August 29

Copyright 2008 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

Yesterday was the 15th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina (August 29, 2005).  That the timing of Hurricane Laura so closely coincided with this anniversary, not to mention the expected force she was to bring, was uncanny.  Hurricane Laura did not produce the storm surge expected, but she still tore up and inundated the communities over which she passed.  Lives were lost and property demolished.  Condolences to all who have been impacted.

And that is an important point.  In sociology, there are two major perspectives:  the first is the macro perspective, which looks at the bigger picture-the totality.  Hurricane Laura was a Category 4 storm, one tick from the highest current rating.  (It is important to note that some have proposed adding a Category 6 to the Saffir-Simpson Scale due to the climate-change induced intensification of these large storms.)  As such, she did make a mess of things, but not as big a mess as was forecast.  The word “luck” and its various forms and other synonyms have been used in the aftermath to describe overall reactions and the relief felt by many, as the result could have been much worse.  That can be viewed as reflection on the on the “big” picture.

Copyright 2008 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

The second perspective, the micro perspective, focuses on the smaller, more intimate details.  With regard to Hurricane Laura, this would be looking at the impact on particular families and communities in her path.  Even though the overall destruction was not as bad as it could have been, there are those who have quite literally lost everything in Laura’s wake.

Copyright 2008 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

Copyright 2008 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

In 2008, three years after Hurricane Katrina, I made two trips to New Orleans, LA to provide assistance and document the progress in rebuilding that long after the storm-the photographs herein were made on those trips.  Even three years later,  much evidence of the destruction remained.

Copyright 2008 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

Copyright 2008 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

Copyright 2008 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

Copyright 2008 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

Copyright 2008 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

There were some houses that had been rebuilt or replaced, some with on-going construction, and many vacant lots with slab foundations but nothing else, or gutted shells of houses.

Copyright 2008 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

The people with whom I spoke were determined to rebuild and make a go of it-this was their home.  They were almost uniformly grateful for the attention and the assistance. Some spoke with disdain for the destruction-porn tourists who came, looked, and left.

Laura has now come and gone-there are three months left in the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.

Please consider donating to your chosen charitable organization in support of the people who experience such disasters-this goes for those coping with the wildfires out west as well.

It would also be important to hold politicians accountable with regard to the issue of climate change-that is one of the many, many, many reasons the upcoming November election (hurricane season ends November 30 and the presidential election is November 3) is such a key time for this country and the world at large.  At this point, it will take much more organized, governmental efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change…as we most likely have more Katrinas and Lauras in our future.

Be safe and well.

UPDATE: Marco and Laura

Copyright 2008 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

Marco may have “fizzled” but Laura has strengthened dramatically:  she is currently a Category 3 storm with the possibly of increasing to a Category 4; in either case, there is the potential for an “unsurvivable” storm surge.  That is indeed catastrophic.

This provides more specifics about the wildfires burning in CA and elsewhere in the west.  Please take note of the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere on one day from the CA fires.  That is a key point…the burning of trees removes them from their role as a carbon sink.  In addition, trees release that stored carbon as well as creating new amounts when burned.

Pay careful attention how climate change is addressed by the presidential candidates as we move toward the general election in November.

Copyright 2008 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

The above are worth considering when reading this.  The human cost of climate change becomes exponential, especially in a world gripped by nationalism and beset by a pandemic.

Be safe and well.

PHOTOGRAPHER’S NOTE:  The two photographs were made in the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans three years after Hurricane Katrina.  Laura is shaping up to deliver quite a blow to the the Gulf Coast area and beyond.

FINAL UPDATE:  NPR posted this update regarding Hurricane Laura.

 

Marco and Laura

Copyright 2008 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

Louisiana is about to be hit by Tropical Storm Marco and Tropical Storm, possibly Category 2 Hurricane, Laura, which is about 48 hours behind and more powerful.  NOAA had recently updated the 2020 Hurricane Season forecast…

It is also important to remember that August 2020 is the 15-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, a storm that devastated the Gulf Coast.

Meanwhile, the 2020 fire season in California is raging.

COVID-19 and the politics of the day may hold one’s attention, but the wide-ranging impact of climate change continues unabated.

Be safe and well.

 

Contamination

Copyright 2020 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

Two recent stories are worth noting.  The first is that the current administration is looking to rollback restrictions on methane emissions.  As the report indicates, methane is a greenhouse gas much more potent than CO2.  This is another problematic development for the environment and residents of a planet that has been heating up for decades.  One should not be terribly surprised by this action, though, given the efforts to reduce/eliminate previous steps taken to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change…efforts that have included neutering the EPA and the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord.  For a president known for inconsistency, this is certainly consistent with his denial of climate change.

The second story is a bit more disturbing.  I had been aware of nuclear fallout from bomb testing and the disasters of Chernobyl and Fukushima being found in mountains, but not this:  scientists have discovered that “shrimp-like crustaceans” at the bottom of the Mariana Trench have been contaminated with radioactive material.  Perhaps not surprising is that microplastics have also found their way to the deepest point of the oceans.  You can count the number of humans (here and here) who have physically been to the bottom of the Mariana Trench on one hand…yet the remnants of our lifestyle have permeated, and polluted, that environ as well.

