I have lived in New Orleans for seven years. Each year, toward the end of the summer, we and others in the Gulf Coast region face the threat of hurricane season. New Orleans is always particularly at risk because it is shaped like a bowl. Most of the city is below sea level, walled in and protected by a large system of levees. Thus, if a reasonably large hurricane comes along, it is best for everyone to leave the city. Many people find this silly and refuse to leave the hurricanes always go too far west, or curve east as they approach land. Two days before Hurricane Katrina made landfall, I was asked to help with hurricane preparations. I scoffed, made some comment about it going east, and then went along with the preparations anyway. Katrina did turn east at the very last minute, but it was too little and too late.

A popular bar in New Orleans, the Bulldog, gives away pint glasses with various amusing sayings and information printed on them. One of these glasses has a list of tourist information about New Orleans, including (paraphrased): New Orleans is below sea level. If the levees break, everyone will die. Nobody seems concerned about this. To all those who claim that New Orleanians were clueless about the levee situation, I present as counter-evidence this Bulldog glass. The issue is certainly complicated citizens expected the levees built by the Army Corps of Engineers to hold up within the specified range of hurricane strikes. They did not. I don't have to tell you what happened in the two days following our preparations and evacuation the whole world watched in disbelief and horror. Our lab went through a diaspora.