In an era where disaster preparedness is paramount, a new novel based on extensive research suggests that a manmade catastrophe of epic proportions could occur in the Mississippi River basin. Rick Bahlinger's disaster novel, 'Mother Nature Hates To Lose,' explores the vulnerabilities of the Old River Control Structure (ORCS) and its aging network of locks and dams, a system that, if failed, could disrupt domestic and international shipping and cause devastating human, economic, and environmental impact.
Bahlinger, who grew up in Louisiana, conducted decades of research, often with professionals at LSU, and drew on his engineering education and experience to describe the technical aspects of the story. The conclusion he reached is sobering: the disaster described in his book could happen. The ORCS, which controls the flow of the Mississippi River, is a critical piece of infrastructure. A major flood, drought, or failure could severely disrupt the petroleum infrastructure in the region, which geopolitical and economic authorities have labeled 'America's Achilles Heel.'
The novel's plot involves drug cartels and corrupt politicians conspiring to create a disaster that starts where three rivers converge in south Louisiana. The story follows Beau Bonnet, Chief Engineer at ORCS, his wife Rachelle, a Louisiana State Senator, and his best friend Rene 'Buster' Champagne, a DEA agent, as they race to stop the conspiracy and an out-of-control river. If they fail, the economic and environmental disaster would make Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon BP Oil Spill look like 'mere inconveniences,' with tens of thousands of lives lost and billions of dollars in property damage.
The inspiration for the book came from a visit Bahlinger made to the ORCS about 50 years ago with his father-in-law, who worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and conducted periodic inspections of the structure. That visit sparked five decades of research into what could happen if the structure failed. Bahlinger's research included studies performed by professionals, mostly at LSU, and he incorporated details from local newspaper articles and discussions with family and friends.
The book's short chapters make it an easy read, and readers will learn about a potential danger not just to Louisiana, but to the entire country and the world. Bahlinger emphasizes that the more he researched, the more he realized how big this disaster could be, not just environmentally and economically, but enormously destructive to real people.
'Mother Nature Hates To Lose' is available from Amazon.com or anywhere books are sold. Total Publishing And Media, which published the book, offers a range of services for authors, including writing, editing, design, and marketing. For more information, visit www.TotalPublishingandMedia.com.
