Hurricane Katrina

by PRASHER, G. | Category: Focus | Nov 2005

Barely eight months after an earthquake triggered devastating tidal waves across the Indian Ocean, Hurricane Katrina tore through three of America's Gulf States, lashing an area the size of Great Britain. It caused widespread destruction and over a thousand deaths. When finally assessed, it seems likely to be rated as one of the worst natural disasters in America's history.

The awesome power of the hurricane was illustrated in the media by pictures of the destruction left in its wake. Whole towns were levelled, strategic bridges swept away and sea defences breached. The city of New Orleans was left 80% under water, ultimately forcing its wholesale evacuation. The toll of human suffering through bereavement, injury and loss of home and possessions is beyond calculation.

Christians observing the immense power of such natural forces at once recognize this as an expression of the Creator's almighty strength, a theme which often engaged the hearts of the Hebrew psalmists. As in Psalm 93, where His everlasting power and divinity are extolled and illustrated by His supremacy over sea and flood:

'The floods have lifted up, O LORD,

The floods have lifted up their voice;

The floods lift up their waves.

The LORD on high is mightier

Than the noise of many waters,

Than the mighty waves of the sea' (vv.3,4);

or in Psalm 107:24-27, as it describes the experience of those who go out to sea:

'They see the works of the LORD,

And His wonders in the deep.

For he commands and raises the stormy wind,

Which lifts up the waves of the sea.

They mount up to the heavens,

They go down again to the depths;

Their soul melts because of trouble.

They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,

And are at their wits' end.'

Despite all the advances in human achievement since these psalms were written, man's puny helplessness remains when such forces of nature are unleashed - a humbling reality!

Residents of New Orleans had been warned to leave the city before the hurricane struck, and many who owned their own transport were able to escape in time. But a third of the black population lived in poverty, unable to afford necessary transport; and there were elderly and sick people whether in their own homes or institutions. Thousands took refuge in the Superdrome, a vast arena which had been officially designated as a shelter. This also became surrounded by flood waters, which resulted in power failures, shortage of food and water and sanitary blockage. As five days wore on until relief arrived people became increasingly angry and desperate. One man who went through the ordeal is reported as saying, "You don't want to know what it was like. We had killings, abortions, babies being born, and it was hot, hot, hot."

In other parts of the city many individuals, both officials and ordinary residents, risked their lives to help others. Yet looting and anarchy also broke out until the city was placed under military occupation. How quickly the effects of natural disaster can disrupt modern society, bringing out both the best and worst in human behaviour!

Nor were the effects of Katrina's onslaught confined to the Gulf States. The heart of the US oil industry lay in its path. Nine oil refineries that produce about 12% of US gasoline were closed down. Natural gas production, about 20% of the US total, was halted. About 500 oil rigs were put out of service, some being seriously damaged. This inevitably caused a temporary increase in world oil prices, with consequent economic effects in other countries.

Some scientists think that a new cycle of heavy hurricane activity may be developing after relative calm over the past half century. The Lord Jesus foretold that, prior to His coming as Son of Man, '"There will be ... on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth"' (Luke 21:25,26). May Hurricane Katrina be seen as a faint foreshadowing of those future convulsions?

PRASHER, G. | Nov 2005
Focus