Blackthorn

This storm as a CAT 5 will pack wind gusts upwards of 200mph. New Orleans is essentially a fish bowl that actually sits below sea level which means that the storm surge generated by this storm will result in massive flooding. Katrina has the potential to be one of the most powerful storms to hit the US in recorded history.



Link

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maleficent

I was watching coverage on CNN this morning -- and it's really kinda scary to think about -- the claim was made, that if New Orleans did end up underwater, it would be at least a month or more with no clean drinking water, or sanitation, any building that ended up under water would not be habitable until it was proven to be structurally sound....

What's fascinating though, is to watch the real weather people talk about this hurricane, it's been described as beautiful... the pictures from it are amazing... the devastation however...

Good luck to all those folks in LA - they say that God protects idiots -- for those idiots that remain by choice... Hope that'd the case..

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Grasshopper Green

I can see where people would say it's beautiful mal. When Floyd hit NC, I remember watching it and looking at how enormous it was and thinking...that storm is as big as Texas. Mother Nature can produce some awe inspiring things, that is for sure. It certainly isn't beautiful to go through one though...anything but.

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Grasshopper Green

Mandatory evacuation just ordered:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/08/2...ina/index.html

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- Emergency officials along the Gulf Coast urged residents to move to safer ground as powerful Hurricane Katrina churned toward shore with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said low-lying areas along the Gulf Coast could expect storm surges of up to 25 feet as the Category 5 storm makes landfall early Monday.

"It has the potential for a large loss of life," said Max Mayfield, director of the NHC. (Watch CNN meteorologist explain storm outlook)

Katrina is blamed for at least seven deaths in Florida, where it made landfall Thursday as a Category 1 hurricane. As much as 18 inches of rain fell in some areas, flooding streets and homes. (See video of the damage floodwaters left in one family's new house)

"The time has come to evacuate," Louisiana National Guard Lt. Col. Pete Schneider told CNN on Sunday. "This is a dangerous, dangerous hurricane, and it poses a huge threat to southeastern Louisiana." (See video from New Orleans, where not all are ready to leave)

At 8 a.m. ET, Katrina was centered about 250 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. It was moving to the west-northwest at about 12 mph.

NHC forecaster Ed Rappaport said Katrina's strength could fluctuate before it reaches shore but noted the difference between a high Category 4 and a low Category 5 was practically inconsequential.

"There will be extensive to potentially catastrophic damage to many structures ... and inland," he said. "We'll have a lot of trees that are going to come down, perhaps millions of trees. But the first threat is going to be the storm surge. You must get away from the coast now."

By 8:30 a.m. ET, the first bands of rain were falling over extreme southeastern Louisiana.

CNN meteorologist Brad Huffines said the Katrina would come ashore "sometime between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m." Monday.

"The news doesn't get good, unfortunately," he said. "These rain showers will slow down the evacuation process, and that means you need to hit the road quickly, very quickly."

Officials fear New Orleans is vulnerable because it sits an average of 6 feet below sea level. (Watch video of how New Orleans reacted to warning)

Worst case scenario
In worst case scenarios, most of New Orleans would end up under 15 feet of water, without electricity, clean water and sewage for months. Even pumping the water out could take as long as four months to get started because the massive pumps that would do the job would be underwater.

New Orleans was under a voluntary evacuation order Sunday morning, but city officials were meeting and expected to issue a mandatory order later in the morning. Interstates into the city were turned one-way out to facilitate evacuations.

City officials told those who cannot evacuate, such as tourists, to stay at least at third-floor levels and stay away from windows. A shelter was set up at the Superdome.

Traffic out of the city was bumper to bumper -- but officials were concerned too many people might not take the warnings seriously.

"People in New Orleans tend to think that the storm we've always planned on would never come," said Schneider. "But people need to heed that warning."

Rappaport cautioned that New Orleans was not the only area threatened -- the storm's hurricane winds spread out as far as 100 miles. As far east as Mobile, Alabama, warned of storm surges reaching 8 to 10 feet.

Hurricane warnings were posted from Morgan City, Louisiana, eastward to the Alabama-Florida state line, including New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions, including winds of at least 74 mph, are expected in the warning area within the next 24 hours.

A tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch from the Alabama-Florida state line eastward to Destin, Florida, and from west of Morgan City to Intracoastal City, Louisiana. Another tropical storm warning was issued Sunday from Intracoastal City, Louisiana, west to Cameron, Louisiana, and from Destin, Florida, eastward to Indian Pass, Florida.

A tropical storm warning means tropical storm conditions, including winds of at least 39 mph, are expected within 24 hours. A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible, usually within 36 hours.

Governors of both Louisiana and Mississippi declared emergencies Friday in anticipation of the strengthening storm.

Robert Latham, director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, said the state was recommending evacuations along the coast "and even several counties inland." Mandatory evacuations could follow later, he said.

