Newswise — On Monday morning Hurricane Katrina washed ashore, leaving in its wake dozens of casualties and millions of dollars in damage.
It's devastation that a Saint Louis University professor predicted two years ago.
Saint Louis University professor Timothy Kusky, Ph.D., warned of flooding and other problems for the Deep South in his 2003 book Geological Hazards should a hurricane of Katrina's magnitude ever hit. As of Tuesday, 80 percent of the city of New Orleans was underwater.
"If the hurricane is powerful enough to add flooding rains to areas upriver of New Orleans, the course of the Mississippi River could be changed. The Mississippi has switched courses many times over the past several thousand years," Kusky wrote.
Kusky is a professor of Earth and atmospheric sciences at Saint Louis University. He has received national and international attention for his discovery of ancient rocks in China that may change the evolutionary timeline. Kusky also is the author of several books including, the Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences and Marine Geology: Exploring the New Frontiers of the Ocean.
Saint Louis University is a Jesuit, Catholic university ranked among the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters the intellectual and character development of 11,500 students on campuses in St. Louis and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Through teaching, research, health care and community service, Saint Louis University is the place where knowledge touches lives. Learn more about SLU at http://www.slu.edu.
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