**Hurricane Katrina- 2nd Lowest Pressure Ever?**

[RFields5421 1]

The first three deaths reported were all elderly people being / having been evacuated from the New Orleans area.(Not being trying to be callous - my 78 year old uncle with mid-stage Altzheimers and his 76 year old wife with heart trouble live across the river from New Orleans - they are in Baton Rouge with their oldest - while the 45 year old son stayed home to see what he could do. Norman was to ride out the landfall in a sheltered structure at Avondale Shipyards.

[Sonar5 3]

Well, It's not over yet, moving North Still and will affect a lot of the countries weather this week.Damage Assessments are premature at this point until they get aviation assets in the Air hopefully tomorrow.The Dome survived thank goodness, but lost part of its outer shell. And that was due to the storm eye tracking East of Downtown, and storm weakening by the time it arrived in that area. New Orleans still has a lot of damage, and we won't know the extent of this storm until later in the week.Mississippi seems to have taken the brunt of it, and Governor Haley Barbour seemed very worried today about his state concerning the storm surge and the winds.How the Rigs did will also be of interest but it seems most of the fields were west of the storm.Regards,JoePS - Ken, you ok down there?

[btacon 1,790]

News reports on day two show extreme devastation across the Gulf Coast.Gulfport and Biloxi swamped with flooding. 80+ feared dead.New Orleans which seemed to have largely escaped the brunt of the storm is now experiencing massive flooding from a two-block breach in the Lake Ponchatrain levee. Estimates are that up to 80% of the city is now under water and some areas are seeing as much as 20 foot deep flooding.While the result was delayed, this is turning out to be every bit as dire as was predicted. May God bless the victims, and protect the survivors.bthttp://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,167633,00.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/08/30/katrina/index.html

[RFields5421 1]

It's amazing to watch this coverage and the news media leading up to the storm.Almost everything I'm seeing, from the overwhelming panic about New Orleans to the destruction in Mississippi is an instant replay of hurricane Camile in 1969.Fortunately it looks like the death toll and destruction will be quite a bit less than that storm. Lets hope so and keep those on the Gulf in our prayers.

[Sonar5 3]

According to FOX News, Martial Law has been declared in New Orleans, the levees have broken, and water is rising in New Orleans. Authorities also say they don't know why the water is rising in some places. FNC says at least 4 have broken. And they don't know whether the water is coming from the Lake, or River. The pumps do not work. The Central Business district is being evacuated.FNC said they heard on Emergency radio they are worried about sustaining life for those that remain in the city. At this point it appears at least to me, that New Orleans is going to flood out to the tune of 80% - 85%.The City has said people no longer have civil rights.With No Power, no Potable water, and disease, chemicals, and other things polluting the water, the loss of life may be great.Prayers for all those still there, and hopefully they will be able to get out.*****NOLA Tymes Picayune now evacuation.http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/One of the sources I was using is now evacuating their building before they are stranded. The water keeps rising, and they are concerned that they need to evacuate now while they still can do so safely.

[Sonar5 3]

Reggie, I would caution about talking about death tolls. Camille caused about 255 deaths, and we don't even have a grasp on the situation yet. There are many areas that if people did stay, it is not looking good. Here is a page about Camille you may be interested in reading.http://www.geocities.com/hurricanene/hurricanecamille.htmAs far as damage compared to Camille, I fear this one will exceed Camille, based upon initial reports and a study of Camille. The population and build-up of the Gulf Coast since Camille has blossomed the population there compared to 1969, so regarding Camille, that damage will dwarf this storms aftermath, in my opinion.Hopefully the federal government will send in Troops to help in this situation. No local Government can handle this type of event.This storm's effects are in some places yet to be felt. There is so much more potential damage, injuries, and even deaths that can occur after a storm that people need perspective.The News media was concentrating on the immediate storm effects, and the actual damage will take quite a while to ascertain.

[jkallinen 0]

Much like hurricane Andrew this will turn into a slow motion calimity.If they need to evacuate the rest of the citizens of New Orleans it will require the US military to mobililize its forces to airlift them out. With Martial declaired looters better think twice, if they wantto live. The flooding is already releasing the chemical soup they were fearing.Hopefully the gasoline in the water doesn`t catch fire. Many people who thought the storm was pretty much over and did not evacuate have returned to there homes and now they are trapped in there attics from the rising water.Now they must think about housing all the storm refugees. Where are they going to go. With much of this area totally destroyed they will have tomove them far away from their homes. Getting them food and water andshelter should be the #1 priority of the governmemnt at the same timethey are organizing the SAR missions. Response time is critical to thesurvival of those still trapped and those who will need help in the coming days and weeks ahead.

