Hurricane Katrina two-year anniversary arrives

Today's date is somber reminder of what major weather event impacted our country by significant proportions.

After we just finished watching Dean march across the Caribbean Sea and slam into Mexico last week, today marks the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina making landfall on the Gulf Coast region of the United States.

I still remember where I was when Katrina struck New Orleans and especially the Mississippi coastline. The catastrophic devastation has made the recovery effort a daunting, but not impossible task for the region. Headlines have ranged from the failing levees flooding 80% of New Orleans to damage of the Louisiana wetlands to near-total destruction of cities such as Biloxi and Gulfport. But Katrina's large wind field as it reached the Gulf Coast undoubtedly had effected other cities such as Lake Charles (later more impacted by Hurricane Rita) and Mobile. On August 29, 2005, I was visiting one of my closest friends in the Long Island town of Lake Ronkonkoma, New York and had recorded onto VHS tape three time periods of coverage from The Weather Channel, including the moment Katrina made landfall. So in the future, if you see any video clips from that tape, the current conditions site is from Islip, New York instead of the site for my own local coverage area (White Plains, New York).

Most of the post-Katrina attention has been on New Orleans where devastation is well-documented. The massive failure of the levees flooded out the city, especially The 9th Ward section with the most visible damage. Some residents that had no means to evacuate the city took refuge in the Louisiana Superdome, a venue that suffered significant damage to its roof (just look at the aerial photos and video from after the storm). The New Orleans Police Department has had their hands full dealing with widespread crime in the weeks and months since Katrina hit (they still don't have a headquarters building). The federal government early on failed to implement an effective gameplan to help in the recovery effort and many critics blame those running the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA's mismanagement in providing swift and immediate aid to especially those desperately in need of assistance still is even discussed today. Even how New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin has managed the rebuilding process has been well-scrutinized and criticized for especially how slow the process has been and what steps have yet to be met to insure a full recovery for the Crescent City. One skeptic that I heard make such statements in which he has his doubts New Orleans ever will is Glenn Beck. He had coverage to ask the question if the Crescent City can be a viable place to live anymore. Regardless of what Beck thinks, the levees are being rebuilt slowly but surely, however New Orleans remains extremely vulernable to another hurricane only two years removed from Katrina. About two-thirds of the original 455,000 population have reportedly either stayed throughout or returned within the last 24 months. For visitors that come to New Orleans, there is a company that daily gives a three-hour tour of the city called "Katrina Tours" to show first hand the devastation Katrina caused and the progress New Orleans has made in the rebuilding process.

However, we have seen signs of promising progress to a point where even their two major sports franchises have made a commitment to remain in New Orleans. The Saints made a trimuphent return last fall to a renovated Superdome and defeated the Atlanta Falcons before a national television audience. The main theme of this game was to celebrate New Orleans' rebirth. Meantime, the Hornets return to New Orleans full time this upcoming NBA season after spending the previous two in Oklahoma City and will even host the 2008 NBA All-Star Game next February.

In Biloxi and Gulfport, notable progress has been made as businesses are re-opening and numerous rebuilding projects have given those that are deeply involved a sense of optimism for the region. From new hotels to casinos to bring in revenue to downtown revitalization plus the rebuilding of neighborhoods, those along Mississippi's Gulf Coast region have reason to believe again in where they call home. Their two-year anniversary observance today will provide them a look back at what residents are recovering from.

President George W. Bush paid a visit to New Orleans today for the two-year anniversary events. Despite the mismanagement and ongoing challenges the city faces today, Bush said New Orleans is now in better shape than at this time two years ago (of course it is, Katrina was battering the city at the time) and expressed his hope for full recovery.

While I was quickly surfing the internet during my lunch hour, I see that The Times-Picayune has a special archive section of articles from August 29, 2005. It is definitely worth checking out.
I'm unsure if I'll be tuning in to The Weather Channel tonight for coverage on the Katrina anniversary, but I'm sure those that did two years ago remember the 2005 Hurricane Katrina theme music played during the "Local on the 8s" forecast segments. The Mets-Phillies and Red Sox-Yankees series are of higher interest to me tonight. I cannot post a direct link to Steve Arnold's full-length song to provide a reminiscent look back at memorable sounds we heard on The Weather Channel that day because it would for me be illegal to do so online. I wouldn't be surprised if Jim Cantore (my all-time favorite TWC meteorologist), Jeff Morrow, Mike Seidel and Stephanie Abrams are all on location at the same places they were during Katrina. I expect the lovely Julie Martin to also provide live reports from New Orleans, too.

Overall, it is a tough day for many that were affected by Hurricane Katrina, but at the same time it reminds us how much we need to continue moving forward in the rebuilding process. The hope and resilence needs to be there if places such as New Orleans, Biloxi and Gulfport are to fully recover and possibly stronger than before Katrina caused widespread destruction.