The Reality of Katrina Hits Home, and There's Commentary Galore

The harsh realities posed by the aftermath and pending cleamup from Hurricane Katrina are settling in starkly and on a variety of fronts. As the entire city of New Orleans evacuates, relief efforts galore are ramping up, ranging from Instapundit's massive list of relief organizations (today's top blog post) to relief campaigns from Canada and Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez (who's apparently let the Pat Robertson "thing" pass). Today, 27 of the top 40 blog posts, 29 of the top 40 web links and 24 of the top 40 phrases discussed by bloggers refer somehow to Katrina's devastation.

Likewise, "buzz" in the blogosphere is tracking the deteriorating aftermath, including looting, rising gas prices and massive evacuations:



Discussion varies geographically, too, with most of the attention focused on New Orleans, with other cities falling in behind.




"RIP, New Orleans..."
What's interesting today is the range of conversations taking place. RIP, New Orleans," laments LiveJournaler Snidgepod as she reocunts her once-favorable memories and spots of the home of Mardis Gras. Should New Orleans be rebuilt, asks BuzzMachine's Jeff Jarvis? And the reason that two Yahoo! news photos are today's No. 1 and No. 3 links is because of wording in the cutlines: is it "looting" when people of color do it and "finding" when whites do it? That's the debate being raised by Daily Kos, Wonkette and others.

Issues of race also surface in commentary about the pre-hurricane evacuation plan, most notably in this wrenching email from a New Orleans-area rescue worker featured at BoingBoing. Were the poor and minorites deliberately left behind, some are wondering? And did the flooding have to happen, asks Editor & Publisher?

Other hurricane tidbits
A Small Victory is focusing attention on good news from the hurricane-affected areas, while The Mudville Gazette examines the U.S. military's capabilities for responding, including claims of an already overstretched military because of the war in Iraq.

And scientifically speaking...
Now that the nation is faced with a herculean cleanup effort that involves oil rigs, transportation systems, communication systems and entire economies, is the country up to it scientifically? That's the question being asked after the latest U.S. poll finds Americans dismally lacking in science fundamentals; two-thirds favor the teaching of creationism in schools along with evolution. Is this corner of the world getting dumber all the time?...that's what some bloggers want to know.