[Sonar5 3]

Mayor says 80% of City under water.Straight from the source in New Orleans.http://www.wwltv.com/perl/common/video/wmP...082905mayor.wmvHe talks about significant loss of life, within the city, but they are concentrating on the living right now. Watch this entire interview.St Bernard, over 40,000 Homes Flooded.Folks, there are cities north and slightly east of New Orleans that they have not even been able to get into yet.FEMA told mayor Twin Spans Totally Destroyed. Gone.Superdome now surrounded by three feet of water. Martial Law declared Link:http://www.wdsu.com/weather/4913354/detail.html10:30 a.m.: Martial Law Declared New Orleans is under martial law, according to state officials. It could be weeks before displaced residents are allowed to return. -- WDSU chief meteorologist Dan Milham10:27 a.m.: Blanco Expects Death Toll To Be HighGov. Kathleen Blanco said her office has not confirmed any deaths but expects the loss of life to be high. -- WDSU chief meteorologist Dan Milham

[Sonar5 3]

Mayor of New Orleans has just ordered an EMERGENCY EVACUATION of anyone left in New Orleans.They can't stop the water from rising.Widespread lotting is taking place, and there are unconfirmed reports from a KTLA reporter of shootings and civil unrest.This is a worst case scenario, and although happening slower than what was initially thought, it is still happening.Superdome is currently surrounded by three feet of water. President Bush is heading back to Washington Today.They are going to try and seal the levee with 3000lb sand bags by helicopter.11:04 a.m.: Looting Out Of ControlNew Orleans police say looting is out of control in many parts of the city. Officials are focusing on the rescue effort, but a crackdown on looting is expected after the martial law declaration. -- WDSU anchor Kriss Fairbairn10:30 a.m.: Martial Law DeclaredNew Orleans is under martial law, according to state officials. The declaration is imposed to restore order in times of war and emergency. It could be weeks before displaced residents are allowed to return. -- WDSU chief meteorologist Dan Milham10:27 a.m.: Blanco Expects Death Toll To Be HighGov. Kathleen Blanco said her office has not confirmed any deaths but expects the loss of life to be high. -- WDSU chief meteorologist Dan Milham

[RFields5421 1]

The "damage" in terms of dollars will be 10-20 times the total from Camile, though the actual number of structures and homes destroyed might be less.The Mississippi coast and New Orleans have many more residents, and many more expensive structures now.One of the things which leads me to hope this storm will be less is that in 1969 I saw the beaches and cities of Gulfport and Biloxi first hand.Today I see video of structures standing where everything was wiped completely away in 1969.This isn't just an abject discussion for me.We still have not heard anything from my one cousin who remained behind in the New Orleans area - on the west bank. His last phone call to his parents before the cell phone towers lost power was that the shelter and his vehicle had come through the worst without a problem. He was hoping to be able to move toward his & his parent's homes late yesterday. He has a couple generators, food and water for two weeks and some other supplies. There were are no reports of levee breaches in that area.My other family members in the northwest outskirts of Mobile have come through without too much damage. Nine of them are at the one larger home - with generators, along with charcoal, food and water supplies for at least three weeks. One cousin drove out to Meridian yesterday and let everyone know they were all safe and the four homes had all survived with only relatively minor damage to the roofs. The older and youngest members of that group of cousins had moved up to the old family home in northwest Louisiana on the Arkansas line Saturday morning, as did my cousin and his family who live on shore in Gulfbreeze Florida - east of Pensacola.This is the third time those cousins have left the coast this year. I also understand that my aunt and uncle are being moved today. Last Thursday their children moved them from the NO west bank to Baton Rouge. One cousin is staying in Baton Rouge and the other is moving the parents to northwest Louisiana because the infrastructure and emergency services are so strained in Baton Rouge.My cousin who lives near Pensacola and his wife rode out the storm last September - with 8 feet of water rushing through the first floor of their ocean front home. All the other homes on the little street were destroyed - five leaving only the foundation. Josh builds strong houses. None of the 35+ homes he has built in Gulfbreeze, and over in GulfShores, was a write off.We were all very concerned with no contact for four days last year when he chose to stay. One of the worst decisions he ever made and one which came close to costing him and his wife their lives. The looters were almost as great a threat in the weeks after that storm.This year no one in the family is taking chances.These hurricanes are a terrible tragedy for any family.The loss of family members is about the worst thing which can happen to anyone. The uncertainty of whether or not there is a home to go back to, or a job, or even a community is rough.But people have to stay out of the area until the infrastructure can be restored.Every "rescue", every time a policeman has to guard a store or help people get out of the water - all of these slow down the task of repair and rebuilding.Just as Andrew wiped entire towns clean off the map down to the foundation, as Camile swept entire blocks out of Biloxi and Gulfport and Pass Christian, there will be devastation from this storm.And just as all of those have rebuilt, so will Lousiana, Mississippi and Alabama rebuild again.

