This just in:
Senator Walter Boasso of St. Bernard Parish says there is 12 feet of water in most of the parish, up to the second floor in many homes.
A note: In Louisiana, counties are parishes.
Monthly Archive for August, 2005
So far, the news that i’ve gathered…
Superdome (major shelter for the city) has two holes in its roof
Two local shelters in the eastern part of the Metro area are nearly destroyed.
One apartment building with people to the south of the city has collapsed
Downtown reports 3 feet or so of water already.
There has been a breach in one of the leevees. They are expecting 8-10 feet of water in two areas.
There is no power in 90% of the area. Water is undrinkable for most places.
i have spoken with my mom and they are fine. My aunt decided to stay at her house which is right outside of the eye wall. We have not heard from her. My dad’s location is currently within the eye itself. No word yet from there. Our neighbor reports that my mom’s house is fine. No flooding there. Some minor damage. A few trees have fallen, but no houses around there have been hit yet.
The internet live broadcasts of local stations are not working. There has been word that a few places in the French Quarter have collapsed as well, but i have not confirmed it yet.
Lastly, Katrina has just been downgraded to a category 3 (125 mph winds).
Also, a picture of one of the flooding areas:
My grandmother used to tell me stories about how bad Camille and Betsy were. Hearing stories of houses being flooded out to the roofs. People chopping their way out of their attic roofs for life. People stranded on their roofs waiting for the Coast Guard to rescue them. Large buildings collapsing and being stripped of everything. i now have my own memory and stories.
This is what the aftermath of a Cat. 4 hurricane with a similar path did in 1965 (Betsy):
The latest news…as of 4 pm, New Orleans time:
KATRINA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 13 MPH…
This is good, because that means that it’s moving faster. The faster, the better.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 165 MPH…WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
That’s anywhere within the eyewall….about 20 miles. Not good with the current forecast.
KATRINA IS A LARGE HURRICANE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 105 MILES FROM THE CENTER…
That’s 75 mph or higher.
COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 18 TO 22 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS…LOCALLY AS HIGH AS 28 FEET…ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES…CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL. SOME LEVEES IN THE GREATER NEW ORLEANS AREA COULD BE OVERTOPPED.
RAINFALL TOTALS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES…WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 15 INCHES…ARE POSSIBLE ALONG THE PATH OF KATRINA ACROSS THE GULF COAST AND THE TENNESSEE VALLEY.
ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE BEGINNING THIS EVENING OVER SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF LOUISIANA…MISSISSIPPI…AND ALABAMA…
My mom told me that two of our neighbors are staying. My father told me one of his friends is staying as well. My mom gave one of our neighbor’s a key and an axe with the instructions to get as high as possible, even if it means cutting through her roof.
My father is still staying in the path of the hurricane eye…which is not a good decision.
