Tropical Storm Isaac is bearing down on the Louisiana coast and is likely to become a hurricane later today, before making landfall somewhere close to New Orleans. This is not good news for either my hometown or the surrounding areas which have been struggling for seven years -- to the very day -- to recover from the grim aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Even though Isaac is not expected to match the destructive force of Katrina, which was a major Category 3 storm when it finally made landfall, I hope that anyone who's in the expected impact zone takes every necessary precaution, as even a Category 1 hurricane will bring a powerful storm surge to low-lying areas, epic amounts of rain and flooding, and destructive winds. There's one other thing about these tropical storms that attack the Gulf Coast every summer and fall; they typically bring reminders of the manmade, environmental damage that's taken place in the region. One current example of that is the area around Bayou Corne, where rural residents already alarmed by the impact of an expanding sinkhole are now dealing with the stress of an evacuation and the fears that flooding could worsen their situation. But the greatest ...
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