[Sonar5 3]

Bad News From Biloxi, according to Reuters. Hundreds feared dead from surge.Reutershttp://olympics.reuters.com/news/newsChann...px?type=topNewsBILOXI, Mississippi (Reuters) - Hundreds may have been killed by Hurricane Katrina in the Mississippi Gulf Coast city of Biloxi after being trapped in their homes when a 30-foot (9 meter) storm surge came ashore, a spokesman for the city said on Tuesday."It's going to be in the hundreds," Vincent Creel told Reuters. "Camille was 200, and we're looking at a lot more than that," he said, referring to Hurricane Camille, which hit the area in 1969 and destroyed swaths of Mississippi and Louisiana.

[Sonar5 3]

Regarding Prisons and Hospitals.Before I stated how they chose not to evacuate the Prisons and Hospitals.Now, the hospitals are being evacuated. The Superdome needs to be evacuated.And if anyone was just watching CNN, they just showed prisoners outside in the prison yard surrounded by water, and then another shot with them all bulked up on a roadway being surrounded by armed guards waiting to be evacuated.They should have gotten these folks out before when they had the chance.***********From:http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWLBLOG.ac3fcea.html 4:40 P.M. - (AP) State officials say they are working on plans to evacuate inmates from the Orleans Parish prison and the Jefferson Parish jail. Both facilities face a threat of flooding.The state Corrections Department is trying to figure out how to transfer 4,000 inmates from the New Orleans jail and another 1,000 from the Jefferson Parish jail in Gretna.The inmates would be moved to state prisons including the highest-security at Angola. Corrections spokesman Pam LaBorde says it's quite a logistical situation to accomplish. ***********There is no Threat of flooding, it has already occurred.The facility they showed on CNN was already flooded, and the Prisoners were sitting on a ramp in the middle of the road bunched up like sardines. Others within the facility looked like they were sitting on top of wash stations outside, completely surrounded by water.

[Guest beana51]

Hi,of course what you say is correct,"WHY DID THEY NOT..." Its like being told today that tomorrow an asteroid is going to strike us from the heavens. I was in Naples Italy,a while back. The obvious question to people living there is what are you going to do when that thing blows its top? There, response may be universal,which is "Well wadda ya gonna do?" I survived four hurricanes last year here on the Gulf coast in Fla.They were bad.Now I seen a hurricane system bigger than the whole state of FLA.Wadda ya gonna do!! Its the hurricane season here. To be sure other hurricanes are coming.On the contrary,instead of leaving this "JURASSIC" park, every day, in record numbers ,with housing springing up like mushrooms,people are flocking here.Next to the rubble of a hurricane destroyed home ,new ones spring up.Again in tough times, we here in America will step up to the plate and do the right thing.Natural disasters are a fact of life.The quicker we get started the better.Can't afford to wait around for those "OTHERS" to offer help. Many of the so called looters,not all, are seeking stuff to survive, Water and food ,are not avaiable for any amount of money.Anyway we do recoverys better than any body.Now is the time to not act like politicians,who will find someone to blame for this.Its time now for praise to all those who are already doing something.From the rescue helicopter guys,to the guy in a john boat fishing people out of that cesspool. Sorry for the BLAA BLAA! THANX VIN "WHEN DEATH SMILES AT YOU,ALL ONE CAN DO IS SMILE BACK"

[jkallinen 0]

Yep, natural selection at work, sad as it may be, its happening. :(

[Guest aca_dia]

>Before I stated how they chose not to evacuate the Prisons and>Hospitals.>>They should have gotten these folks out before when they had>the chance.They were unable to evacuate all of the civilians and tourists let alone the prisons. I doubt the decision-making to leave the prisons went quite like the way you are making it sound. Monday morning quarterbacking without any of the real facts of is not going to fix anything. Before you get upset I really do appreciate your concern, but some of your opinions are less than constructive. Just consider that with a major urban area even if everything goes perfectly a full-scale evacuation is a major and even risky plan. There is no perfect way to deal with a major natural disaster.