Language Problem

We're going to need a new word. The word "devastated" will need to be erased from our collective vocabularies, because it's overused, and is now also obsolete. After the devastation of Hurrican Katrina, we've heard all week about the coming devastation of Hurrican Rita and looking for this devastated region to be just devastated with this devastating storm battering the devastated low-lying areas.

I did hear something that I'd been thinking this morning on one of the reports from New Orleans about the new flooding in the Ninth Ward: "Psychologically, of course, this is devastating; but practically, the damage had already been done". I've been thinking about how that would be the best scenario, not the worst. New Orleans already has alot of damage, already will have alot of money coming in for reconstruction. The best thing would be for this storm to blow through here rather than having to spread resources further around the Gulf Coast for a different area, further taking the focus off of damage in devastated Mississippi and Alabama.

On CNN they just asked the question of an official about whether Houston did the right thing, if all that hassle was worth it since it appears that Houston will not be majorly in the path. He answered it responsibly - "We will go back, see what was wrong and what worked, but we got the people out and those who obeyed the evacaution did the right thing" - but you know there will be hearings and finger pointing and soundbites of people yelling at the camera for making them miss their soap operas.

I'd be tired by now of people continually telling me that I'm devastated, or that my property and town have been devastated. I want some new word. And if I'm not devastated, I just want to be thankful - and then move on to be able to help out, because there are still a lot of devastated people still out there.