More here. Looks like Mardis-Gras land is doomed; 28 foot storm surge in a city 6-10 feet below sea level with winds that are as strong as a Tornado. I hope everyone who lives around there gets out safely.
wouldn't it be kinda cool for a hurricane during mardi gras (using the fantasy that no one would get hurt)... just think, naked chicks falling from the sky!
My grandparents live in New Orleans and they have refused to leave. I have no idea what to do, I dont think I have ever been this worried about anything in my lifetime.
I'm watching The Weather Channel now and they are saying that Katrina has hit category 5 status and when it hits land, they are talking potantially catastrophic destruction. Winds are peaking at > 160mph (>257.50kph) and the govenor of Louisiana has called for an immediate and complete evacuation of the New Orleans area. Hurricane force winds are extending 105 miles from the center and the storm surge is projected to be up to 40' high. FYI: There have only been 4 category 5 hurricanes to hit the US. Anyone remember hurricane Andrew back in '92 and the billions of dollars in damage it caused? That was only a category 4, Katrina is a 5. Personally, I have a bad feeling about this one. I really hope I'm wrong, but when I heard that 10,000 people won't leave and are taking refuge at the Superdome, I got a really bad feeling...
I know someone in Louisiana so im getting really worried, and i hate to tell ya man but its actually more like 100,000 people who arent gonna leave, i really hope everyone is ok after this. Ice
The reports indicate 10,000 at just the Superdome; I would only say twice the number wont take that measure when the storm surge and rainfall will be leaving their city under 30 feet of toxic water.
There getting almost 30'' of rainfall in the next 12 hours. some of those islands re going to be gone.
Update... According to the National Weather Service, the hurricane has intensified in strength. The winds are now SUSTAINED at 162mph (260.71kph) and peaking at over 175mph (281.64kph). God help anyone who doesn't evacuate. From the National Weather Service: Much of the affected area will be uninhabitable for weeks, perhaps longer. ... Low-rise, wood-frame buildings will be destroyed, and concrete apartment buildings will sustain major damage. ... High-rise office and apartment buildings will sway dangerously, many to the point of total collapse, all windows will blow out. Airborne debris will be widespread, and may include heavy items such as household appliances and even light vehicles. Damn, look at the satellite image: Ah hell...
Oh my god ................ I hope injuries are to the minimal, that's incredibly crazy weather over there.. Actually can you imagine a plane flying there?
Dad...I'm in the same boat as you. [EDIT] I was just thinking about New Orleans and remembered something. Since so much of the city is below sea level, most of the graves are crypt graves (meaning they're above ground). This is one thing that's made the city very popular for tourists besides Mardi gra. So not only is there the possibility of most of the city being destroyed, they're also possibly going to loose tons of historical sites. [/EDIT]
Last update I heard stated that if the levy fails, the city of New Orleans could be flooded for the next 3-6 months.
3-6 MONTHS? blimey I was thinking about this earlier today - besides it being all over the news, it happened to be a windy day here in Melbourne, Australia too. One shouldn't joke about such serious stuff, but it occured to me that with 173mph (280kph) winds, wouldn't that mean any light aircraft pointing into the wind would just *take off* ? Though obviously it would probably be blown over sideways long before that. Our thoughts & prayers are with everyone in that region (who should be on the nearest intersate out of there, and NOT reading this). As a local sheriff (or someone) said on the news "haul ass and get out of there!"
Thats much more than whats needed to get light aircraft off the ground if facing into the wind; get a strong enough tether and you could send a 747 airborne
I've just seen the evening news - apparently if the sea surge breaches the wall, in goes the water, and since the city is surrounded by water normally anyway (and being 2m below sea level) once the water goes in, there is no where for it to go. This is obviously where the 3-6 month prediction comes from. You can't just punch a hole in the wall to let the flood water out, because it will let the sea water IN! Surely they can't just pump it all back out over the wall, can they?? I don't know about y'all, but I'm now interested in the history of the place ie why the hell did they build a settlement there in the first place?!?
I don't know why I didn't just Wiki first - it has all the answers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans,_Louisiana UPDATE - seems they saw this coming as early as 4 years ago http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/research/1282151.html
Wow didn't know it was below water level now that's a serious problem for them. Now if they knew that something like this was going to happen they should've had some kind of mass restructuring or coastal and weather defenses built ages ago...
