Hurricane Katrina to possibly become a Cat 4

[Buzz Mills]

I am going to vent a little. Jeanne Meserve with CNN is there, she is a mom with a young daughter. Shepard Smith of Fox is there and just expressed concern for his safety. I want to know the news but are some of these networks not caring for their employees? If it is as bad as I think it will be, I hope they send in helicopters to get them out, no matter what the costs.

Some people aren't listening to the experts! The levees are old and were built with expectations of no more than a Cat 3. I am really worried, can you tell?

Hoping I don't lose this post like the last long one I submitted only to get a server error. There are always doubting Thomases, that will host a Hurricane party or some such thing. In Florida, three people lost their lives by trying to ride out the storm on their boat, and 3 others were outside their homes, and killed by falling trees, and there is no resemblance between Katrina then and Katrina now. I am hoping everyone has fled for higher ground, well away from the path of this storm, because it has killer written all over it. The picture shows the immensity of it; it is very scary, and unless the wind speeds decrease substantially, it is going to cause one hell of a lot of damage, and take lives, if people are in its path. Hoping it veers away from New Orleans, otherwise I don't hold out much hope for the city.

 

[LDC]

My cousin lives there in NO and has left for Baton Rouge..Her grand mother refused to leave..she lives 2 miles from the river..My aunt spoke to the grandmother this morning and fears that it will be the last time she will speak to her because she dosent think her MIL will make it through this unless she gets to the Dome..she had to sign a waver to stay in her home..so I dont think she will go to a shelter.

 

[kgeaux]

I am going to vent a little. Jeanne Meserve with CNN is there, she is a mom with a young daughter. Shepard Smith of Fox is there and just expressed concern for his safety. I want to know the news but are some of these networks not caring for their employees? If it is as bad as I think it will be, I hope they send in helicopters to get them out, no matter what the costs.

Some people aren't listening to the experts! The levees are old and were built with expectations of no more than a Cat 3. I am really worried, can you tell?

I'm kinda freaking out myself! I-10 is like a parking lot, according to local news. Evacuees from New Orleans have had to call the police to a local motel for price gouging--they more than doubled the price of their rooms! People called ahead to make reservations, were quoted one price and when they drive up, the price has doubled. God will deal with people who use a catastrophic disaster like this to line their pockets. The news is saying that the nearest available hotel/motel rooms are in El Paso!! And my fine city, God save us all, has not opened the Cajun Dome or other shelters to help evacuees out. I am so ashamed of humanity sometimes. For Lilly, we opened our shelters as soon as all the hotels filled up, so those to the south of us had a place to stay. Those of us who were able cooked big pots of gumbo and brought them down to help those people out...it was an organized effort to help our fellow sufferers out! And we did this knowing WE were fixing to catch Lilly in a big way. I don't know why it's not being done this time. WHY is this not being done????

Those New Orleans levees are going to go down in places, and regardless, they aren't high enough to withstand a 20 foot surge. And New Orleans is like a big old gumbo bowl. Water will surge in from the Gulf and from Lake Ponchetrain, and it will not flow out. It will have to be pumped out.

Those news guys need to get out of Dodge before it hits.

I saw Kathleen on TV this morning too. She looks like she is living through a nightmare. I don't think she has slept in a couple of days. Awesome lady.

 

[Buzz Mills]

My cousin lives there in NO and has left for Baton Rouge..Her grand mother refused to leave..she lives 2 miles from the river..My aunt spoke to the grandmother this morning and fears that it will be the last time she will speak to her because she dosent think her MIL will make it through this unless she gets to the Dome..she had to sign a waver to stay in her home..so I dont think she will go to a shelter.

That's tragic LDC. I'm so sorry that someone wasn't there to take charge and get her out of there. Can any of us imagine a storm surge of 19 to 22 feet, pushing up the Mississippi River, and flooding everything fairly far inland, without even considering the amount of rain that is with this hurricane. If everyone isn't on high ground they won't survive. Pray that somehow Katrina spares New Orleans, and people arouind the Mississippi River.

 

[Dark Knight]

Hurricane Katrina is immense, and I haven't ever seen such a well defined eye before. This can take a while to finish loading, but it is worth the wait. Have a LOOK. May require patience.

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/DATA/RT/float-ir4-loop.html

I made the same comment earlier to some people about the eye. It is amazing how well defined it is, and I also have never seen one like it before! And it also indicates it won't be weakening much.

I agree with those who say the newspeople need to run for their lives, as well. They aren't immune from this.

And screw the MTV awards!!!!

