Beyond Katrina

Actor Kevin Costner to be Grand Marshall of Endymion Parade

The Doobie Brothers will perform at the Endymion Ball

Carnival time in New Orleans is just two months away and the Krewe of Endymion has announced that actor Kevin Costner will be the Grand Marshal for 2008. Continue Here.

Hurricane-safety research loses an icon

Herbert Saffir, creator of category scale, dies at 90

The death of Herbert Saffir, creator of the Saffir-Simpson scale for determining hurricane intensity, is being reported in newspapers around the nation. However, I like this article by Anita Lee at Biloxi's Sun Herald which takes a look at Saffir's visit "to the Mississippi Coast after Hurricane Katrina at the invitation of Gulfport attorney Joe Sam Owen, who represents policyholders in their lawsuits against insurance companies". It was Saffir's opinion that Hurricane Camille's lessons were "wasted on the gulf coast", an opinion I concur with. Let it be said that I was in Biloxi within days after Camille's landfall - It was one of the most shocking and traumatic experiences of my life, albeit it prepared me for Katrina. At any rate, good article---check it out here.

OPINION: Another storm-free season? Let's debrief

Regarding the failed forecasts for this year's prediction of an above average hurricane season, I concur with  the questions posed by Del Stone, Jr. at Northwest Florida Daily News. To wit:

"It all seems so tiresome, doesn’t it? The shrill predictions of disaster, the finger-pointing and politics when a disaster actually occurs and the scorn when it doesn’t?...For instance, is it useful or even responsible to predict how active a season will be when so many of the forecasts are wrong? This year was expected to be an above-normal season, with an ACE Index (a measure of storm intensity) well above the mean. Every prediction, with the exception of the National Hurricane Center’s range of 13 to 17 storms, was wrong. What purpose do these numbers serve beyond scaring people? Do they make one bit of difference in the way coastal residents prepare for a storm?"

For Stone's conclusions see this op ed.

Biloxi: Two Tales of a City

Peter Whoriskey of WaPo (who has really stayed with it re Katrina recovery reportage) has penned a telling article about the mixed recovery bag in Biloxi, Mississippi. On the one hand Casinos are thriving and real estate development is flourishing while "working class neighborhoods"  (more than 10,000 displaced families in FEMA trailers) still haven't rebounded. Now there is a proposal "to divert $600 million in federal housing aid to fund an expansion plan at the Port of Gulfport". For a deeper look into the situation see this article at WashingtonPost.com.

$1 million federal grant will help restore Cameron marsh

Reported by Associated Press

About 1,300 acres of Cameron Parish marsh damaged by Hurricane Rita is set for restoration under a 1 million dollar federal conservation grant. Continue here.

After Katrina, Louisiana's Film Industry Flourishes

LOS ANGELES (Dow Jones) -- Call it "the other LA." In addition to sharing the same abbreviation as the film industry's capital, the state of Louisiana is capturing more of the dollars going into movie and television production -- roughly half a billion dollars for about 50 projects this year. Continue.

Woman in dogfight for pet lost in Katrina

Continuing sad saga re the issue of recovering lost pets post-Katrina here. 

Two years after Katrina, food banks still stretched thin

    NEW ORLEANS -- People who never expected to be lining up for free food are thankful they can as the recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita inches into its third year, while programs supplying the food are scrambling to find it. National supply problems are intensified in south Louisiana, where many people are still waiting on government help while rebuilding houses wrecked by the storm. Continue here.

Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Receives GULF GUARDIAN AWARD

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – The Gulf of Mexico Program recently announced that the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Baton Rouge, Louisiana will receive a first place Gulf Guardian Award for 2007 in the Government Category, for their “Integrated Ecosystem Restoration and Hurricane Protection: LA Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast”. The awards will be presented during the 2007 Clean Gulf Conference on November 14, 2007 at the Embassy Suites Hotel, Bayside Ballroom in Tampa, Florida beginning at 6 p.m.

For the first time in Louisiana history, the state has a comprehensive master plan that integrates coastal restoration and hurricane protection for sustaining Louisiana’s Gulf Coast. To develop this plan, the state first created the Coastal Protection & Restoration Authority (CPRA) in December 2005 with authority to articulate a clear statement of priorities and focus development and implementation efforts. In a remarkable 18-month public process, lead by the expertise of the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Transportation and Development and other state agencies, Louisiana now speaks with one clear voice for the future of Louisiana’s coast.

The Gulf of Mexico Program initiated the Gulf Guardian awards in 2000 as a way to recognize and honor the businesses, community groups, individuals, and agencies that are taking positive steps to keep the Gulf healthy, beautiful and productive. A first, second, and third place award are given each year in seven categories – individual, business, youth and education, nonprofit organizations, government, partnership and bi-national efforts.

"Gulf Guardian awards showcase accomplishments from a broad spectrum of environmental leaders -- from committed individuals to dynamic corporations" EPA Regional Administrator Richard E. Greene said. "I applaud their success in preserving the vital resources of the Gulf Coast, one of our most valuable national treasures"

The Gulf of Mexico Program began in 1988 to protect, restore, and maintain the health and productivity of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem in economically sustainable ways. The Gulf of Mexico Program is underwritten by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is a non-regulatory, inclusive consortium of state and federal government agencies and representatives of the business and agricultural community, fishing industry, scientists, environmentalists, and community leaders from all five Gulf States. The Gulf Program seeks to improve the environmental health of the Gulf in concert with economic development.

Bryon Griffith, Director of the Gulf of Mexico Program said “This is the 8th year of the Gulf Guardian Awards Program and I am proud to say that each year the winners in all categories have represented the very best of environmental accomplishments in the Gulf of Mexico. The 2007 award winners truly exemplify the bond that enthusiastic and committed citizens, communities, governments, and businesses share in addressing complex problems to improve, protect, and sustain our regional and national treasure, the Gulf of Mexico.”

Funds allow Cameron parish to rebuild faster

CAMERON, La. -- Rebuilding efforts in Cameron Parish will soon make a big leap forward thanks to Cheniere Energy.The Houston-based company, which is building a liquefied natural gas receiving terminal at Sabine Pass, has accelerated its property tax payments so the parish can immediately begin using the money for rebuilding projects. Continue here.