Good Morning, Irene

I am fortunate to have spent the morning only cleaning the yard of debris from the storm. Many of my friends were not so lucky. Pamela called, on the road with coolers full of food, reporting that the North Fork of Long Island looked like a war zone. Erika, stranded at her house on a mountain in Vermont, texted that all the roads had washed away. Michelle posted pics of 9W in Coxsackie, now underwater. Hurricane Irene's path of destruction was far reaching.
I'd get on my soapbox right about now, but it blew away with the high winds. Instead I'll simply say that climate change is something to take seriously. As the oceans increase in temperature and more ice become water, those once-in-a-lifetime storms may become more regular events. One only needs to look to Hurricane Katrina to see our hand in altering the environment, whose impact was worse due to the loss of wetlands on the Gulf Coast. Perhaps we Americans should consider that before we dismantle important governmental agencies which regulate and protect our natural habitat. What's that expression about an ounce of prevention? Or is it cutting off our nose to spite our face?