 

[concernedperson]

Hoping I don't lose this post like the last long one I submitted only to get a server error. There are always doubting Thomases, that will host a Hurricane party or some such thing. In Florida, three people lost their lives by trying to ride out the storm on their boat, and 3 others were outside their homes, and killed by falling trees, and there is no resemblance between Katrina then and Katrina now. I am hoping everyone has fled for higher ground, well away from the path of this storm, because it has killer written all over it. The picture shows the immensity of it; it is very scary, and unless the wind speeds decrease substantially, it is going to cause one hell of a lot of damage, and take lives, if people are in its path. Hoping it veers away from New Orleans, otherwise I don't hold out much hope for the city.

You have just expressed my extreme concern. I know others are viewing with curiosity but I am sitting on the disaster aspect, you have got to know the topography of New 0rleans. It is something to see if a really big storm enters into the picture.This city is surrounded by huge bodies of water and all low lying lands.I have heard Toby left the area and I pm'd him last night to get his butt out and my step son is in Birmingham. But that doesn't make me devalue anything else that is going on.This is really bad.

 

[Dark Knight]

My cousin lives there in NO and has left for Baton Rouge..Her grand mother refused to leave..she lives 2 miles from the river..My aunt spoke to the grandmother this morning and fears that it will be the last time she will speak to her because she dosent think her MIL will make it through this unless she gets to the Dome..she had to sign a waver to stay in her home..so I dont think she will go to a shelter.

I'm very sorry to hear this, and pray she changes her mind. No one who stays where they are has a very good chance of survival, I'm afraid, barring a miracle. God bless her, despite her decision.

 

[nanandjim]

We're still planning to leave Thursday as long as Interstate 10 is open. It all depends on how much damage this monster storm does.

Good luck. If it is as catastrophic as they are predicting, I'm not so sure that you'll be able to make it. I hope that you will be okay. I have relatives in Penscola. I'm sure that they are not real happy with yet another hurricane...

 

[concernedperson]

I'm kinda freaking out myself! I-10 is like a parking lot, according to local news. Evacuees from New Orleans have had to call the police to a local motel for price gouging--they more than doubled the price of their rooms! People called ahead to make reservations, were quoted one price and when they drive up, the price has doubled. God will deal with people who use a catastrophic disaster like this to line their pockets. The news is saying that the nearest available hotel/motel rooms are in El Paso!! And my fine city, God save us all, has not opened the Cajun Dome or other shelters to help evacuees out. I am so ashamed of humanity sometimes. For Lilly, we opened our shelters as soon as all the hotels filled up, so those to the south of us had a place to stay. Those of us who were able cooked big pots of gumbo and brought them down to help those people out...it was an organized effort to help our fellow sufferers out! And we did this knowing WE were fixing to catch Lilly in a big way. I don't know why it's not being done this time. WHY is this not being done????

Those New Orleans levees are going to go down in places, and regardless, they aren't high enough to withstand a 20 foot surge. And New Orleans is like a big old gumbo bowl. Water will surge in from the Gulf and from Lake Ponchetrain, and it will not flow out. It will have to be pumped out.

Those news guys need to get out of Dodge before it hits.

I saw Kathleen on TV this morning too. She looks like she is living through a nightmare. I don't think she has slept in a couple of days. Awesome lady.

Call Mike Neustrom. He is a friend of mine and Sheriff of Lafayette Parish.You tell him that I will haunt him forever if he doesn't open up the cajundome for evacuees.Tell him Sheila P. is calling. And I am watching from Atlanta.

 

[kahskye]

My prayers go out to all of those in the path of Hurricane Katrina. We've been keeping an eye on the hurricane, being we're in the panhandle and only under a tropical storm warning. There was a lady on either The Weather Channel or Fox News. I didn't get her name but she works w/ animals and makes it her job to warn people about protecting their pets. She was reminding people evacuating not to forget about their pets. She said just leaving them is a death sentence. They have a better chance (slim, but a chance) of survival to just be turned loose to fend for themselves. She said she talked to this one family who LEFT their two dogs in their crates on top of the washer & dryer. These poor dogs will have no chance of survival. If they don't drown when the waters rise, they'll starve or die of dehydration. Of course I will be thinking of the people and their safety, but for the rest of the night I'm also going to be thinking of two little dogs left behind, probably scared and howling out to no one but the wind and rain! How terribly sad!

