St. James Infirmary Blues

Wow. Even though Hurricane Katrina was downgraded to a Category 4 storm just before it hit and even though it wasn't as direct a hit as originally expected, the destruction is still beyond comprehension. New Orleans is still underwater and the city's mayor says hundreds and possibly thousands could be dead as rescue efforts continue. Hundreds are believed dead in Mississippi as well. Meanwhile, they're relocating thousands of people who were evacuated from the Superdome to the Astrodome in Houston. There's looting in the streets and thousands of people still waiting to be rescued, without food, clean water or anything else. Insurers have estimated the damage at $25 billion so far. The city could be shut down for months. Unbelievable.

NBC and MTV have planned benefit concerts to raise money for the victims of the hurricane; NBC's event will air Friday and feature Wynton Marsalis and Harry Connick Jr., while MTV's September 10 concert will star Green Day and Alicia Keys, among others. You can donate now to the Red Cross relief fund through Amazon.com.

This is normally a busy time for New Orleans. In addition to the whole tourism business that it relies on, it's also a popular convention destination. I've been there twice for conferences and was originally supposed to go in three weeks for another, but those plans changed.

Some have compared the hurricane to the Asian tsunami that struck last December, although that disaster caught the region by total surprise and the death toll was in the hundreds of thousands. Here's an interesting story about how the tsunami's waves eventually travelled around the world.

Gas prices were already ridiculous, but now with a bunch of the U.S. oil refineries out of commission because of the hurricane, prices are going through the roof. Last weekend, a gas station near us that traditionally has the lowest prices around was at $2.56 per gallon for regular; today, it was up over $3. Some experts say prices could hit $4 a gallon soon. It wasn't too long ago that you could find gas for 99 cents per gallon. I'm glad I don't have a long commute.

Hey, at least we know Dubya's on the scene and taking care of things. Well, he flew over the scene, anyway. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took an opportunity to bash Bush for failing to adequately prepare people in the New Orleans area for the hurricane. Aw, he's still mad about the Pat Robertson assassin comment.