Up on the roof

I haven't said anything about Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans, mostly because it's such a tragic, gigantic clusterfuck that it's hard to find the words.

But this January 2004 news article really fits the bill:

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AP) -- The effort to save Louisiana's eroding coast is about to get a new catchphrase: "Ohh nooo!!!"

Mr. Bill, the "Saturday Night Live" clay character from the 1970s whose misadventures usually left him squished, will be part of a campaign aimed at teaching people -- especially children -- how Louisiana is losing its coastal marshes and swamps.

"I wish I had a quick three-word synopsis for it other than maybe Mr. Bill says 'Ohh, nooo!!! -- the coastal erosion,"' said Walter Williams, Mr. Bill's creator and a native of New Orleans...

The campaign resulted in at least one TV ad (video here, transcript here). The key part:

NARRATOR: That's right, Mr. Bill. And since New Orleans is below sea level, if a hurricane hit us directly, it could push the water over the levees and fill it to the top.

Which doesn't really square with the President's assertion that "I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees."

[Via Amygdala]