 

[Magnum PI]

I'm very sorry to hear this, and pray she changes her mind. No one who stays where they are has a very good chance of survival, I'm afraid, barring a miracle. God bless her, despite her decision.[/QUOTE
Hey DK...I am( what I think to be) out of harms way) I have a question..is there a chance that this could cause the 'Ol Mississippi' jump it's track, as nature wants it to do, and flood the Aschafalali (sp?) basin....this is something that we can not imagine...mpi

 

[Tom'sGirl]

Call Mike Neustrom. He is a friend of mine and Sheriff of Lafayette Parish.You tell him that I will haunt him forever if he doesn't open up the cajundome for evacuees.Tell him Sheila P. is calling. And I am watching from Atlanta.

Good grief, from the reports we hear out here in So.CA I assumed that the Cajun Dome had been opened for shelter. It's not that close to NO, so time is of the essence to get those people bused up and on their way to safety.

Oh, and to think we complain when the weather gets too hot out here :banghead:

 

[ariel7]

My cousin lives there in NO and has left for Baton Rouge..Her grand mother refused to leave..she lives 2 miles from the river..My aunt spoke to the grandmother this morning and fears that it will be the last time she will speak to her because she dosent think her MIL will make it through this unless she gets to the Dome..she had to sign a waver to stay in her home..so I dont think she will go to a shelter.

I, too, am so sorry to hear this, LDC. I pray that she will indeed change
her mind!!

I pray that NO ONE is tries to ride this beast out!!!!

Sadly, I cannot help but think of Harry Truman, the man that REFUSED to heed the warnings in regards to Mt. St. Helens and remained in his home..which was only a few miles away from the mountain!!

with much love
and prayers,

Ariel

 

[concernedperson]

I'm very sorry to hear this, and pray she changes her mind. No one who stays where they are has a very good chance of survival, I'm afraid, barring a miracle. God bless her, despite her decision.[/QUOTE
Hey DK...I am( what I think to be) out of harms way) I have a question..is there a chance that this could cause the 'Ol Mississippi' jump it's track, as nature wants it to do, and flood the Aschafalali (sp?) basin....this is something that we can not imagine...mpi

I will answer this, the basin will be innunatedwith water. This is the worst possible scenario. The people in charge are expressing their concerns and their facial expressions are to be considered. The fact that the president showed up early should tell you the seriousness.

 

[Lesleegp]

Jules:

Praying for your in-laws in NOLA. Are they coming to stay with ya'll? I really pray they are safe and sound.

Les :blowkiss:

 

[heavenlydaze]

Our daughter, her husband & children live in Vancleave, Ms...(not far from Gulfport)They tried to get out this morning, but traffic was slow and they turned back. They live out in the country in a fairly new house...I talked to Tammy an hour ago...They expect high winds but have taken every precaution they can. She is calling me every 2 hrs. An hour ago, the sun was shining & it was just starting to cloud up.They don't live close to the water or any levy system. They are concerned with the winds, though. They moved everything heavy from upstairs and Paul & the two oldest sons went up in the attic to see about the beams. I asked her if she was watching the news, she said they were watching a movie. They will shut their power off after the movie and Paul has already capped off the plumbing in the upstaris bathrooms. They have plenty of bottled water and enough food for two weeks. I'm really scared about this storm. Anyone else in Southern Mississippi?
Deb

 

[Buzz Mills]

HURRICANE KATRINA INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 24A
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
7 PM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

...POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC HURRICANE KATRINA NOW MOVING
NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD TOWARD THE NORTHERN GULF COAST...

A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTH CENTRAL GULF COAST
FROM MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA EASTWARD TO THE ALABAMA/FLORIDA
BORDER...INCLUDING THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS AND LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN.
PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE COMPLETED THIS
EVENING.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH ARE IN EFFECT FROM
EAST OF THE ALABAMA/FLORIDA BORDER TO DESTIN FLORIDA...AND FROM
WEST OF MORGAN CITY TO INTRACOASTAL CITY LOUISIANA.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FROM DESTIN FLORIDA
EASTWARD TO INDIAN PASS FLORIDA...AND FROM INTRACOASTAL CITY
LOUISIANA WESTWARD TO CAMERON LOUISIANA.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE
INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.

