Hurricane Thread '08 [Big Ike heading to Texas]

[WarEagle]

Evacuation orders in part of Louisiana (including NOLA). No hotel vacancies in my town already. While you're watching college football over the weekend, check these links for updates. I think Gustav is supposed to hit Monday night or Tuesday morning early.

http://www.nola.com/

http://www.wwltv.com/

I would've included NOLA's great WWL radio but they require you to register.

[RedskinsDave]

Has anyone been smart enough to knock Nagin unconscious and run NoLa until the storm is over?

[WarEagle]

Has anyone been smart enough to knock Nagin unconscious and run NoLa until the storm is over?

He's kept a low profile on the news, it seems. Decadence Fest is being interrupted, so there is a little less joy in the world. lol

http://www.wwltv.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=277598

[shally]

Has anyone been smart enough to knock Nagin unconscious and run NoLa until the storm is over?

entirely different response this time around

first of all, there will be NO shelters of last resort. the city has chartered 200 buses to help people get out now. but if you stay, you are officially on your own. no more Superdome or Convention Center footage on CNN

all prisoners already out. all nursing home and vulnerable patients already out or heading out. most of St Bernard Parish is already evacuated..

let's hope the police actually decide to stay this time, and POLICE the city.

also, whether jindal or nagin ask for it, there WILL be a federal response team on the ground from the start.. the administration cannot have another public relations disaster to coincide with the convention.. no effort will be spared this time around

on a personal note, my daughter and her family evacuated YESTERDAY.
people arent taking this one lightly..

[shally]

He's kept a low profile on the news, it seems. Decadence Fest is being interrupted, so there is a little less joy in the world. lol

http://www.wwltv.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=277598

every day is a Decadence Fest day in new orleans..lol

[csquared]

I was reading on MSN and they say that if Gustav hits that patch of deep warm water out in the Gulf that this would be alot stronger than Katrina was. Lets hope that doesnt happen.

[shally]

I was reading on MSN and they say that if Gustav hits that patch of deep warm water out in the Gulf that this would be alot stronger than Katrina was. Lets hope that doesnt happen.

100 % probability

the gulf water temperature this time of year is well over 90* pretty far out.. it is the weirdest feeling to go into the gulf and not get chilled by the water.. but that is the way it is

that is high octane racing fuel for storms..Katrina was actually a Cat 1 as it rounded the tip of florida.. in less than 24 hours it was Cat 4 or Cat 5.. the exact same thing will happen with Gustav

also, the opposite effect used to happen as storms reached the barriers islands and tip of louisiana where the water is much more shallow. Katrina was downgraded to Cat 3 as it came on shore.
but so much of the wetlands have been washed away there will be less of this effect with Gustav.. it could be very bad..

[WarEagle]

A scary prognosis, Shally. The "tracks" don't look good at all for La. They'll know more as it enters the Gulf. I think this will be the major story on CNN and Fox all weekend, so stay tuned.

[shally]

A scary prognosis, Shally. The "tracks" don't look good at all for La. They'll know more as it enters the Gulf. I think this will be the major story on CNN and Fox all weekend, so stay tuned.

yeah.. those buzzards have been waiting for 3 years for another story like this..
disaster junkies.. they finally have something to fill up their broadcasts 24 hours per day.

."oh look !! it moved 1 * west !!!..... oh look now !!! 2* north....!!!
keep watching as we stay up 48 hours straight just to bring you every morsel of news..... now we will show you footage from Katrina just to remind you..."

[akhhorus]

Gustav has strengthed to a Cat 4 Hurricane. My god, this is going to be a monster.

[ryflan47]

Either way, NOLA will get hit by some of the outskirts of this storm cause it's HUGE.

Comon, no class Tuesday/Wednesday...

[AGibbsGirl]

on a personal note, my daughter and her family evacuated YESTERDAY.
people arent taking this one lightly..So glad to hear this shally. Are they somewhere safe?

[csquared]

So glad to hear this shally. Are they somewhere safe?

No they decided to evacuate their home and are now sitting on the levee's. lol Sorry i just had to do it.

[WarEagle]

Mayor Nagin told everyone to "get your butts moving out of NO right now" at his evacuation presser last night. You can check it out on WWL-TV. I'm getting deja-vu all over again.

http://www.wwltv.com/

[PHWbc]

Gustav is predicted to make it to a category 5, then "weaken" to a category 4 when it hits land.

Link (http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at200807_5day.html#a_topad)

Gustav is predicted to be about 80% as wide as the 440 mile-wide region of tropical storm force winds Hurricane Katrina hit NOLA in 2005.

Link (http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at200807_5day.html#a_topad)

[redskin_rich]

Cat 4 or 5 will be catastrophic wherever it hits and whatever path it takes inland, there will be devastation until Gustav weakens to a 1 or TS.
This is going to be bad but hopefully, the loss of life will be minimized with the evacuations.

[SpicyMcHaggis]

I'm following the news from over here, and it's not looking good at all. Like Rich said, let's just hope that the number of victims is as small as possible.

And shally, I'm glad to hear that your family has already left the area.

