Question of plausibility in Small Rain.

[David Morris]

--- MalignD at aol.com wrote:
> Levine and the others left Fort Roach and headed southwest to De Ridder then
south to Lake Charles. We know that Fort Roach is near Leesville, as they get
the local Leesville radio station there.
> 
> If one looks at a map one will see that, indeed, De Ridder is southwest of
Leesville and that not far south of Leesville is Fort Polk.  One may assume,
then, that Fort Polk is the model for Fort Roach.
> 
> It's about twenty miles from Fort Polk to De Ridder, about forty from De
Ridder to Lake Charles, twenty-five to thirty from Lake Charles to Creole,
where 250 are dead or missing in the hurricane.
> 
> I think David Morris lives in Louisiana, so maybe he can answer:
> 
> Is it plausible that Levine et al would not know there was a hurricane of
this magnitude, that no edge of the storm had reached Fort Roach.  Also, one
assumes the local radio plays the news on the hour if not the half-hour.

I'll limit my "expertise" of the local scene to this:  To this day no one is
ever very sure of the path of a Big Storm heading this way untill the last
minute.  There are constant half-hour-by-half-hour predictions as the storm
wobbles, speeds up, stalls, backs up, etc.  It is best under these
circumstances to evacuate sooner rather than later, but we're never sure what's
the best advice to believe.  And this  situation would have been only less
informed back in the 50's, and history of disasters would have been less
compiled.  The "worst case scenario" for New Orleans is extremely dire, and
we've been lucky so far.
 
> It suits the story for them to be surprised, but it seems to me not likely
that they would be ignorant of the storm.  Not in keeping with the Joycean eye
for detail and accuracy TP focused on Gravity's Rainbow.
> 
> Nice, by the way, to see Paul Mackin back.

Yes, welcome back.

David Morris


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