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information that we know and the wise anticipation of what we don't know could happen - such as a breach in the levees. We all witnessed the effects of tropical storm Fay - we cannot gamble lives with hurricanes rated as 2 or 3, much less ones rated at 4 or 5. Although we look more at winds than the devastation of huge amounts of rainfall, we need to understand that the enviroment has changed and the flooding patterns are uncalcuable except for certainty that lowlands will inevitably flood. Another failure of humans is to not put into the equation, the possibility of tornadoes and falling trees that add another dangerous dimension to human survival during hurricanes. these events are unpredictable as they occur spontaneously during the storm.

The buses that sat idle during Katrina for evacuating those who have no transportation should be ready for the possibility of Gustav. Again, timing is everything - to wait until the storm is approaching will not lead to successful evacuation of so many people. Each citizen should take responsibility for the safety of their families and not fall into some delusional mindset that "it won't happen to them". We are no match for Mother Nature's fury and all the belongings that we hope to save or not as important as individual life. If we have learned anything from Katrina and if Gustav reaches hurricane force and has its path towards New Orleans, we may rightly assume that a timely, well-planned and mandatory evacuation will occur

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