National Geographic's New Orleans warning

"The Federal Emergency Management Agency lists a hurricane strike on New Orleans as one of the most dire threats to the nation, up there with a large earthquake in California or a terrorist attack on New York City."

And:

"Thousands drowned in the murky brew that was soon contaminated by sewage and industrial waste. Thousands more who survived the flood later perished from dehydration and disease as they waited to be rescued."

And:

"It took two months to pump the city dry, and by then the Big Easy was buried under a blanket of putrid sediment, a million people were homeless, and 50,000 were dead. It was the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States."

Why the past tense? These are extracts from a National Geographic feature printed in October of last year. Chilling stuff.

More here.

Remeber this the next time NG or similar mag has a stunning artist's impression of an asteroid strike or some other "it'll never happen in our lifetime" disaster.

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