Hurricane Gustav

Can the Crescent City, the coolest city in the United States, survive another hurricane? NOAA predictions put Gustav right in the mouth of the Mississippi sometime around noon Monday, with very little between it and Cuba to slow its progression into a hurricane. It’s a little like getting shot in the face, surviving, and then three years later having a gun aimed at your face again, wondering if the gunner is going to pull the trigger or not. Can you survive a gunshot to the face twice?

One thing’s for sure, Gustav, as a name, sounds a lot tougher than Katrina. But we all know what Katrina was capable of. She almost single-handedly erased New Orleans from existence. But Gustav, as a name, is fairly notorious itself. Have you ever heard of the crocodile named Gustav? He’s a notorious man-eater in Africa, famed for the sheer numbers of victims he’s taken (speculations say around 300 people). His size is legendary. Some say he’s a myth. Point being: somebody had to pick a name that sounded really tough for an animal that was a noted man killer. They picked Gustav. Gustav was also the name of the biggest gun in the world, built by Germany in 1941. It fired bullets that weighed seven tons with a range of 23 miles.

And now, purely by coincidence, a storm is named Gustav and is chugging through the Gulf of Mexico, headed for Louisiana. Here’s hoping Gustav weakens and never becomes a hurricane. Here’s hoping Gustav changes direction, so the Big Easy can be spared the full brunt. Here’s hoping New Orleans, the northernmost city of the Caribbean, rollicking home of the Rue Bourbon, doesn’t get shot in the face for a second time.