InfoAnda - Katrina recovery was test of ability to adapt

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Lions coach says tough to defend AFF Suzuki Cup title | 25 November 2008
India needs strict controls to avoid blackouts: power firm | | 4 August 2012
S.Korean bonds steady early despite firmer stocks | 6 November 2009

Spain vows labour market reform by end of June | 2 June 2010

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Katrina recovery was test of ability to adapt

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail More Yahoo! Services Account Options New User? Sign Up Sign In Help Yahoo! Search web search Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Africa Europe Latin America Middle East North America Katrina recovery was test of ability to adapt AP - Tuesday, December 15 Send IM Story Print Katrina. For most Americans, it needs no qualifiers. Just as we hear the word "Vietnam" and think first of war, someone says "Katrina," and we think, not of a woman, but of broken levees and broken promises. Of property, lives and innocence lost. The name conjures images of desperate, half-naked people waving white flags from rooftop islands emblazoned with pleas of "SOS." and "HELP US." Of sweaty, hunger-crazed mobs swarming as soldiers push cartons of food and water from hovering helicopters. Of bloated corpses, left to rot in the sun and be gnawed on by stray dogs. Things like that don't happen here, we told ourselves. In the Third World, yes, but not in the United States. That was before Aug. 29, 2005. Before Katrina. At an estimated $81 billion in property damage, it is the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. But to many, especially to those in greater New Orleans, this catastrophe was anything but an act of God. Residents on the Mississippi and Alabama coasts knew they were exposed to storms in the Gulf of Mexico, and that they built near the beaches at their own risk. But the people of New Orleans thought they were safe behind their network of earthen levees and concrete floodwalls. By armoring and raising its banks, we had "tamed" the Mississippi River. But in the process, we starved of silt the delta marshlands that buffered the mainland from the Gulf of Mexico. For years, experts had worried that a direct hit by a major hurricane would swamp the largely below-sea-level city. In the end, it didn't even take that. As Katrina grew into a Category 5 monster, New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin, calling it the "storm that most of us have long feared," ordered the city's first-ever mandatory evacuation. But in the last hours, the storm weakened to a Category 3 and veered east, striking the city a mere glancing blow. To those of us who'd waited it out in the French Quarter or at the Superdome, Katrina seemed at first to have been just another "shoo-shoo" _ a firecracker that fizzles, then goes out. Then the water began to rise. What we didn't know was that overflow from Lake Pontchartrain to the north was battering the floodwalls on the 17th Street and London Avenue Canals. To the southeast, wind-driven storm surge funneled up the 76-mile Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet _ the "Mr. Go" _ was overtopping and eroding the city's outer defenses. Within hours, 80 percent of New Orleans and nearly all of neighboring St. Bernard Parish were inundated. Many of the storm's 1,600 victims _ among them, 35 who drowned in their beds and wheelchairs at St. Rita's Nursing Home in St. Bernard Parish _ died in the first violent rush of water. Others, like the 45 whose bodies were found in the chapel at New Orleans' Memorial Medical Center, languished for days in as they waited in vain for rescue. Angry residents immediately blamed the Corps of Engineers for the levee failures. But as days passed, their anger turned to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In the days immediately following the storm, House Speaker Dennis Hastert questioned the sense of spending billions to rebuild a city, much of which was seven feet below sea level. "It looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed," he said. But such decisions are largely political and emotional, not practical or logical. And, for better or worse, we have chosen to rebuild New Orleans' flood protections around the city's pre-Katrina footprint. The city has regained 77 percent of its population and commercial activity, and job figures are at 71 percent of pre-Katrina levels, according to a recent report by GCR & Associates, a local consulting firm. Tax credits and other programs have helped in the rebuilding of nearly 70,000 housing units, and the government has spent $15 billion on improved hurricane protection for the region. But the storm has left more than 40,000 vacant homes or empty lots in New Orleans. Meanwhile, rents in the city are 50 percent higher than before Katrina. We have tried to learn from Katrina. When Hurricane Gustav threatened the city in September 2008, authorities backed the evacuation order with an armada of buses, and most heeded the warning. Earlier this year, the Mr. Go was closed to shipping. The Corps assures residents the city's flood protections are stronger than ever. But the old defenses were supposed to have been strong enough to withstand the diminished Katrina that brushed by New Orleans. Katrina left us in doubt, exposing the fallacy that with technology and tenacity, we can anticipate and meet every contingency. If the storm taught us anything, it's that nature, like evil, can never really be tamed. ___ Allen G. Breed, a national writer based in Raleigh, N.C., covered Katrina and its aftermath. Recommend Send IM Story Print Related Articles Al-Qaida No. 2 blasts Obama, honors 9/11 suspect AP - 1 hour 10 minutes ago Land mine kills 6 Somali children in same family AP - 1 hour 12 minutes ago 3 bodies found shot to death in Texas mobile home AP - 1 hour 14 minutes ago Guinea's No. 2 to visit wounded leader in Morocco AP - 1 hour 16 minutes ago Sky-mapping spacecraft lifts off from Cal coast AP - 1 hour 17 minutes ago News Search Top Stories Citi to repay $20 bln in plan to exit bailout Dubai to pay debt with $10 bln Abu Dhabi handout Koalas, penguins at risk of extinction: study Jackson, Boyle and Tiger transfix in 2009 Cadbury says rejects 'inadequate' Kraft takeover bid More Top Stories » ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Most Viewed Most Recommended Top British banker admits 'mistakes' on bonuses Dubai to pay debt with $10 billion Abu Dhabi fund Tiger Woods' girlfriend apologizes in TV interview Fed likely to dampen speculation on early exit US jobless rate 'could rise further' More Most Viewed » Global stocks mixed amid Dubai debt crisis Tiny magnetic discs could kill cancer cells: study Virgin unveils spaceship to offer space tourism Tiger Woods' girlfriend apologizes in TV interview Dubai blackout over debt plans to hit Gulf markets More Most Recommended » Elsewhere on Yahoo! Financial news on Yahoo! Finance Stars and latest movies Best travel destinations More on Yahoo! News Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Subscribe to our news feeds Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS » More news feeds | What are news feeds? Also on Yahoo Answers Groups Mail Messenger Mobile Travel Finance Movies Sports Games » All Yahoo! Services Site Highlights Singapore Full Coverage Most Popular Asia Entertainment Photos Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community | Intellectual Property Rights Policy | Help

