Hurricane Devastates New Orleans, Miss. & Alabama

[DudeAsInCool]

When Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans on Monday, it could turn one of America's most charming cities into a vast cesspool tainted with toxic chemicals, human waste and even coffins released by floodwaters from the city's legendary cemeteries.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/katrina_the_big...zkxBHNlYwN0bQ--

[Redneck4sure]

If the storm surge hits more than 25 feet they have a real problem. I wish the best for my coonass neighbors.

[moodyblue]

I hope everyone in New Orleans stays safe.

[CTC Command]

[your link was dead Dude, so there's this from The Weather Channel]

Hurricane Katrina remains a powerful Category 5 hurricane -- top winds are 160 mph. Katrina is a large hurricane with hurricane-force winds extending 105 miles from the center and tropical storm-force winds extending up to 230 miles from the center. Katrina continues to move towards the north-northwest at 10 mph with a turn to the north expected tonight.

The pressure dropped as low as 902 mb this afternoon but has risen to 908 mb as of 10 p.m. CDT. The 902 mb pressure reading was the 4th lowest on record in the Atlantic Basin. Stu Ostro explains the significance of pressure from his blog posted earlier today..."We look at pressures as a good barometer (pun intended) for intensity. The difference in pressure from one location to another, known as the pressure gradient, is associated with wind speed. There are other factors involved, but basically, the greater the pressure gradient in hurricanes, typically the higher the wind speed."

Everyone along the northern Gulf of Mexico should listen to local emergency management officials for instructions. Hurricane warnings are up from Morgan City, La., to the Florida-Alabama border. This includes the city of New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. A tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch have been issued from the Alabama-Florida border eastward to Destin, Florida and from west of Morgan City to Intracoastal City, Louisiana.

Although conditions are already deteriorating tonight, places such as New Orleans, La. and Biloxi, Miss. can expect to see the maximum impacts from Katrina on Monday morning and afternoon. Areas further inland such as Meridian, Miss. and Jackson, Miss. should see their maximum impacts by mid-afternoon and through the evening on Monday.

A storm surge of 20 to 25 feet or more is possible along and to the east of Katrina's landfall point Monday. On top of the water rise, pounding waves of 20 to 40 feet will produce catastrophic damage at coastal locations.

read the rest here.

[slum_goddess]

I hope everyone in New Orleans stays safe.

what moodyblue said.

[DudeAsInCool]

[your link was dead Dude, so there's this from The Weather Channel]

Link above fixed!

[rainbowdemon]

It hit. And it's bad. A prayer for these people might not be a bad idea.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9063708/

r.i.p.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9107338/

[The Hunter]

It is bad Joe, and our friend Roadblocks state of Kentucky, is probably going to be hit by flash floods.

[Kooperman]

Here in Louisville, Kentucky we're looking at Wednesday for getting a lot of water moving in low-lying areas. I'm on high ground here, but hoping for the best for those not so fortunate.

I have relatives in south central Mississippi who took a pretty good shot from Katrina today...no luck contacting them yet :( . According to the Hattiesburg, Mississippi online newspaper nobody has any power in the area and the cell phone connections are screwed up royally.

[DudeAsInCool]

The French Quarter...after

[DudeAsInCool]

Mississippi flooded...

[DudeAsInCool]

Bourbon Street?

[slum_goddess]

superdome of shame:

Watching news coverage of the refugees trying to enter the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans for safety from the approaching force-five Hurricane Katrina, I was incredulous how the people attempting to enter the stadium were being treated by the National Guard troops and local police. The people were made to stand for hours outside in the awful Louisiana climate while they were admitted one or two adults at a time so they could be searched "for firearms and alcohol."

The frail elderly, many grasping walkers and others in wheelchairs seemed to be near collapse. They, along with hundreds of small children needing water and rest-room relief, were forced to wait as long as four hours to get to safety. It was often repeated during the video reports that the last time the Superdome was used as a hurricane shelter, a few of the temporary occupants removed some furniture. But this time, they had a large security force on hand, so that was NOT going to happen again, no-siree-bob.

During coverage by Geraldo Rivera Sunday night, FOX NEWS' video cameras zoomed inside the foyer deck of the Superdome and viewers could see a national guard person going through a powder compact from of a woman's purse that was way too small to hold a liquor bottle or a gun. It was obvious that they were looking for drugs in warrantless searches. They instructed all the refugees far back in the seemingly endless lines to have their prescription-pill bottles out when approaching the security checkpoint and also a photo ID to prove that they belonged with the prescription.

There were THOUSANDS of poor, mostly black citizens of the lower Louisiana area, many of them little children and sickly elderly, being forced to stand for hours while the government violated their civil rights with forced searches that were patently unconstitutional, unjust and unreasonable under the dire circumstances. "Don't want to be searched? That's okay...now turn around, go outside and die!" Big choice.

Can you imagine New Orleans' wealthy elite meekly submitting to such microscopic searches of their persons and property for drugs? Heads would roll. But poor people who had no money to escape the deadly storm's onslaught had no choice...

[slum_goddess]

absolutely disgusting: 'Think about it. They can allow in 30,000 screaming fans with fifty-dollar bills and costly NFL tickets in their hands in a few minutes, but poor black people fleeing for their lives, four hours. Four HOURS!'

[method77]

shame

[The Hunter]

I honestly believe that this was a monumental mistake, made with the best intentions of protecting people. Anyway here is an update on what is known about this disaster so far.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto.../International/

[The Hunter]

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/08/30/katrina/index.html

[Shawn]

Pretty scary stuff. The city is so naturally endangered I could never live there.

[DudeAsInCool]

Levees breakin, causing floods and looters in the streets of New Orleans...

[DudeAsInCool]

Navy and Maritime Rescue Teams Sent to Region

http://www.drudgereport.com/flash4.htm

[DudeAsInCool]

80 Per Cent of New Orleans Under Water

http://www.forbes.com/finance/feeds/afx/20...afx2197914.html

[DudeAsInCool]

New Orleans Transformed Into Baghdad - Looting, Chaos Abounds

http://www.salon.com/wire/ap/archive.html?...=D8CADOPG0.html

[Kooperman]

They're even looting 75 miles north of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, in Hattiesburg. My home town, Laurel, is about 30 miles north of that...and I'm still unable to contact my relatives or even find out how hard the hurricane hit it.

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pb...NEWS05/50830023

[Shawn]

Hope your family is okay.

[slum_goddess]

what Shawn said--i'm hoping you hear from them ASAP. in other news, i think this is totally fucked up (but typical)