Brain Teasers
Unheeded Warnings
Mystery
Mystery teasers are little stories where you need to figure out what happened based on the given clues.Mystery
This mystery involves the loss of countless lives, which, for the most part, went unreported.
All the signs of a looming natural disaster were there. The leader's instinct had focused on the safety of the whole community. The scouts and gatherers of the doomed community were sent out in search of a safe haven while all about them a city began to panic. There had been news bulletins that urged evacuation of a whole region. Water levels were already dangerously high, but this went unnoticed by the scouts as they kept up their desperate search.
All about them a great city had began its exodus. Long lines of traffic filled the highways and byways leading out of the city. Local police and public safety officials had cruised each street making loud final warnings, and yet the doomed community waited for the scouts and gatherers to return and lead them to safety.
The forces of nature at their worst roared above the community. Heavy rains driven by gale force winds swept across the city's landscape. The darkened sky from time to time was ripped open by searing bolts of lightning and nature itself seemed to tremble to the roaring thunder. Undaunted, the scouts continued in their search. The levies weakened by days of rain, gave way to deafening sounds of the loud screaming sirens and the last moment warnings. This also went unheeded by any of the doomed community members. Some of the scouts and gatherers had been lost, but the rest reported that a safe haven had been found. Even as the scouts returned to spread this most welcomed news, the message was too late. The community was destroyed as incoming floodwaters inundated it to its deepest reaches. Only a few remained alive from the countless members of the doomed community.
Nearly all the people from the city had heard and heeded the warning. They were saved, yet practically all of the community was lost and never reported in the news. Why?
All the signs of a looming natural disaster were there. The leader's instinct had focused on the safety of the whole community. The scouts and gatherers of the doomed community were sent out in search of a safe haven while all about them a city began to panic. There had been news bulletins that urged evacuation of a whole region. Water levels were already dangerously high, but this went unnoticed by the scouts as they kept up their desperate search.
All about them a great city had began its exodus. Long lines of traffic filled the highways and byways leading out of the city. Local police and public safety officials had cruised each street making loud final warnings, and yet the doomed community waited for the scouts and gatherers to return and lead them to safety.
The forces of nature at their worst roared above the community. Heavy rains driven by gale force winds swept across the city's landscape. The darkened sky from time to time was ripped open by searing bolts of lightning and nature itself seemed to tremble to the roaring thunder. Undaunted, the scouts continued in their search. The levies weakened by days of rain, gave way to deafening sounds of the loud screaming sirens and the last moment warnings. This also went unheeded by any of the doomed community members. Some of the scouts and gatherers had been lost, but the rest reported that a safe haven had been found. Even as the scouts returned to spread this most welcomed news, the message was too late. The community was destroyed as incoming floodwaters inundated it to its deepest reaches. Only a few remained alive from the countless members of the doomed community.
Nearly all the people from the city had heard and heeded the warning. They were saved, yet practically all of the community was lost and never reported in the news. Why?
Hint
Think of a small community within a city and a story within a story.Answer
It was an ant community and ants cannot hear. They never heard or understood any of the city's audio warnings. Ants, even to survive, do not ever act individually. They all would remain together to try to protect the community or colony. Ants can't hold their breath forever, although they have a limited capacity to live underwater for an amount of time. A large percentage would drown.The great city of New Orleans and many surrounding communities were ravaged by hurricane Katrina and fortunately most of the human population was spared. However, many other communities of living creatures were not so fortunate and felt the full and final effect of this natural disaster.
Hide Hint Show Hint Hide Answer Show Answer
What Next?
View a Similar Brain Teaser...
If you become a registered user you can vote on this brain teaser, keep track of which ones you have seen, and even make your own.
Solve a Puzzle
Comments
Shoulda known this one but didn't. Ants, surprisingly, are very interesting creatures.
I got it. Ants may have known that something was coming, but couldn't estimate the true impact Katrina would have.
I was on the right track, but didn't guess it to be ants. Thanks for a great teaser!
awesome teaser. i didn't think of ants though. nice job!
Thanks, all. I'm glad to share this with you.
Really awesome piece of information and very well written too!
Thanks, I had some good help with this.
Nice teaser, very well written.
Great teaser! For some reason, i knew it would be ants from the first sentence, but as it went on, i thought, that can't be right. But it was! yay!
I got it also. I started out thinking of bees, but I changed my mind to ants. Loved it...
I got it at once. Good job though. The hint helped a lot
I guessed ants from the very first sentence
That was very clever, I loved it! Great job!
I completely agree with brainster. It really makes you stop and think.
that was really good... and i think it was kool that u put something about hurrican katrina in ther to. awesome job!
it was a great teaser i got it right ants are very intresting but i kinda cheated living with a antimologist in training (not sure if spelt right really late.)
I thought this teaser was very good. Interesting, although not funny bc of the loss of lives. Poor ants!
Yeah... got it before I finished the second sentence...
It was great to see how well liked this teaser is .. I enjoyed it too, and liked the concept of a different perspective right under our feet.
What about all of the uncles? Will their loss ever be acknowledged
I enjoyed reading this one. Thanks!
I enjoyed reading this one. Thanks!
i didn't get it!
A little confusing, but I got ants.
WOW!!! Well thought out and easy to understand, Great Job!
Aug 20, 2006
good one, a play with words not to reveil it was animals, not ppl
way to confusing
Very nice job of story telling. Made for a very interesting read. Good story line with nice discriptions. Nice tribute to the losses suffered by the victims of Katrina. All over the world we are learnig not to mess with Mother Nature.
I liked it, very tricky!!!!
Good Story. Good Writing. Not fun at all, too sad. Good memorial.
Thanks.
Will.
Thanks.
Will.
Great teaser! and a great memorial too..You can't imagine how many comments i still get because of my name..= (
Great teaser! and a great memorial too..You can't imagine how many comments i still get because of my name..= (
i got the new orleans part right.
but not the part about the ants.
i mean technically couldn't it have been any animal?
but not the part about the ants.
i mean technically couldn't it have been any animal?
Easy, but I enjoyed the read.
xmsx, China said that the ants can't hear, so it can't be any other animal. Anyway, none of them can understand English. Anyway, it was a good teaser. I got the ant parts, but by the scouts mostly. Would ant's build levis?
i still agree with xsmx, though. There is surely other creatures which are deaf! anyways, loved the mind boggle.
To tell you guys the truth, i actually got that one because i remember flooding ants....(i was evil)
xmsx is partially right, cuz some other animals r deaf too but not many and some can swim. anyways gr8 teaser i wuz stumped.
too long!
i agree w/ preppygirl, way too long 4 me!
kinda obvious
that wasnt obvious ur just bored and r taking it out on riddles. lol thats desperate
I didn't really like this one
I never woulda guessed! Great teaser, a little lengthy though. Very clever.
I didn't understand it at all. Although I suppose it made sense (but couldn't it have applied to other things as well?)
Ol' $ourDough knew it was ants, he just didn't know WHY he knew it was ants!
$D
$D
Nice teaser but I think this is not quite the right place for the good message you are trying to spread
this is a VERY nice teaser.
To post a comment, please create an account and sign in.
Follow Braingle!