[GeneralDisorder]

Reminds me of being hit by Hugo in Montserrat back in '89.

http://www.geocities.com/hurricanene/hurricanehugo.htm

I was staying with a mate and his family just outside the capital Plymouth. We'd been out there for a fortnight when news broke that this hurricane was heading towards us.

Me and my mate were a bit dismissive about all the noise and fuss as we'd had an overnight storm in London in 1987 that caused widespread damage over the south east of England but just about everyone I knew had slept through it.

We spent around two days driving around helping to board-up windows and telling anyone who would listen not to worry as "we'd had one of these storms in London and they were a piece of piss. Mate." Oh, did we get a shock or what.

When the Hugo hit, we were holed-up in my mate's family's basement for about 30 hours. You'd repeatedly hear this roar get louder and louder until the wind hit and you'd feel the building shake. Good job they built the thing with bricks, otherwise we would have bought the farm. The devastation was incredible - I never want to go through anything like that again.

The sad thing about it all was that in the grand scheme of things, we were alright - we were able to leave devastation behind - a week later, we were flying out of Antigua on our way back to London. I still think of all those people who lost everything and managed to get it all back on track - only to lose everything again when the volcano on Montserrat erupted a few years later.

[smoak]

Watch out for what COULD be Hurricane Ike. I haven't checked since Thursday, but the low pressure system looked bigger than Gustav and Hanna combined. That said, I guess that most likey it will split or putter b/c it is too large to sustain.

EDIT:

I can't find the map & article that my buddy showed me, but it was a "zoomed out" view of this (http://hurricane.accuweather.com/hurricane/storms.asp?partner=accuweather&traveler=0&ocean=atlantic&storm=Hanna&imagetype=sat&stormNum=7).

[WarEagle]

Great Hugo story, GD. What a culture shock when you returned to jolly ol' England. Reminds me of that scene late in Castaway when Tom Hanks is contemplating the ice in his cup.

I keep thinking about the hundreds of insurance adjustors and how they're going to have to mobilize and get down there in a few days.

http://www.wwltv.com/ has added a live news link where you can watch their continuiting coverage.

[oldskinfan]

Hope this one does not hit Louisiana / Mississippi too hard.
Prayers go out to all the people in that area.

And the rebuilding continues....

[Passepartout74]

Unfortunately, Hanna is on the way
So nobody is out of the woods just yet!

[WarEagle]

Everyone needs to fill up their gas tanks today.

[SorceryatCaesars]

100 years ago New Orleans was more protected by the deltas at the mouth of the Mississippi. But they eroded, largely due to concrete levies built up and down the river that prevent silt from accumulating downriver.

[BurgundyNGold]

100 years ago New Orleans was more protected by the deltas at the mouth of the Mississippi. But they eroded, largely due to concrete levies built up and down the river that prevent silt from accumulating downriver.
You're right. We should just remove the levees. :rolleyes:

[csquared]

You're right. We should just remove the levees. :rolleyes:

I always wanted to see Atlantis....

[redskin_rich]

Bring Hanna on! I want nothing less than a total washout this weekend.
Pleeeeaaaase!

*doing the rain dance*

As for Ike, well, that one could be nasty.

[CarMike]

Bring Hanna on! I want nothing less than a total washout this weekend.
Pleeeeaaaase!

*doing the rain dance*

As for Ike, well, that one could be nasty.

You guys need the rain as well, huh?

[redskin_rich]

You guys need the rain as well, huh?

Yes and I would like a weekend free of soccer, so I can watch football.

[WarEagle]

Here's the Weather Channel's website. Updates on Hanna for you. Looks like she's going straight up the northeast coast.

http://www.weather.com/

[HAWGZHEAD]

Looks like I'll be taking Hannah head on here where I am, glad it isn't packing too big of a punch. This is gonna end up making me miss sunday football because i will be doing clean up :(. Good thing the skins played thursday, well maybe not lol.

[BurgundyNGold]

Looks like I'll be taking Hannah head on here where I am, glad it isn't packing too big of a punch. This is gonna end up making me miss sunday football because i will be doing clean up :(. Good thing the skins played thursday, well maybe not lol.
Is that what they call storm surfing in the OBX? :D

[HAWGZHEAD]

Is that what they call storm surfing in the OBX? :D
Shhhhhh lol

[redskin_rich]

I guess my rain dance worked. It's raining so hard here the water is running uphill, lol. Guess I'll spend a glorious day on the couch.

[ryflan47]

Looks like Ike's going to provide us with some much needed "cooling rain" this week. It's been hot as CBS out recently!

[WarEagle]

Ike is supposed to hit Texas within 24 hrs. Galveston is only 7 feet above sea level, so it just might flood. A very serious situation. It looks like everyone evacuated, so that's a plus. This is the heart of the refinery industry.

[redskin_rich]

Ike is supposed to hit Texas within 24 hrs. Galveston is only 7 feet above sea level, so it just might flood. A very serious situation. It looks like everyone evacuated, so that's a plus. This is the heart of the refinery industry.
There's going to be a storm surge of 20 feet and waves over 50 feet. A whole lot of property will be lost.
Hope everyone down there has headed well inland for safety.

