Lessons from the storm
Sep. 27th, 2005 03:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
omorkaA brief conversation between the Interlocutor and the Member of the Educational Profession:
I: So what have we learned?
ME: That New Orleanians are from Gryffindor and Houstonians are from Slytherin.
I: *spit-take*
ME: No, really. The NOLAnders thought they could tough it out in larger numbers than were in fact possible, despite being caught between the Great River and a huge lake. Even if they were stuck because they couldn't get out, they weathered great adversity and survived, and even probably behaved better than reported (with the exception of a few troublemakers, who probably would have been shooting at people on a normal weekend).
ME: On the other hand, Houstonians took one look at a storm that hit Category 5, even though it was bound to weaken before it came ashore, and fled in huge numbers even though many of them were not asked to do so, causing massive problems on the freeways. (I suppose you could divide the Houstonians into the Hufflepuffs, who were asked to evacuate and dutifully did so, and the Slytherins, who beat a retreat even though they were not under evac orders.)
I: No, really, now.
ME: Okay, okay. "Run from the water, hide from the wind." The old saw about bad weather held quite true. You flee a storm surge, which was a credible threat to NOLA, Galveston, Port Arthur, and parts of extreme South Houston/Clear Lake/Pearland/Texas City. You do not flee heavy winds, because if they catch you, you are worse off on the roads than you are taking shelter. And what Rita was carrying for central Houston and parts west was wind.
And Stan and Tammy may be waiting in the wings
I: So what have we learned?
ME: That New Orleanians are from Gryffindor and Houstonians are from Slytherin.
I: *spit-take*
ME: No, really. The NOLAnders thought they could tough it out in larger numbers than were in fact possible, despite being caught between the Great River and a huge lake. Even if they were stuck because they couldn't get out, they weathered great adversity and survived, and even probably behaved better than reported (with the exception of a few troublemakers, who probably would have been shooting at people on a normal weekend).
ME: On the other hand, Houstonians took one look at a storm that hit Category 5, even though it was bound to weaken before it came ashore, and fled in huge numbers even though many of them were not asked to do so, causing massive problems on the freeways. (I suppose you could divide the Houstonians into the Hufflepuffs, who were asked to evacuate and dutifully did so, and the Slytherins, who beat a retreat even though they were not under evac orders.)
I: No, really, now.
ME: Okay, okay. "Run from the water, hide from the wind." The old saw about bad weather held quite true. You flee a storm surge, which was a credible threat to NOLA, Galveston, Port Arthur, and parts of extreme South Houston/Clear Lake/Pearland/Texas City. You do not flee heavy winds, because if they catch you, you are worse off on the roads than you are taking shelter. And what Rita was carrying for central Houston and parts west was wind.
And Stan and Tammy may be waiting in the wings
