Nope, I'm in one of the subdivisions you mentioned. I really hope this hurricane won't be major because damn, it would suck so bad for NOLA. Eventually, that city will be nothing but water. A co-worker asked me, "why is the government pouring millions to build that city if it's gonna be submerged in water years from now?". I think it's all politics because if they didn't do anything, there will be backlash. So I think it's a good idea to move NOLA farther up north. I don't think it has been done for a city, has it?
You obviously haven't had much experience with major hurricanes. Don't you know that Hurricans spawn tornadoes? Have you ever been in a hurricane with 100+ mph winds? Ever been near the coast and experienced a storm surge from a hurricane. Hurricanes are a nuissance? No. Mosquitoes are a nuissance. Hurricanes are serious.
No, actually, hurricanes are a nuissance. Does this mean they can't be seriously dangerous? No, of course they can be and often are very damaging. But they have some qualities unique to them that make them a nuissance, is all.
http://www.reuters.com/article/topN...?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true New Orleans considers evacuation as Gustav looms Wed Aug 27, 2008 1:51pm EDT NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Three years after Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Louisiana coast, New Orleans residents on Wednesday again confronted the prospect of an evacuation as Tropical Storm Gustav loomed. Not since Katrina struck on August 29, 2005, have residents faced a forced departure from their homes and businesses as many still struggle to rebuild their lives in a city famed for its jazz clubs and Mardi Gras festival. Storm levees broke under the onslaught of Katrina, flooding 80 percent of New Orleans and killing almost 1,500 people in the city and along the Gulf of Mexico coast. The hurricane caused $125 billion in wind and flood damage. With Tropical Storm Gustav swirling near Cuba and likely to enter the Gulf of Mexico as a hurricane this weekend, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said an evacuation could begin as early as Friday -- three years to the day after Katrina inundated New Orleans. Jindal said he had activated the state's catastrophic action team and could declare a state of emergency as early as Thursday. He also put the Louisiana National Guard on alert. "We all need to be prepared and ready to respond, from the citizen level and at every level of government," Jindal said. Jindal, elected as governor in October 2007, is hoping to avoid heavy criticism that fell on his predecessor, Kathleen Blanco, for not reacting quickly enough after Katrina. Federal agencies and the New Orleans city government also faced the wrath of residents over their response to the disaster, while President George W. Bush was criticized for his role, including his initial decision to view the devastated city only from the air. After Katrina, chaos broke out in New Orleans as stranded flood victims waited days for help. Many residents who fled the hurricane have not returned. On Wednesday, Gustav drifted away from Haiti and the Dominican Republic after killing 16 people. Forecasters warned the storm may still become a dangerous hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, with their models showing it most likely on track to hit anywhere from the Florida panhandle to Texas. Jindal said if the threat continues, his state could make 700 buses available for assisted evacuations, which could begin on Friday for people who need help due to medical or other conditions. He advised other residents of the southern parishes to review their own emergency plans and be prepared to evacuate if an order is given. The state's Office of Emergency Preparedness held a conference call on Wednesday afternoon with the presidents of all area parishes and emergency personnel to review current conditions and disaster plans. The Louisiana SPCA announced it would shut down its shelter and begin evacuating the animals to other shelters.
Not unless the thing gets on course to hit us. We'll know more once it gets into the Gulf. But if it heads in the direction the projections are pointing for it to head....then it's actually a worse hit on NOLA than Katrina was. Remember, Katrina hit to the southeast of NOLA...putting NOLA on the "clean" side of the storm. If it hits just to the west...like just in MS or just east of NOLA...that's a potentially stronger hit for NOLA than Katrina. I'm really hoping it doesn't go down like that. EDIT: By the way...Nagin just announced he's leaving the Dem convention to get back home to deal with evacuations. http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/mayor_ray_nagin_leaving_democr.html
Reading some of the blogs and articles on NOLA.com...apparently hotels north of the coast in MS and LA are filling up fast with reservations for this weekend from people making evacuation plans...of course, it's a holiday weekend so that compounds the problem.
Slowly, the tracks are shifting east. We'll have to watch it really closely for the next couple days, but we should have a much better idea of where Gustav is going by Friday.
Isn't that the way it usually goes? Seems like the models always shift East the closer they get to landfall.
From what I read over at WU, few of the serious weather geeks take accuweather seriously....they claim its always off. We arent anywhere close to out of the woods yet boys...dont get lax. Models this far out are very unreliable, three days is about the extent of their accuracy. Go ahead and make sure you got your preps done, dont worry about putting boards up just yet.
