Como se dice, "Got lucky"?

Well, it looks like the Petro Coast avoided their version of the Exxon Valdez and Love Canal mixed into one. "As bad as it could have been, we came out of this in pretty good shape," said Texas Gov. Rick Perry. For that we should all give thanks, and hope that a bullet dodged prompts them to take more seriously their vulnerability to threats natural and man-made. And, of course, wish all the citizens displaced the courage and stamina to rebuild and recover.

As for "the bullet dodged," a suggestion that maybe, just maybe, somebody ought to consider properly reinstating Project Impact, born under the tenure of James Lee Witt, blogged here, a few weeks back..

...So is born Project Impact, designed to actually mitigate risk by buying out flood-prone homes, installing or upgrading defensive seawalls or levees (!), enhancing pre-planning, pre-running and beefing up aging, inefficient evacuation routes, and generally doing things that REAL grown-ups or a guy like Ben Franklin would appreciate. FEMA even earmarked 15% of disaster funds up front for just such suddenly catastrophe-aware moments when decision-makers were still wet, scorched, bruised or pissed and ready to move. Yes, a creative solution that was working. 500+ high-risk localities saw the light and moved to save themselves, and save US money in the long run. Business as unusual. Finally. Sounds good, doesn't it?...

Rita is gone. The threat and the environmental and security vulnerabilities remain. There will be more Ritas, more frequently, but very few second chances. This is where management earns their money. Or not.