Copyright 2020 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

Given that the deepest oceans have been referred to as the “final frontier” (which begs to differ from “Space…the final frontier.” That is the first line for the intro to the original Star Trek series.), it is worth a look at what humans have left behind in space.  Often referred to as “space junk“, this debris continues to accumulate as “…there are no international space laws to clean up debris…”  Not that laws would really matter, as politicians, companies, and corporations find ways around those that are found troublesome-please see the first paragraph of this post.

There is no doubt that much of this pollution/contamination/just plain (now) junk has been a consequence of our striving for knowledge and the “betterment” (quotation marks are used as this is a questionable statement-a judgment that greatly depends on one’s values) of lifestyles.  Indeed, part of the reason for the acceleration of the warming of the planet is the desire for more to share in the benefits of modern technology.  Electricity for air conditioning, for example, does come at a cost.  And that cost is a feedback loop involving the escalated consumption of fossil fuels to deliver the relief from what that burning creates.

The takeaway from this?  We seem to be incapable of cleaning up after ourselves-Mt. Everest provides yet another example.  That developmental task is one often learned in childhood.  As one matures, the ability to predict the long-term consequences of current behaviour is another developmental skill to hone.  Some do seem to be able to do that-even though it may not change said behaviour.  For others, it is questionable as to whether this happens at all.

Be safe and well.

UPDATE:  NPR recently published this report…as with most things related to environmental degradation, the title says it all.

 

 

Uh Oh

Copyright 2008 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

“NOAA Now Predicts Up To 25 Named Storms In The Atlantic Hurricane Season”

This represents an increase from the initial NOAA 2020 Hurricane Season prediction.  As per the report, those in hurricane-prone regions would do well to make preparations-Ready.gov is a useful site for information.  Given the concurrent COVID-19 pandemic and the need for social distancing, developing a list of alternatives to public shelters should evacuation be needed would appear to be prudent.

Copyright 2008 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

The report also ties-in the risk of heavier rains and subsequent flooding associated with these storms…it is not just the wind that is of concern.

Copyright 2008 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

Photographer’s Note:  These images were made in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans in 2008.  The top and bottom images here, along with the last photograph from the previous post, are of the same house.  The wind and the water appeared to have sheared off the face of the structure thereby exposing the interior.  Those hanging clothes are still haunting.  The middle photograph here is of a nearby house.  (Other posts contain colour versions of these photographs.)  This destruction was wrought in 2005 as a result of the high winds and excessive flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina-it was the failure of the levee and sea wall infrastructure that led to the flooding.   It was also a failure on the part of the local and federal government, both well before, during, and in the immediate aftermath of the storm.  For more about this, The Great Deluge:  Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast is well worth a read.  As is  Come Hell or High Water:  Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster.  It was not uncommon to hear Katrina referred to as a “man-made disaster”, as opposed to a “natural disaster”.  John Goodman expresses these points quite well in the first season of Treme.  Spike Lee’s When The Levees Broke-A Requiem in Four Acts presents the real thing.  This would be the place to start.

Be safe and well.

Fall 2020

Copyright 2019 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

Hurricane/Tropical Storm Isaias came ashore and is now moving with a purpose up the East Coast.  (Photographer’s Note:  The flooding depicted above is not related to Isaias.) People in its path were advised to stay with family rather than in larger, more public, shelters due to the risk of COVID-19.  Another reminder that all is not normal.

Copyright 2020 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

We are also moving toward the start of the Fall 2020 school year.  Some colleges and primary/secondary school systems have already declared that they will remain in an all-online posture.  Others have committed to partial openings with face-to-face classes and various versions of online, hybrid (part on-line/part face-to-face classroom), and A/B scheduling to produce smaller class sizes.  There appear to be school systems that have yet to announce their plans.  One would be well advised to check with the local board of education or their institute of higher learning for updates.  This is, most likely, going to be a fluid situation as the school year begins and progresses.  COVID-19 is not going away, and we will also have the seasonal flu with which to contend.

There is much pressure being brought to bear to return schools to their “normal” posture-this comes from the president on down the chain.  Anecdotally, some students have voiced very clear preferences to be back in a traditional classroom-that they have a strong dislike for online instruction.  This most certainly is an issue of learning style or preference.  In other cases, the curriculum is not well-served by an all-online environ.  How to open schools, though, is also an issue of equality and equity.  Some do not have access to high-speed internet and/or the hardware necessary to function in a fully online environment.  And then there are the Luddites among us.  In any case, there will be nothing “normal” about the upcoming fall.

The push to open schools is also, in part, based on how COVID-19 appears to have different effects on young children (older teens seem to be affected similarly to adults).  Some have speculated that a child’s more active immune system or differences regarding a particular receptor to which COVID binds are possible explanations. That, though, is a focus on the physical signs and symptoms and consequences.  Human Rights Watch posted a report that is much broader in its scope-this addresses the psychosocial issues presented by the pandemic-it is a difficult, but quite important, read.  HRW includes recommendations for governments to mitigate these long-lasting impacts.  It remains to be seen if these issues can be adequately addressed by the governments and systems needed to do so.

Copyright 2008 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

The current pandemic has certainly highlighted the chasm that exists in the U.S. (and globally) between social classes-be they grouped by race or economic status.  It is more than a bit ironic, given that Isaias is currently drenching the East Coast, that similar concerns were raised about the manner by which Hurricane Katrina exposed inequality in the U.S.  Katrina hit in August 2005-the above photograph was made in the Lower 9th Ward and shows damage that remained three years after the storm.

Fifteen years later, the same issues remain…it is only a different catalyst that has exposed them.

Be safe and well.