Thinking about tomorrow, when dealing with today

Every day a pervasive question it seems is inevitably discussed here; Could or when will a hurricane of this magnitude strike this area again? In other words, how does one plan longterm for something that may never happen again?

Personally I think it will happen again, and it won't be another 36 years before another category 5 hurricane hits the Gulf Coast. Most educated opinions will admit that we're way behind the curve on curbing the burning of fossil fuels that produce global warming and atmosphere altering weather patterns. And messing further with nature has serious and far reaching consequences for all of us.

But what if you live here? How does one rebuild one's house and survive in the short term, and still have the presence of mind to think about what may occur in the long term?

I've heard plenty of people in the office we share talk about moving north of Interstate 10. I-10 seems to be a line of delineation for escaping future ocean flooding and serious damage.

The remains of ocean front homes I've shown in previous posts may be rebuilt, but the word on the street is that there won't be anyone who will underwrite an insurance policy for any of them.

Luke and I went somewhat stir crazy today. We wanted to be busier so we called our friend Billy Lawson (see entry of 10/5). Billy, who Luke and I call a "big time operator" made some calls, and starting Wednesday we're relocating for the remainder of our stay to separate locations that may see more traffic.

I'm heading to a nearby bank branch, while Luke is going to the Gulf Coast Community College next door. We've enjoyed the friendly staff at Southern Mississippi University (and their internet access, which may not be available at the bank). They apparently enjoy seeing an outsider's perspective, and have dozens of people here reading this blog.