To: Kate@louisiana.edu
From: mom@hotmail.com
Date: August 28, 2005 10:09 PM
Subject: RE: Heard about the hurricane?
Dear Kate,
Thanks for the update. I’m getting increasingly nervous as the storm gets closer to shore. I was just reading an article in National Geographic from last year predicting what might happen if the storm hits New Orleans. It’s not good. They predict that the storm surge could go over the top of the levees and the city will be covered in murky brown water. They talked about people being stranded on the roofs of their homes. After the water subsides it will leave behind a nasty mess of mud, industrial waste, and sewage. Can you believe that the engineers have known about these problems for years (even decades!) and the politicians have not taken their advice?
I’m here waiting for you if you decide to evacuate. Good luck, honey. I love you.
Mom
Questions
- Does the brewing storm have the potential to do the damage cited in the article? You may wish to consult the National Geographic article for more information (see “Gone with the Water” by Joel K. Bourne Jr., in the October 2004 issue of the National Geographic; also available online at http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature5/).
- Based on the evidence you have thus far about the storm, what would you do if you were Kate? Would you stay or leave?
- After learning about the engineer’s predictions, how would you change your recommendations to the people who live on the coast?
- Why do you think the politicians ignored the advice of the engineers?
Assignment
- You are the governor of Louisiana, who has just been reminded about this National Geographic study. You are about to go on TV and radio to give a press conference. What do you say to the people of your state?
Originally published at http://www.sciencecases.org/hurricane/hurricane3.asp
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