Other News on Monday, 14 December 2009
Israel funnels millions of dollars to settlements
Catalans vote in symbolic independence referendum
Campaign mocks treatment of Iran student leader
Leaders strike deal on Sudan democratic reforms
Berlusconi bloodied by hit to face, says he's fine |
Supreme leader says Iran's opposition violates law
US jobless rate 'could rise further'
Greek economy minister urges immediate reforms
With Gaza cease-fire, south Israel blossoms
Israel expels Jewish seminary from army deal |
Houston is first major US city to elect gay mayor
Iran's Khamenei issues stern warning to opposition
Iran's president pledges support to Hamas leader
PLO set to extend Abbas term as Palestinian leader
300 stuck temporarily on Disney World monorail
Turkmenistan-China pipeline to start Monday
`Princess and the Frog' hops to No. 1 with $25M
Nobel-winning economist dead at 94
NKorean weapons seizure could affect nuke talks
S Philippines grapples with crisis after crisis
Politics dominate Calif education reform effort
Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline to open Monday
Authorities: Rottweiler mauls, kills Fla. toddler
Thaksin back in Cambodia as Thai "spy" to be freed
Senator says opposition grows to Medicare buy-in
Taiwan fishermen 'fall victim to climate change'
Houston biggest US city to elect openly gay mayor
Senate to vote on $1.1 trillion spending bill
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Disney's Princess charms weekend moviegoers |
Disney's "Princess" charms weekend moviegoers
Reggae star Buju Banton facing drug charge in Fla.
`Princess and the Frog' hops to No. 1 with $25M
Gunmen storm Afghan police post, kill 8: governor
Italian protester breaks Berlusconi's nose |
Italy's Berlusconi in hospital after attack
2009: the Year of Twitter and Facebook
Afghan war decision toughest of presidency: Obama
Fed likely to dampen speculation on early exit
Russia cuts gas to Armenia after bomb found: report |
Greece waits for its financial medicine
Accenture ends relationship with Tiger Woods
Afghan air strike wreaks more havoc in Germany
Nanomaterial used in cancer tests, medicine delivery
Conservative favored in Chile presidential run-off |
Mobile phone English lessons a hit in Bangladesh
Timeline of Iranian, North Korean nuclear programs
Decades-old dioxins pollute river, divide US community
Israel votes new funding for settlements
Democracy referendum plan heats up Hong Kong politics |
Kurds, Turkish nationalists clash in Istanbul
Low turnout in Catalan independence referendum |
Myanmar rebels grow more opium to buy arms: report |
Brown in Afghanistan vows new push to defeat Taliban
Iraq: No time to act after US tip before blasts
Kurds, Turkish nationalists clash in Istanbul |
Saudi opposition petitions for vote after floods
China blocks Sun TV signal in content crackdown |
Israel okays millions of dollars in aid to settlements
Highlights of UN resolution against NKorea
Thais extend North Korean arms cargo crew's detention
AP INVESTIGATION: Monsanto seed biz role revealed
Google to produce, sell own Nexus One phones: report |
US mulls Predator strikes in Pakistani cities: report
Kidney donor's night-before-surgery poem
Accenture ends relationship with Tiger Woods |
Nurses are key to matchmaking in kidney swap
Hardline Pakistani schools a draw for foreigners
Apple fires back at Nokia in patents battle |
Avalanche fears, clouds hamper search for climbers
Cambodia frees convicted Thai spy
Lieberman resists Medicare buy-in plan
Crew of NKorean weapons plane in Thai court
Venezuela's Chavez sees U.S. 'threat' over Iran ties
Plane crew held for 12 more days over weapons haul
