Tuesday, September 06, 2005
I have not heard anything on the tv news and only a tiny bit on radio and none in print about the aquarium in New Orleans after Katrina. So, here is what I found this morning:
Meanwhile the aquarium, which held up physically during the hurricane, has lost more than one-third of its 4000 fish due to failing air pumps which normally oxygenate the tanks. Late last week the staff was evacuated from the facility due to mounting violence in the area.
More info can be found on Mongabay.com's site. Earlier news here.
The NO Aquarium of the Americas is one of the best Aquarium's I've visited. It is a shame that due to violent human action against one another these animals suffered.
The whole French Quarter surrounding the aquarium survived fairly well considering the extensive damage in the area. People who live and own businesses down there were eating gourmet cajun food in the days following the hurricane. They used water from hot water tanks to boil the shrimp and other sea food which was thawing in restaurant freezers. They used gas grills to cook up some ragin' cajun cuisine. These residents spent their days cleaning up, one block at a time, the garbage and damage in the streets. But that wasn't a story I saw on CNN, FOX, or MSNBC because they were busy reporting the violence and mayhem which many who were in the city say was blown out of proportion. Rumors and truth, as well, rose into mythic proportions, frightening those who were on their way to help, but turned back. Many people are ready to believe the worst, want to believe the worst, and pass along the worst news, blame, and disgust before checking sources for accuracy. Resourcefulness was the key to survival in NO, as it is in life everyday.
Meanwhile the aquarium, which held up physically during the hurricane, has lost more than one-third of its 4000 fish due to failing air pumps which normally oxygenate the tanks. Late last week the staff was evacuated from the facility due to mounting violence in the area.
More info can be found on Mongabay.com's site. Earlier news here.
The NO Aquarium of the Americas is one of the best Aquarium's I've visited. It is a shame that due to violent human action against one another these animals suffered.
The whole French Quarter surrounding the aquarium survived fairly well considering the extensive damage in the area. People who live and own businesses down there were eating gourmet cajun food in the days following the hurricane. They used water from hot water tanks to boil the shrimp and other sea food which was thawing in restaurant freezers. They used gas grills to cook up some ragin' cajun cuisine. These residents spent their days cleaning up, one block at a time, the garbage and damage in the streets. But that wasn't a story I saw on CNN, FOX, or MSNBC because they were busy reporting the violence and mayhem which many who were in the city say was blown out of proportion. Rumors and truth, as well, rose into mythic proportions, frightening those who were on their way to help, but turned back. Many people are ready to believe the worst, want to believe the worst, and pass along the worst news, blame, and disgust before checking sources for accuracy. Resourcefulness was the key to survival in NO, as it is in life everyday.
