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The "Standard of Ur" from ancient Mesopotamia

The "Standard of Ur" from ancient Mesopotamia

29 August 2008

Three years on


Three years ago today, the poorly designed federal levees that were supposed to protect New Orleans broke and flooded eighty percent of the city. Some people are still missing; 1,464 people perished. That figure does not include the elderly and fragile people whose deaths were hastened by stress or heartbreak.



Grayson Capps' "New Orleans Waltz" from Wail & Ride (Hyena Records)




pictures set to Bruce Springsteen's "My City of Ruins"

11 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

It certainly adds an element of fear to Gustav, coming in so close to the anniverary.

Shauna Roberts said...

CHARLES, it certainly does. Even though I am no longer there and in danger, I have been checking the Hurricane Center online for every update, just as I did when I was there. It's very worrisome and I'm glad people are taking it seriously and either preparing now or getting out of town now.

Lana Gramlich said...

Not to mention that Gustav jumped 2 hurricane categories just since yesterday...

Shauna Roberts said...

And now two more . . . .

Carleen Brice said...

God Bless those who made it through Katrina and those who didn't it. I pray everybody comes through Gustav.

Geraldine said...

How sad this is and continues to be such a tragedy for so many people in the U.S. south. The devastation is hard to fathom. The tragedy that perhaps this could have been prevented.

Got here via Chapter and Verse.

www.mypoeticpath.wordpress.com

Patry Francis said...

The specter of Gustav brings us all back to the heartbreak and lingering pain of Katrina, as well as the many questions about why our governement didn't do a better job protecting the vulnerable. I'm praying for New Orleans.

Steve Malley said...

I'm half a world away, and I'm not going to be able to breathe easy until that storm passes.

Shauna Roberts said...

CARLEEN, it appears that people near the Gulf were smart and evacuated this time. The people Mayor Nagin is having trouble getting out of the city are the Uptowners who came through Katrina without problems and for some reason think they'll win the lottery twice.

GERALDINE, thanks for visiting, although sorry it was for such a sad occasion. Glad to meet you; Billy is a cool guy.

PATRY, thank you. I hope you are doing well and regaining your health.

Me neither, STEVE. Even though we're now living hundreds of miles away, we've been watching videos of Mayor Nagin's official talks, keeping track of every Hurricane Center track update, looking at the projections of other models, and worrying about our friends and our city. Many people hadn't even gotten back into their homes yet, and now this.

Sphinx Ink said...

Thanks, Shauna, for the beautiful and touching music videos. Brought tears to my eyes, not only recalling the tragedies of Katrina, but also looking at the current less-devastated but still-difficult situation we're in from Gustav.

Shauna Roberts said...

SPHINX, I read in the paper this morning that the minor damage people had from Gustav may be enough to tip some over into leaving. Even a little fixing up is too much, particularly for people who just finished—or haven't yet finished—fixing up after Katrina.

Later, as people go home, I dread hearing what happened to the homes of people who lived closer to the eye of Gustav, such as Farrah and Pamela.