There's a lot of bloggers who are commenting on all the finger-pointing going on between the local authorities in Louisiana and the federal government. Go to any news-oriented website and one can get their fill of infighting.
But, my question is: what if it happens here?
I did a quick Mapquest check and the distance between Covington, Louisiana (which is roughly as far west as New Orleans but on the north side of Lake Ponchatrain) and Mobile, Alabama is 138 miles. So figure Katrina did a number on about 120 miles of Gulf Coast when you account for twists and turns in Interstates 10 and 12.
Now imagine a Category 5 hurricane blasting into the Eastern Shore someplace. If the eye struck right at the Maryland/Virginia line, Ocean City and most likely my home in Salisbury would be devastated and the damage may well extend north to Cape May, NJ. A strike farther south may wipe out a vast swath of the narrow Virginia Eastern Shore and just push it right into Chesapeake Bay.
I'm sure that there are disaster plans in place for most of the counties and states. But how much of that deals with terrorism, and can that plan be reworked in some manner to one for a natural disaster like Katrina was? I've seen the signs leading out of Ocean City that say "Evacuation Route" but is it really possible to evacuate tens of thousands of residents and tourists, many of whom aren't really familiar with the area save the route that brought them in (U.S. 50)?
It is fortunate that we don't have some problems unique to New Orleans itself - our land does rise gradually from the ocean so a storm surge would eventually drain away. But there needs to be an action plan in place and it needs to be followed. Red state or blue is only sitting on one side of a line or the other here. I drive down into Virginia or up into Delaware and it looks the same except the state route signs are round. We're all residents of the Eastern Shore and it makes us unique in that way.
So a good idea may be for the governments of the three Eastern Shore states to get together in a low-key manner and just hash out some rules of engagement if a Katrina-style hurricane does strike. Hopefully we've elected leaders and not self-serving wannabes if that all comes down.
And for goodness sakes, be prepared (!) either to evacuate or ride the storm out. Whichever choice you make, think long and hard about it, and be ready to do either at short notice. Being from the Midwest, I have no desire to ride a Category 5 out so I'll head northwest (but keep some essentials around just in case I can't.) I live pretty simply so it's easy for me - others need to think things through.