AT 7 PM CDT...0000Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE KATRINA WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 27.2 NORTH... LONGITUDE 89.1 WEST OR ABOUT 130 MILES
SOUTH OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

KATRINA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST NEAR 11 MPH...AND A
TURN TO THE NORTH IS EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ON THIS TRACK
THE CENTER OF THE HURRICANE WILL BE NEAR THE NORTHERN GULF COAST
EARLY MONDAY. HOWEVER...CONDITIONS ARE ALREADY BEGINNING TO
DETERIORATE ALONG PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN GULF
COAST...AND WILL CONTINUE TO WORSEN THROUGH THE NIGHT.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 160 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
KATRINA IS A POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON
THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH ARE LIKELY
PRIOR TO LANDFALL...AND KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL AT
CATEGORY FOUR OR FIVE INTENSITY. WINDS AFFECTING THE UPPER FLOORS
OF HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY STRONGER THAN THOSE
NEAR GROUND LEVEL.

KATRINA IS A LARGE HURRICANE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD
UP TO 105 MILES FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS
EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 230 MILES. SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE
WINDS ARE ALREADY OCCURRING OVER THE SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA COAST.

A NOAA HURRICANE HUNTER PLANE REPORTED A MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE OF
904 MB...26.69 INCHES.

COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 18 TO 22 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE
LEVELS...LOCALLY AS HIGH AS 28 FEET...ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS
BATTERING WAVES...CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THE
CENTER MAKES LANDFALL. SOME LEVEES IN THE GREATER NEW ORLEANS AREA
COULD BE OVERTOPPED. SIGNIFICANT STORM SURGE FLOODING WILL OCCUR
ELSEWHERE ALONG THE CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO COAST.

RAINFALL TOTALS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES...WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF
15 INCHES...ARE POSSIBLE ALONG THE PATH OF KATRINA ACROSS THE GULF
COAST AND THE TENNESSEE VALLEY. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES
ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY INTO THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES
REGION TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY.

ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING OVER SOUTHERN
PORTIONS OF LOUISIANA...MISSISSIPPI...AND ALABAMA...AND OVER THE
FLORIDA PANHANDLE.

REPEATING THE 7 PM CDT POSITION...27.2 N... 89.1 W. MOVEMENT
TOWARD...NORTH-NORTHWEST NEAR 11 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...160
MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 904 MB.

THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL
HURRICANE CENTER AT 10 PM CDT.

FORECASTER FRANKLIN

 

[Lesleegp]

Our daughter, her husband & children live in Vancleave, Ms...(not far from Gulfport)They tried to get out this morning, but traffic was slow and they turned back. They live out in the country in a fairly new house...I talked to Tammy an hour ago...They expect high winds but have taken every precaution they can. She is calling me every 2 hrs. An hour ago, the sun was shining & it was just starting to cloud up.They don't live close to the water or any levy system. They are concerned with the winds, though. They moved everything heavy from upstairs and Paul & the two oldest sons went up in the attic to see about the beams. I asked her if she was watching the news, she said they were watching a movie. They will shut their power off after the movie and Paul has already capped off the plumbing in the upstaris bathrooms. They have plenty of bottled water and enough food for two weeks. I'm really scared about this storm. Anyone else in Southern Mississippi?
Deb

Gee, I know you won't rest until you know they are safe. I pray things will be okay for them!

 

[Tom'sGirl]

Good grief, from the reports we hear out here in So.CA I assumed that the Cajun Dome had been opened for shelter. It's not that close to NO, so time is of the essence to get those people bused up and on their way to safety.

Oh, and to think we complain when the weather gets too hot out here :banghead:

Okay, I screwed up. What Im watching now is the Super Dome, which is open and evacuees being bused there..........sorry!

 

[kgeaux]

Okay, I screwed up. What Im watching now is the Super Dome, which is open and evacuees being bused there..........sorry!

It's ok! The cajun dome is a smaller version of the SuperDome. We usually open it up during times like this.......you ought to see the evacuation route! I-10 is being described like a big old parking lot it's moving so slow!

Super Dome is open in NO, I'm not sure how safe it is, but it will be better than the homes that many of those in need would other wise have to stay in.

Call Mike Neustrom. He is a friend of mine and Sheriff of Lafayette Parish.You tell him that I will haunt him forever if he doesn't open up the cajundome for evacuees.Tell him Sheila P. is calling. And I am watching from Atlanta.

One of our local news stations is on it. They are asking the tough questions and hopefully will push the right buttons. I think just a matter of time before someone gets the balls to open the Cajun Dome! Local churches have opened their doors and have people standing on the side of I-10 by some exits, letting evacuees know that they have a place to stay-FREE! And people are driving by these churches, dropping off sleeping bags, pillows, food, water, toys for the kiddies to play with. Now THIS sounds like Acadiana! I was about to pass out awhile ago when I thought we weren't going to open our hearts and hospitality to those poor people.