Obamas join stars for Christmas benefit concert
Obama: Expect no more White House gate-crashers
Woman executed in China over child prostitution
China might not take climate change funding: FT
UN: 2 UN hostages freed from Darfur
Weather forecast for the Asia-Pacific region
46 injured in pileup of about 50 cars in Conn.
Johnny Depp can't get used to winning awards
Seoul shares turn up on Dubai news; builders rise
Toyota to start selling plug-in hybrids in 2011
Mercedes-Benz sees China sales up 15 pct in 2010
Korea Hot Stocks
Confidence up at Japanese manufacturers
Obama's brother turns down film role
Pakistan
Johnny Depp can't get used to winning awards
Japan's business confidence grows: central bank
Seoul shares turn lower; KOPEC jumps on debut
History miniseries takes on the Kennedys |
Taiwan dollar near flat in thin trade, eyes stocks
`Precious,' `Up,' `Hangover' make AFI top-10 list
Downey's Sherlock Holmes an action hero |
S.Korea Nov ind power demand growth at 8-yr high
L.A. critics honor Iraq war movie Hurt Locker |
Luxury travel business bounces back
NBC launching Chuck game |
`Hurt Locker' wins LA Critics' best-picture prize
Hundreds of Indian languages struggle to survive
Big US box office kiss for Disney's 'Frog Princess'
US-TECH Summary
EU warms to Oracle-Sun deal
Detained Americans to be tried in Iran: minister |
Insurgent foe's slaying shows cracks near Baghdad
Koalas, penguins at risk of extinction: study
Hi-tech, eco-friendly dream home takes shape in Japan
U.S. forces chief warns of Afghanistan fight |
Gunmen kill 16 police in Afghan ambushes
Jackson, Boyle and Tiger transfix in 2009
Cadbury says rejects 'inadequate' Kraft takeover bid
Bin Laden: symbolic icon in impenetrable fortress
Dubai to pay debt with $10 billion Abu Dhabi fund
Turk PM calls for unity after Kurdish party ban |
Pakistan seeks clues on jailed Americans |
Iran says makes arrests over torn Khomeini picture |
Will Ecuador drought dry up Correa's popularity? |
Motorized bar stool from DUI case fetches $1,125
DNA map shows pandas may lack meat taste buds
Katrina recovery was test of ability to adapt
Beijing cuts broadcaster's signal amid media crackdown
EU warms to Oracle-Sun deal |
Iran to put three US hikers on trial
Accenture ends relationship with Tiger Woods |
Democracy "referendum" plan heats up HK politics
Boxer's opponents capitalize on 'ma'am' exchange
U.S. envoy says no timetable yet for North Korea talks
Gaps in DNA databanks have led to tragedy
NBA launches Web, mobile sites for fans in India |
Pakistan police probe Americans in terror case
NATO: Top US defense official visits Afghanistan
Accenture marks 1st sponsor to cut ties with Woods
Protest widens against creation of new Indian state
Clinics help people represent themselves in court
Philippine troops kill one militant after jailbreak
Obama to meet with bankers, then Lebanon's leader
Cambodia frees Thai 'spy' after pardon by king
26 operations, 13 kidneys: hope to few with little
16 policemen killed in 2 attacks in Afghanistan
Korean derivative funds rebound sharply; risks eyed
Toyota aims to roll out plug-in Prius in two years
`Avatar' joins tradition of the Hollywood colossus
China unveils landmark Turkmenistan pipeline
Coal still king in China, despite climate pledge
India inflation hit 4.8 percent in November
S.Lanka set for record current account surplus
Confidence grows at Japanese manufacturers
Golden Globes nominations launch Oscars race
India's gold retailers jump on the 'brandwagon'
History miniseries takes on the Kennedys
Downey's "Sherlock Holmes" an action hero
NBC launching "Chuck" game
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01