hurricane thoughts from the high prairie

The evanescent Lone Prairie blog is back, retooled and rethought by author Julie Neidlinger. It was only gone for a day or so really, but that was a sad day, a dark day. No, I'm just being overly dramatic. But I am very glad she didn't stay gone.

And she's written a quality post about the aftermath of Katrina. I especially like the way she takes the time to place this catastrophe (and that is a good word for it) in the context of other catastrophic events in history, wondering how they would have been perceived in our media saturated age...

"Would Galveston's 1900 hurricane have been the worst thing ever? The earthquake of '04? How would Hurricane Andrew be covered differently in today's media climate? The great Boston molasses tragedy of 1919? The Long Island Express hurricane of 1938? The 1972 earthquake in Managua that forced millions of people into stadiums, parks and schools? The flu pandemic of 1918? The fall of Rome? Pompeii? The tsunami that nearly liquefied part of Alaska's coast in 1964?"

It's a long post but very good. I'm thinking a little differently about things for having read it. Click over when you have a few minutes to read and think.