[RedskinsDave]

The National Weather Service issued a warning saying that people who ignore the evacuation order "may face certain death". They seem to be on the fence here a little too much.

[shally]

The National Weather Service issued a warning saying that people who ignore the evacuation order "may face certain death". They seem to be on the fence here a little too much.

galveston is particularly vulnerable to storm surge.. they have a history of nearly being wiped out about 100 years ago. they have a very interesting museum
that re creates the feeling of being inside that hurricane.. hopefully there wont be an updated version.

it is a lovely town with a lot of fine old houses and trees.. great medical school there also..

[WarEagle]

FOX News just showed a live shot of a patio bar near the beach in Galveston. They're having a hurricane party. The anchorman told the bartender "Tell everyone that the weather service says you will die if you don't leave." Maybe they'll show this bar again throughout the day.

Waves knocked Geraldo to his feet earlier today live on the air. This is hysterical.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB0ff5ftuT8

[shally]

FOX News just showed a live shot of a patio bar near the beach in Galveston. They're having a hurricane party. The anchorman told the bartender "Tell everyone that the weather service says you will die if you don't leave." Maybe they'll show this bar again throughout the day.

Waves knocked Geraldo to his feet earlier today live on the air. This is hysterical.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB0ff5ftuT8

no great loss if he is washed out to sea...

[WarEagle]

no great loss if he is washed out to sea...

The reporters are determined to ride out the storm on Galveston island. They're going to hunker down in a high rise hotel there. All of 'em might get washed out to sea! lol

Here's Fox news video of that hurricane party bar in Galveston. Has a 20 sec. intro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J8HpYhqdz0

[CarMike]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ike

By some estimates, more than 140,000 of the 1 million or so people who had been ordered to evacuate the coast as Ike drew near may have tried to tough it out. Many of them evidently realized the mistake too late, and pleaded with authorities in vain to save them overnight.

I'd tell those idiots to rough it out on their own. They were given plenty of time to evacuate before the storm hit. Now they want rescuers to endanger their lives to save them. How selfish could you be?

[BurgundyNGold]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ike



I'd tell those idiots to rough it out on their own. They were given plenty of time to evacuate before the storm hit. Now they want rescuers to endanger their lives to save them. How selfish could you be?
Seriously. They all have TV sets, eyes and ears. They saw what happened with Katrina. They saw how everyone was evacuated for Gustav. And they knew that they were ordered to leave well ahead of Ike.

While I can certainly feel for people who have been displaced and who may end up losing their homes and all of their belongings, I have no sympathy for stupidly gambling with your life when everyone and their dog tells you to leave and then makes it possible for you to do so well ahead of time.

[PyroGenic]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ike



I'd tell those idiots to rough it out on their own. They were given plenty of time to evacuate before the storm hit. Now they want rescuers to endanger their lives to save them. How selfish could you be?

Hell of a time to realize that hurricanes don't give a crap about people's machismo.

[BurgundyNGold]

Hell of a time to realize that hurricanes don't give a crap about people's machismo.
You underestimate the power of the moustache.

[SpicyMcHaggis]

I really don't understand these people's motives. Why the hell would you NOT leave? Especially if you are a family with children. Inbelievable.

[smoak]

Watch out for what COULD be Hurricane Ike. I haven't checked since Thursday, but the low pressure system looked bigger than Gustav and Hanna combined. That said, I guess that most likey it will split or putter b/c it is too large to sustain.

EDIT:

I can't find the map & article that my buddy showed me, but it was a "zoomed out" view of this (http://hurricane.accuweather.com/hurricane/storms.asp?partner=accuweather&traveler=0&ocean=atlantic&storm=Hanna&imagetype=sat&stormNum=7).

I haven't seen the news so I don't know how bad Ike was yet, but I need to get the name pf the guy who predicted this... Basically I think (not sure) that at one point, Ike and Jospehine were together as one low pressure system...

[smoak]

Seriously. They all have TV sets, eyes and ears. They saw what happened with Katrina. They saw how everyone was evacuated for Gustav. And they knew that they were ordered to leave well ahead of Ike.

While I can certainly feel for people who have been displaced and who may end up losing their homes and all of their belongings, I have no sympathy for stupidly gambling with your life when everyone and their dog tells you to leave and then makes it possible for you to do so well ahead of time.

But maybe they don't have cable?? ;)

All kidding aside, I agree. If you ignore the warning, you get no help. Period.

[WarEagle]

I really don't understand these people's motives. Why the hell would you NOT leave? Especially if you are a family with children. Inbelievable.

Reminds me that a few employees of New Orlean's famous Brennan's restaurant stayed behind during Gustave. They wanted to protect the place as best they could. During Katrina, defrosting freezers flooded part of the place when the power went out. I'm assuming that during Gustave they had generators ready to go.

Ironically, Brennan's restaurant in Houston burned to the ground during Ike. A transformer near the place blew up and the winds fanned the flames. In this case, two employees and one of their small children were severly burned.