Hurricane Katrina Worse Than 9/11

Bob, In the wee hours on Monday morning, Hurricane Katrina plowed into the U.S. Gulf Coast with shrieking 160 MPH winds and blinding rain. The force of the two elements submerged entire neighborhoods. In New Orleans, homes were completely under water. In Biloxi, boats were hurled onto land, and water poured into the town's strip of beachfront casinos. In Mobile, just like Louisiana and Mississippi, the town was under water and I-10 was destroyed.

Katrina created a storm surge of more than 20 feet. An estimated 40,000 homes flooded in St. Bernard Parish just east of New Orleans. Windows in downtown New Orleans and other cities were blown out, utility poles dangled in the wind, and billboards were ripped to shreds. In some areas, people were stranded on their roof tops and in their attics.

On Monday night and Tuesday morning, I experienced Hurricane Katrina when she arrived in Tuscaloosa. Albeit, we only had 60 MPH winds, it was still a night to remember. The wind howled all night and the rain pelted windows. Classes were cancelled for two days and the city received considerable damage. There are now an estimated 1,000 refugess residing at the University's recreation center and hotels throughout town.

Katrina will end up being worse than the terrorist attacks of 9/11. More people will die and the economic effects will be far greater. Gas prices have already soared out of control. The amount of jobs that have been lost is unfathomable. The entire Gulf Coast from New Orleans to Pensacola has simply been devastated in every possible way by this storm. Some cities may never be re-built and if they are, they will never be the same. New Orleans and Biloxi being the obvious ones. It will take years to re-build New Orleans. Even if it is, the French Quarter may not exist. if that is the case the city will never be able to thrive again. Also, how many people will want to live there knowing all of this could happen again? My guess is not very many. The gambling industry is how the city of Biloxi thrives. All of the casnios there have been totally destroyed by Katrina. Without gambling, people are not going to go to Biloxi. Also, the shrimping industry in Bayou Le Batre, Ala. looks to be non-existent now.

You get the point now of the magnitude that this one storm has on the Gulf Coast, the South, and the country as a whole.

For the CBS Evening News, I'm Kyle Rowland.