Category 5 is the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity. Only three Category 5 hurricanes have made landfall in the United States since records were kept. Those were the Labor Day hurricane of 1935, 1969's Hurricane Camille and Hurricane Andrew, which devastated the Miami area in 1992. Andrew remains the costliest U.S. hurricane on record, with $26.5 billion in losses.

Camille came ashore in Mississippi and killed 256 people.

Oil rig evacuations
Some oil platforms and rigs in the Gulf of Mexico have been evacuated.

Six oil companies operating offshore facilities evacuated a total of at least 150 people. Most of those employees were described as "nonessential" to production, and rigs and platforms continued to operate.(Watch the video of drilling crews securing rigs and seeking safety.)

Two companies -- Newfield Exploration and Murphy Exploration -- said they may pull out production workers and shut down some facilities Saturday, depending on the hurricane's path.

At least 12 platforms and nine oil rigs in the Gulf have been evacuated, a small portion of the 953 manned rigs and platforms operating there, according to the Interior Department's Mineral Management Service.

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raveneye

It's incredible. FEMA in 2000 did an analysis in which it described the three worst disaster scenarios possible in the U.S.: the first was a category 5 hurricane hitting New Orleans, the second was a major earthquake in San Francisco, and the third was (ironically) a terrorist attack in New York City. This has the makings of one of the worst disasters in the history of this country.

We live in Miami, and our house was in the eye of Katrina. At 10PM Thursday night we were hearing deafening wind and sheets of rain blasting sideways into our house like ocean surf, trees were bent over, the house was shuddering, lightning and thunder every 20 seconds or so all around us, and the kitchen filled with about an inch of water. After the hurricane passed there were occasional tornadoes, one of which ripped through a local park and uprooted about 20 trees. That was just a category 1 hurricane, and we were 10 feet above sea level.

I can't imagine what would have happened if we were 14 feet below sea level, under a category 5 . . . . .

Rubyee

On a related note, my mother just called me to warn me that since all of the oil rigs in the gulf have evacuated, I should get gas today. Funny how any disaster can be related to gas prices. I seem to remember a huge rush to the pump on the night of 9/11.

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JumpinJesus

I've been watching coverage of this as well. It's unbelievable how huge this storm is...sustained winds of 175 mph. Sustained! Even watching the news now, meteorologists are saying that the conditions in the gulf are ripe for even more strengthening. If there are any TFPers in New Orleans, I wish you the best and hope those who can't make it out of the city get through this.

raveneye: I remember just a few months ago watching something on the Science Channel about the outcome of a Category 5 hitting New Orleans. Their prognosis wasn't good. I've never been through a hurricane before. I can't begin to imagine what it's like. Was this your first?

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thesupermikey

Keep in mind this part of the US produces about 30% of domestic oil. Last year Ivan grazed this area and the price of oil went up $10. Now a bigger Hurricane is hitting the area. There is a good chance that oil production could be fucked for a month or more. Not only pumps, but refineries are going to be affected. Gas could go up 1.50 to 2.00 by the end of the week.

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snowy

Yeah, my dad warned me of this yesterday...better get goin'...

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cyrnel

I love that city. Good to see people are taking this seriously.

<img src="http://www.foxnews.com/images/175587/19_2_katrina_hwy.jpg">

Hate to think of it turning into another Venice should the warnings come true. The next half-day will be an eternity. My thoughts are with anyone thereabouts. I can't imagine how frightening and disruptive this would be.

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raveneye

JumpinJesus -- yep this was the first hurricane that passed over us. We've been here for 10 years, so we've seen a lot of storms, but this one was the worst. We still have a full two months left in the hurricane season though, so it's not over yet. . . .

I'm profoundly worried about those folks in New Orleans . . . a hurricane is one of the most frustrating phenomena on the planet -- you know exactly what's going to happen, in great detail, and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it. Just watch and hope.

snowy

This is going to be a mess for everyone, not just New Orleans or Louisiana. Let's hope that somehow the worst is avoided.

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Catdaddy33

Whats really scary is the posted a Tropical Storm Watch for us here in Nashville, the counties in Southern Tennessee are under a Hurricane Warning... Thats hundreds of miles south of where its making landfall...

dirtyrascal7

This will definitely be devastating, but at least with a hurricane you know it's coming. What makes the other two so dangerous is that they typically catch everyone off-guard.

Zeraph

I just heard about this, and wow, what a powerful freaking storm.

vautrain

My sister evacuated N'awlins this morning at about 4. I believe she rolled into Houston around 9 PM, a 17 hour drive. It usually takes about 7 hours.

persiancat

I made my first-ever trip to New Orleans just a couple of months ago. I can't imagine such a beautiful, historic city being completely demolished... and all the lives that might be lost, wow. I just saw a video clip of a weather expert saying, "This is a 1-in-500-year event."

raveneye

It's weakened to category 4 now as it's making landfall, let's hope it continues to weaken.

