and raised there. She knows. I know from knowing her family who moved in with us just before Katrina hit. Her father, who is 79 years old, is anxious to get back despite the warnings of disease, reports of corpses in the streets, lack of infrastructure and medical care. This makes no sense just like it doesn't make sense to continue building a city below sea level.

The banks are to blame for continuing to loan money to build properties in an area that was predictably doomed.

The insurance companies are to blame for continuing to insure such properties. Now they should be held accountable, but they run for cover like cockroaches when people need them.

The parts that are flooded, like St. Bernard parish, should be abandoned. The government should buy out the people that had property there, then cultivate it into a marsh in the hopes that maybe it will provide a buffer to the city before the next category 3+ storm hits.

Why did this happen? Because of man's hubris in thinking that he can control nature. We need to recognize when it makes more sense to surrender than fight.

My in-laws from Slidell, LA had been living with my wife and I since Katrina approached New Orleans. This week, my wife's sister, her husband and their sons moved to an apartment. Last weekend we learned that while their new house in St. Bernard is totally flooded, they didn't lose their belongings that were in storage. We also learned that my father-in-law and brother-in-law's houses in Slidell were spared. Despite everything that has transpired in the aftermath of Katrina, we have been very fortunate.

My take on the relief effort is that everyone failed, from local city officials to state politicians to the federal government.

Even the citizens of New Orleans failed. How? They failed to hold their elected officials accountable in the past. They failed to allow for higher taxes to address the needs for hurricane protection. The politicians failed to find creative ways to fund the necessary protections.

The whole thing is just sad.

Now that the city is contaminated, why would anyone want to go back? Will it ever be clean enough to enjoy a healthy life?