Hurricane Katrina

[lotti]

Total structural failure" in parts of city
Section of Superdome roof opens up
Category 4 storm with 135 mph winds
Coastal Mississippi may bear brunt of storm
Three dead in evacuation, that's from CNN's website.

 

[CanadianSteve]

*- The Superdome has leaks in the roof (due to external peeling) and they are evacuating people outside because they fear the concrete roof is going to collapse

This will impact the coming NFL season.

 

[Bomber]

Saints to Los Angeles, do you reckon? ;-)

 

[Timmah]

Gathering from MSNBC live feeds:

- Downgraded to category three.
- Latin quarter now breached, meaning industrial area will contminate the city. 6-8 weeks predicted unliveablitity, Oil prices set to rise to almost $100 a barrel on the back of such catastrophe (meaning our petrol prices will most likely shoot up to 150c a litre).
- Biloxi, slightly north of the city of Nawlins itself, is bearing the brunt of the storm, and is considered Ground Zero.
- The leak in the roof isn't as catastrophic as predicted. The worst is over, but these conditions will stick around for a good 12 hours or so now. Time is now 10:50am in the windy city, things won't clear until at least midnight.

 

[Bomber]

Cheers Dodger

Things are pretty damned bad.....

 

[Timmah]

Three dead in evacuation, that's from CNN's website.

The death of three elderly ladies was the indirect result of Katrina's ability to strike fear into the residents of Louisiana. They are rumoured to have died of dehydration whilst leaving.

Latest on the SD says there are now two holes and lots of rain entering the arena, but all it is doing is making them uncomfortable, not putting them in a dangerous position.

 

[Timmah]

Cheers Dodger

Things are pretty damned bad.....

I have a friend in Biloxi who was forced to pack up and leave on Sunday, she's visiting family in New York now, but is unsure if she'll have a home to go back to.

A horrible day for her I am guessing. I'm glad Sky News has switched to ongoing coverage of this, no matter where you are, this is a very important world event.

 

[Timmah]

Video from Biloxi shows trolleys, cats, cars, fridges, powerpoles, all being picked up and turfed across town..
Very dire situation.

 

[Timmah]

A significant increase on the estimate of Superdome holes: 60 is the new number. It is now standard thunderstorm rain falling inside the superdome, the field is soggy and the 8000 inside are getting wet, but aren't in immediate danger.

New Orleans got it to a lesser extent than Biloxi and fortunately earlier reports about the Latin Quarter getting flooded may not be true. The most powerful section avoided Downtown N.O. and hopefully things will get better.

 

[Bomber]

For the record, Biloxi is approximately 125km ENE of New Orleans.

The centre of Katrina is moving around 16 miles per hour (25-30km/hr, I'm guessing), but the effects are being felt approximately 150 miles (225km or so) from the centre.

As stated previously, the worst effects of a hurricane are from 12 o'clock to 3 o'clock - that is, if you were looking over the top of the hurricane and had a clock imposed over the top. In other words, to the north and east of the hurricane.

I wish there was some sort of coverage on FTA. Ah well.

 

[Timmah]

For the record, Biloxi is approximately 125km ENE of New Orleans.

The centre of Katrina is moving around 16 miles per hour (25-30km/hr, I'm guessing), but the effects are being felt approximately 150 miles (225km or so) from the centre.

As stated previously, the worst effects of a hurricane are from 12 o'clock to 3 o'clock - that is, if you were looking over the top of the hurricane and had a clock imposed over the top. In other words, to the north and east of the hurricane.

I wish there was some sort of coverage on FTA. Ah well.

If you have a fast enough connection:

http://msnbc.com

I'm watching it live online, Sky News is now just copping UK's live feed.

 

[Bomber]

Nah, I'm going to rough it out on dial-up! lol

According to CNN, parts of New Orleans are under six feet of water after pumps failed.

The weather dudes have reported that several levees have been 'overtopped'.

Obviously Biloxi is the main focus now

Winds have dropped somewhat from 140m/hr to 125m/hr....which is academic really, to the people roughing it out. Think of it this way, cricket buffs - the winds are still at least 25% faster than Brett Lee has ever bowled.

This kind of thing could have happened to Cairns and/or Darwin earlier this year when Cat 5 Ingrid was hanging around. It doesn't look like Nawlins and Biloxi are so lucky.

 

[Timmah]

Nah, I'm going to rough it out on dial-up! lol

According to CNN, parts of New Orleans are under six feet of water after pumps failed.

