To those in Katrina's path - stay safe

[excitedofharpenden]

I know there will be many on the board here affected by Katrina to varying degrees over the coming days. I wish everyone well and keep safe. Thoughts and prayers from this side of the Pond.

 

Phil

[drfun48]

I know there will be many on the board here affected by Katrina to varying degrees over the coming days. I wish everyone well and keep safe. Thoughts and prayers from this side of the Pond.

 

Phil

Thank you for your concern. It is sure to be a most difficult time .We should all consider lending a hand ,if possible, or a dollar ,when and if they are needed. It certainly makes our obsession with the quality of afternoon canapes seem trivial.

[mconthehighseas]

I know those in Louisiana appreciate your thoughts. Many people are on the road because of evacuations, so they won't find this thread for a while, but it's always good to find treasures like this.

[safein]

Phil, you beat me to the punch!

 

Everyone in New Orleans, if you're reading this, then you haven't heard the call to evacuate!!!! Please stay safe!

 

My boss is or was (more likely) supposed to fly to New Orleans on Wednesday. Guess she's not going now!

 

Anita

[TPKeller]

I expect there will need to be significant recovery efforts and ample opportunities to provide assistance.

 

For those who may have been just moderately paying attention to the details of this storm, the NWS issued an unprecedented statement earlier today. It's enough to make your spine tingle:

 

WWUS74 KLIX 281550

NPWLIX

 

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA

1011 AM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

 

...DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED...

 

.HURRICANE KATRINA...A MOST POWERFUL HURRICANE WITH UNPRECEDENTED

STRENGTH...RIVALING THE INTENSITY OF HURRICANE CAMILLE OF 1969.

 

MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS...PERHAPS LONGER. AT

LEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL

FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL...LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY

DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.

 

THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL.

PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD

FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. CONCRETE

BLOCK LOW RISE APARTMENTS WILL SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE...INCLUDING SOME

WALL AND ROOF FAILURE.

 

HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY...A

FEW TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT.

 

AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD...AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH

AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES. SPORT UTILITY

VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED. THE BLOWN DEBRIS WILL CREATE

ADDITIONAL DESTRUCTION. PERSONS...PETS...AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE

WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK.

 

POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS...AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN

AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING

INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.

 

THE VAST MAJORITY OF NATIVE TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY

THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING...BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED. FEW

CROPS WILL REMAIN. LIVESTOCK LEFT EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL BE

KILLED.

 

AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR

HURRICANE FORCE...OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE...ARE

CERTAIN WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS.

 

ONCE TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ONSET...DO NOT VENTURE

OUTSIDE!

 

MSZ080>082-282100-

HANCOCK-HARRISON-JACKSON-

1011 AM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

 

...INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IN EFFECT...

 

.HURRICANE KATRINA...A MOST POWERFUL HURRICANE WITH UNPRECEDENTED

STRENGTH...RIVALING THE INTENSITY OF HURRICANE CAMILLE OF 1969.

 

0NSET OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL BE AROUND 3 PM AND PERSIST

FOR 24 TO 28 HOURS. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WILL ONSET AROUND DAYBREAK

MONDAY AND PERSIST FOR 12 TO 15 HOURS.

 

ONCE TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ONSET...DO NOT VENTURE

OUTSIDE!

 

$$

 

//end//

Please be safe, and our thoughts and prayers are with you.

 

Theron

[Cruise Arizona]

New Orleans is one of those cities for which I have a great deal of affection. I went to college down the coast in Mobile, so New Orleans was our get-away town. My sister went to Loyola, so I would often visit her there. I love the food, fun the people the whole ambience of the city right down to the dirty streets. I even went with my parents, husband and kids last year. We all enjoyed the jazz music in a corner cafe, the street performers and the wonderful Sea Food. It looks like this storm is going to completely devistate the city, and I can only pray that somehow it will be spared, or if not recover quickly. I just hope that the people who are unable to leave will be safe in the Super Dome.

[Lois R]

Hi Phil, I echo your thoughts too.

 

Theron, those stats are scarey. I have been watching the news almost

the entire day. And living in Florida for 40 years~they have continued to

stress this will be only the 2nd Category 5 to hit EVER. And it seems she

is STRENGTHENING, the pressure is going down:( which is making her

stronger.

As bad as it has been in the last 2 years for Florida I think Katrina might

actually destroy New Orleans. The city is so far below sea level:eek:

 

All the best to those anywhere in her path.

[patrioticgirl]

The reports on the news and Theron's post regarding the latest storm preditctions are extremely troubling. I heard this afternoon on the Weather Channel that the wind effect of the storm will be the equivalent of an F3 tornado for several hours. As of 4:40 P.M., the winds have decreased to 165 mph, but that landfall is not expected to be less than cat. 4. My aunt lives in Key West and she reported this morning that it was pretty bad there yesterday with quite a bit of flooding. It appears it will be even worse for the residents of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

[morriscats]

It does make so many things seem trivial. Here I am in the beautiful Napa Valley trying to decide what to bbq for dinner and folks in New Orleans are wondering if they will have a home to come home to. God keep them safe!

[kingcruiser1]

I could not sleep so I did a webcam search. Here is what I found still working:

http://www.thecauseway.com/ scroll down the blue navigation bar on the left and click on webcam link

http://www.nola.com/paradecam/ click on live video in the upper right hand corner

http://www.tropicalisle.com/webcam.html

To all of you in the Gulf, you are in our prayers.

[alpal1993]

Having already lived through Katrina with minimal damage (a tree fell in my backyard and took out part of our fence) we never lost electricity,but many people in Broward and Miami Dade did.Katrina only being a Cat 1 I can only imagine what the people on the gulf coast are going through and what the aftermath will be.My heart and prayers go out to them.

[rs2ndwife]

For the folks who could not, or did not get out, I hope they are in a good shelter...It doesn't look as bad for N.O. as originally thought, but Biloxi is being "dismantled" accodording to the reports we're getting in Texas.

I heard one reporter on the radio this morning who had, apparently, stepped outside of his hotel to give an eye-witness report and got hit in the back and head by a flying cattle guard fence. He reported to his radio station here that he was having some trouble walking, but that his head didn't hurt (this after being knocked out for a few seconds). Then he commented on debris, with some obviously heavy items around 50 lbs., flying around outside. The last thing he said in his broadcast was to the effect of "I hope no other idiots like me will try and go outside during this storm". God bless that guy - took a beating, and hopefully won't have a concussion for his troubles.

Keep folks in your thoughts and prayers - this can only get worse before it gets better...