More on Katrina's aftermath

Here's the word today from GRIST on some of the ecological damage from Katrina. This with yet another mega-hurricane on the way! :O

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Woods, wetlands, and marine ecosystems hit hard by storm, pollution

The Gulf Coast's estuaries, wetlands, and cypress swamps are hurting in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The storm damaged 25 national wildlife refuges, and recovery costs are expected to be at least $93 million -- about a quarter of the federal refuge budget. In Mississippi's Noxubee refuge, pine trees crucial to the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker were flattened, while the coastal Breton Island bird sanctuary was virtually washed away. Experts suspect that offshore ecosystems have been swamped by sewage-laced floodwaters, which may cause blooms of oxygen-sucking algae. And then there are the industrial toxins and petroleum in the water being pumped out of New Orleans. Overall, some fear Katrina may be the final blow for many of the region's plants and critters. "All of those things, entirely unique to that part of the world, have been disappearing since about, say, 1927," says Louisianan Steve Cochran of Environmental Defense, "and now they've disappeared altogether."


straight to the source: The Washington Post, Juliet Eilperin, 21 Sep 2005

September 13 Show - Bad News for Big Easy & Global WARming

Here's a GRIST lead-in on the eco-crisis down on the bayou:

"Multiple environmental crises loom in Hurricane Katrina's wake. New Orleans floodwaters are diluting sewage, chemical, and fuel contaminants right now, but these substances are likely to concentrate and deposit as the waters drain. Some parts of the city may become de facto brownfields, so soaked in toxic crud that they'll be unfit for rebuilding. Then there's all the nontoxic waste and debris generated by the storm...Ecological damage to the Gulf Coast is also being assessed -- Louisiana's Chandeleur Islands, a national bird refuge, are inundated, and islands off the Biloxi coast were scoured and breached by Katrina's storm surge. Unchecked erosion along the Louisiana coast amplified the scope of Katrina's damage..."

Unmentioned above are the decaying bodies, human and non-human alike, and a probable outbreak of disease and pestilence. We'll be looking into that grim scenario Tuesday night, as well as into some of the growing chorus of outrage at the Bush regime for their criminal mishandling of the situation and the Republican rightwing's general disdain for the poor, people of color, and the health of the planet we ALL inhabit (Hello clueless Republicans! YOU live on it too!)

O, did we fail to mention that this immense disaster had been predicted? Take your pick: National Geographic; Scientific American;or maybe the boots-on-the-ground version from The Big Easy's own Times-Picayune. Soooo, guess who wasn't listening ....or didn't give a shit? Give up? Go to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC, knock on the door and ask them! Blame game? We don't think so! It's actually END GAME for Republicans!!

Going from one outrage to the next, we take a look at Global WARming through the eyes of regional activists who are making the connections between the White House's war on nature and it's so-called war on terror. Sooooo much of it is.....SURPRISE!..about OIL! Local activist Claudia Lefko joins us to help connect the damnable dots and discuss the upcoming arrival of the Bring Them Home Now Tour to the Amherst Common on Thursday and the massive March on Washington the weekend of the 24th. [Calling all enviros: The occupation of Iraq is NOT A SEPARATE ISSUE!]. WMass bus info here.

After some musical relief from all the jawing that goes on at The Enviro Show, we stick to the global warming thread bringing it home to Massachusetts where Gov. Mitt ponders the Regional Greenhouse Gas Emmissions Initiative.

Then it's more music(thank the Goddess!)and we wrap it up with the Bulletin Board. If you have any enviro events you want announced on the next show (which will be October 4), post it below and we'll try to fit it in. Until then, remember.....listen to yur' Mother.

THE DAY AFTER:

Ow, my head! OK, so we didn't have time for the E-Valley-Uation segment where we had hoped to get a peek into Gov. Mitt's laundry basket. Maybe if d.o. would shut his mouth and stop with the rants and readings we could stay on schedule. No problem: if Jean's back for the October 4 show she'll put a lid on him. Soooooo, whad ya' think of the show?