Katrina

So hurricane Katrina has done her worst and left the expected trail of devastation in her wake despite being downgraded to a 'tropical storm' prior to hitting land.

Sitting here in the UK where we consider severe weather to be gale force winds and anything more than and inch or two of rain or snow it's almost impossible to imagine the power of such a storm or the havoc and damage it leaves where it passes.

We have the power of images and video on television but it still doesn't come anywhere near recreating the real power and fear experienced by those unfortunate enough to be in it's path and be subjected to it's wrath.

Fifty people have sadly lost their lives to this cruel phenomenon of the natural world and £14 billion in damage to property and infrastructure has been suffered. By comparison the freak weather events we suffer here intermittently seem almostinsignificantt. Incidents such as the Boscastle flood of last year and the great storm of the 1980's seemed disastrous to us and yet in comparison to the havoc and trauma caused to thousands and thousands of people by Katrina, our severe weather is child's play.

I have long been fascinated by extreme weather, have always intended that when I have the means to, I will go on one of those 'storm chasing' holidays but that is very different to finding ones home and life suddenly decimatedd through an act of nature over which one has absolutely no control.

Incidents such as yesterdays in the US seemed once to be remote, certainly I used to watch news reports and feel concern for those in the path of such forces but the internet has bought it all so much closer. Now I know of people who have been affected and have had to evacuate New Orleans, I have friends who's homes and lives are close enough to have been watching the path of Katrina very closely and it all now seems far more 'real', our global village is getting smaller and smaller.

My thoughts this morning are with those who have suffered over the last few days at the hands of Katrina, those who have lost loved ones, lost their homes, lost their possessions and who have lost their peace of mind.