The weather dudes have reported that several levees have been 'overtopped'.

Obviously Biloxi is the main focus now

Winds have dropped somewhat from 140m/hr to 125m/hr....which is academic really, to the people roughing it out. Think of it this way, cricket buffs - the winds are still at least 25% faster than Brett Lee has ever bowled.

This kind of thing could have happened to Cairns and/or Darwin earlier this year when Cat 5 Ingrid was hanging around. It doesn't look like Nawlins and Biloxi are so lucky.

Now down to Category 2, looks like it may fizzle out and tornadoes will become the issue. Nawlin's avoided the direct hit as was predicted earlier today but still suffered irrepairable damage. Focus now is on Mobile Bay, Alabama as the Storm Surge throws it underwater.

Things not as apocalyptic for the region as once was said, thank god.

 

[Bomber]

According to my very unscientific measurements, the hurricane is about 25km SE of Biloxi.

There must be something wrong, though, because I still have it over water.

Oh well..........time for sleep.............

 

[Timmah]

According to my very unscientific measurements, the hurricane is about 25km SE of Biloxi.

There must be something wrong, though, because I still have it over water.

Oh well..........time for sleep.............

The hurricane is well and truly over land now, it's been 6 hours since it hit land. Mobile is now in grave shape, a lot worse than Nawlins.

 

[Bomber]

Mobile?

That means there must have been a lot more NE direction over the last three hours than the Yankee weather people have let on......although, I guess if you allow for the "12 o'clock to 3 o'clock" theory, it's certainly feasible.

Plus, Katrina has accelerated a bit since the last official advice...

Ah well

 

[Timmah]

Mobile?

That means there must have been a lot more NE direction over the last three hours than the Yankee weather people have let on......although, I guess if you allow for the "12 o'clock to 3 o'clock" theory, it's certainly feasible.

Plus, Katrina has accelerated a bit since the last official advice...

Ah well

The speed and direction have increased, but the intensity and destructiveness have waned dramatically, which is both good and bad news. Baton Rouge is now, excusing the pun, battoning down the hatches.

 

[lotti]

here's the latest on Katrina(as of about an hour ago) Storm "dismantling" Gulfport, Mississippi, area
10 feet of water covers Gulfport streets
Hurricane Katrina now Category 2, with 105 mph wind
Mobile Bay spills into downtown
"Total structural failure" in parts of New Orleans
East side of New Orleans under 5 to 6 feet of water

 

[millersnose]

sorry bomber

not directed at you

HURRICANE Katrina...A MOST POWERFUL HURRICANE WITH UNPRECEDENTED
STRENGTH...RIVALING THE INTENSITY OF HURRICANE CAMILLE OF 1969.

wrong

MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS...PERHAPS LONGER. AT LEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL...LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.

wrong

THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL.
PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. CONCRETE BLOCK LOW RISE APARTMENTS WILL SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE...INCLUDING SOME WALL AND ROOF FAILURE.

wrong

HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY...A
FEW TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT.

wrong

AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD...AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES. SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED. THE BLOWN DEBRIS WILL CREATE ADDITIONAL DESTRUCTION. PERSONS...PETS...AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK.

probably correct

POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS...AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.

wrong

THE VAST MAJORITY OF NATIVE TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING...BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED. FEW CROPS WILL REMAIN. LIVESTOCK LEFT EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL BE KILLED.

wrong

can i ask wher you got this from bomber

 

[Bomber]

No offense millersnose. I didn't write it ;-)

I got it from the National Hurricane Centre, based in Miami, which handle all hurricane warnings for the USA.

Like you said, hyperbole is alive and well.

It was a Cat 5 storm when written though, and it did move off its predicted path.

On another weather forum - http://www.weatherzone.com.au - it was debated why the statement was so strongly worded, in comparison to Australian cyclone warnings. The general conclusion was that it was worded so to 'shock the sh*t' out of the population and get them thinking about the storm and its potential consequences.

Reading off these forums (weather forums, not LU), I found two things which make me wonder whether natural selection really is at work or not:

- A reporter standing outside reporting back to the studio: "There is absolutely no traffic on the highway, the highway is deserted." As soon as he said it, a car drove past.

- Another reporter in a different location, doing a report with two idiots in the background jumping up and down, presumably trying to learn how to fly.

Just out of curiousity, have you ever been in a cyclone, millers?