You can see from these elevation maps how vulnerable this city "bowl" is to flooding.

maleficent

Katrina batters roof of Superdome
[quote/]
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- Hurricane Katrina flogged Louisiana's southeastern shore Monday morning with sustained winds in excess of 135 mph as it moved inland, the National Hurricane Center said.

New Orleans, braced for a catastrophic direct hit from the powerful Category 4 storm, hunkered nearly 10,000 people in its mammoth Superdome, but Ed Reams of CNN affiliate WDSU reported that the structure has begun leaking as the winds damaged the roof letting daylight and rainwater in the darkened arena.

"I can see daylight straight up from inside the Superdome," Reams reported.

National Guard troops moved people to the other side of the dome. Others were moving beneath the concrete-reinforced terrace level.

"This is only going to get bigger," he said. "We have another two hours before the worst of the storm gets to us."

City officials estimated that 1 million people had evacuated the area as the storm approached.

About 70 percent of New Orleans is below sea level and is protected from the Mississippi River by a series of levees. (Full story)

Forecasters predicted the storm surge could reach 28 feet; the highest levees around New Orleans are 18 feet high.

At 9 a.m. ET, the storm was centered about 40 miles southeast of New Orleans, Louisiana, and 65 miles southwest of Biloxi, Mississippi. (Watch video update on Katrina's path)

Hurricane force winds extended about 125 miles from the storm's center.

The storm was moving toward the north at 15 mph.

Hurricane Katrina made landfall Monday between Grand Isle, Louisiana, and the mouth of the Mississippi River -- and the worst is yet to come, National Hurricane Center forecaster Richard Knabb told CNN.

Katrina jogged to the north in the night, early enough to push the massive storm just off what had been a direct line to New Orleans, moving its eastern eye wall instead toward Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi, where CNN's Gary Tuchman found a boat washed onto a normally busy street.

"This is not the strongest part of the hurricane yet," Tuchman reported, battling the wind outside his truck. "This is the street where this boat is now. It's completely flooded. It's only going to get worse."

The counterclockwise spin of a hurricane makes the worst damage on its eastern edge, but CNN meteorologist Chad Myers cautioned that "there's not really an easy side of a Category 4 storm" on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

The Hurricane Center said that a 113 mph wind gust was reported in Pascagoula, Mississippi. (Watch video report from Biloxi, Mississippi)

In Biloxi, CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano reported that wind gusts topping 100 mph were starting to pull the roofs off of nearby buildings.

Hurricane warnings are posted from Morgan City, Louisiana, eastward to the Alabama-Florida state line, including New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. This means winds of at least 74 mph are expected in the warning area within the next 24 hours.

A tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch are in effect from the Alabama-Florida state line eastward to Destin, Florida, and from west of Morgan City to Intracoastal City, Louisiana. A tropical storm warning is also in effect from Intracoastal City, Louisiana, west to Cameron, Louisiana, and from Destin, Florida, eastward to Indian Pass, Florida.

A tropical storm warning means tropical storm conditions, including winds of at least 39 mph, are expected within 24 hours. A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible, usually within 36 hours.

Isolated tornadoes are also possible Monday across southern portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, forecasters said.

Three deaths in New Orleans
Three residents of a New Orleans nursing home died Sunday while being evacuated to Baton Rouge, said Don Moreau, chief of operations for the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner's Office.

The 23 residents were supposed to stay at a church, where one of the bodies was found. The other body was found on a school bus and a third person died at a hospital, Moreau said.

The others were found to be suffering from various forms of dehydration and exhaustion, he said.

Moreau did not know whether authorities would term the deaths storm-related. "These people are very fragile," he said. "When they're loaded up on a school bus and transported out of New Orleans ..."

One person died in similar circumstances during evacuations from Hurricane Ivan, he said.

Katrina is blamed for at least seven deaths in Florida, where it made landfall Thursday as a Category 1 hurricane. As much as 18 inches of rain fell in some areas, flooding streets and homes.

Category 5 is the most intense on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Only three Category 5 hurricanes have made landfall in the United States since records were kept. Those were the Labor Day hurricane of 1935, 1969's Hurricane Camille and Hurricane Andrew, which devastated the Miami area in 1992. Andrew remains the costliest U.S. hurricane on record, with $26.5 billion in losses.

Camille came ashore in Mississippi and killed 256 people.

[/quote]

they were saying on the news last night, they weren't sure if the superdome could take the battering, this is after 1000's of people were being pushed inside...

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raveneye

It's now down to a category 3 as the eye passes just to the east of the city, and the storm surge prediction has been downgraded to 15 feet -- good news! (relatively speaking ...)

fatmanforprez

damnit dont say CAT5 unless we are talking about a specifacation for unshielded twisted pair cabeling. I got excited when i saw it and the title didnt make sense to me without thinking about the hurricane. Im off to skulk in a technologic forum now, thanks for listening to the rant