Harvey Tragedy Just Beginning

It will take time, probably weeks, for the flood waters in southeast Texas to recede. That's assuming other storms do not add to the misery. As they slowly drop they will reveal the corpses of both animals and humans who could not get out of the way.

Outbreaks of disease, such as dysentery, are likely for the people forced to wade through waist deep water or drink water contaminated by the flooding. Other diseases likely to flourish are typhoid fever and cholera. All that standing water will lead to a booming mosquito population with all the diseases they spread, think West Nile Virus.

The chemical plant fire in Crosby may not itself be too dangerous as it manufactures organic peroxides, but the owners have been stonewalling on what chemicals have been burning and exploding so we can't know for sure. Some of the chemicals used in making organic peroxides, such as Benzene, are known carcinogens. More worrisome are the many flooded chemical plants and oil refineries that are suspiciously silent on the conditions of their plants.

Many southeast Texas residents will not live to see the recovery of their flooded neighborhoods. It's been twelve years since Katrina hit New Orleans and much of the Lower Ninth Ward is still a ghost town.