otoh

One year ago today I made my first post on Blogger. We had survived hurricane Charlie and hurricane Frances was about to screw up our holiday weekend. Ivan would pass us by, but Jeanne gave us one more smack-down. The city of Winter Park lost about a third of its tree canopy, most of that during Charlie. Coastal areas had more homes destroyed but even in Central Florida homes were destroyed or damaged so badly they were unliveable for months. Localized flooding plagued areas across the state. Power outages lasted days, weeks for some. Gasoline was in short supply. Some of the stations had gas, but no electricity to run the pumps. Food spoiled from lack of refrigeration. People lined up daily for water and ice. It was bad, but…

Today the devastation from Katrina in the panhandle of Florida and the Gulf coastal areas of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana — especially New Orleans — boggles the mind. The ripples reach long distances and will last months to years. Evacuated residents wait in limbo while those who didn’t evacuate wait in hell. Check out Wired News for links to information and where to donate to relief efforts.

What a difference a year makes.

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