The good news if that comes to fruition is that New Orleans is one of the most prepared places for it this time. History shows that good hurricane preparations are a function of time between major disasters. The longer it has been the worse it is. Florida became a model of hurricane preparations in the early-mid 2000's and it had everything to do with the fact that they kept getting hammered. I am not thrilled with that path either. It puts the strongest quadrant over my house and those hurricane deductibles are steep.
NOLA will be fine as long as they get the boats and barges out of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet during the storm. A barge crashing through the levee wall is what caused the flooding of the Lower 9 during Katrina.
I would just like to say it's shameful that the lower 9 and other areas that were literally washed away during Katrina aren't rebuilt yet. It says a lot about our country that we haven't made that happen 7 years later. Many of the houses that are rebuilt are due to volunteers who give weeks of vacation and college kids giving their spring breaks to go down there and swing hammers. (descends soapbox)
I definitely do not **want** it to hit N.O. (or anywhere, for that matter) by any means, but now that I'm living in Pensacola and will be here all by myself when this thing is supposed to reach land, I have to admit that I'm a little relieved to see the models showing it go further west. But, of course, it has not even entered the Gulf, yet, where crazy and unpredictable things have been known to happen to these storms.
Different storm, different conditions. Let's not forget that Katrina was pretty exceptional, on many levels (not least the level of the barometer!) This storm isn't expected to be the same. Always be prepared, always say a little prayer to Our Lady of Prompt Succor, but in general let's not get too worked up yet. This has the possibility of being like when Dan Rather camped out downtown and nobody local understood why, and then it was a little windy and a little rainy and people went back to work.
I am not a meteorologist, nor do I play one on TV. However, I have been a resident of Florida for my entire life, so I have some experience with hurricanes.
1. Isaac was moving at 16 mph the last time I looked, which is absolutely hauling for a storm this size. The biggies tend to move a bit slower. They need time to percolate, if you will, over those warm waters to gather strength and organize. It's possible this one will slow down and gather strength, but it's kept a pretty consistent pace so far,so I don't think it's likely.
2. The biggest problem in NO during Katrina was that the folks in charge were idiots. And That's the most charitable thing I can think to say about them right now. The reason we can get hit with as many hurricanes and tropical storms and such in Florida and never have the problems they had in NO is because we are seriously organized and prepared here. Our emergency management here is the pride of the state. And Bobby Jindal and company in Louisiana have been ramping up their emergency management preparations over his term, basing it off the Florida model. So long as they can keep things moving in an orderly fashion and actually evacuate if it looks like the storm is going to be above Cat 2, they will be fine. The levees breaking last time would have still done structural damage to the city, but the lives lost would have been minimal had the officials at the time been more organized and evacuated when it became apparent it was going to be at least Cat 4 and headed right for them. The management was just stupid during Katrina.
I'm with Mike the Geek on this one. You know it's bad when you see Texas Ranchers trying to give a little left body english when the storm track is shown on TV. Padre south of Corpus would be just about right.
August 26, 2012 at 1:40 pm
The good news if that comes to fruition is that New Orleans is one of the most prepared places for it this time. History shows that good hurricane preparations are a function of time between major disasters. The longer it has been the worse it is. Florida became a model of hurricane preparations in the early-mid 2000's and it had everything to do with the fact that they kept getting hammered. I am not thrilled with that path either. It puts the strongest quadrant over my house and those hurricane deductibles are steep.
August 26, 2012 at 1:49 pm
NOLA will be fine as long as they get the boats and barges out of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet during the storm. A barge crashing through the levee wall is what caused the flooding of the Lower 9 during Katrina.
I would just like to say it's shameful that the lower 9 and other areas that were literally washed away during Katrina aren't rebuilt yet. It says a lot about our country that we haven't made that happen 7 years later. Many of the houses that are rebuilt are due to volunteers who give weeks of vacation and college kids giving their spring breaks to go down there and swing hammers. (descends soapbox)
August 26, 2012 at 1:58 pm
I definitely do not **want** it to hit N.O. (or anywhere, for that matter) by any means, but now that I'm living in Pensacola and will be here all by myself when this thing is supposed to reach land, I have to admit that I'm a little relieved to see the models showing it go further west. But, of course, it has not even entered the Gulf, yet, where crazy and unpredictable things have been known to happen to these storms.
August 26, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Different storm, different conditions. Let's not forget that Katrina was pretty exceptional, on many levels (not least the level of the barometer!) This storm isn't expected to be the same. Always be prepared, always say a little prayer to Our Lady of Prompt Succor, but in general let's not get too worked up yet. This has the possibility of being like when Dan Rather camped out downtown and nobody local understood why, and then it was a little windy and a little rainy and people went back to work.
Meanwhile somebody has made this: http://www.facebook.com/DramaticHurricaneIsaacUpdates
August 26, 2012 at 9:07 pm
Wish it would come through central Padre Island, where nobody lives, and rain out in central Texas. We could use it.
August 27, 2012 at 3:42 am
San Antonio Saints ba-bee!
August 27, 2012 at 12:09 pm
Prayers
August 27, 2012 at 3:10 pm
The hurricaine won't be the problem. The problem will be the local population's activities afterwards.
August 27, 2012 at 5:43 pm
I am not a meteorologist, nor do I play one on TV. However, I have been a resident of Florida for my entire life, so I have some experience with hurricanes.
1. Isaac was moving at 16 mph the last time I looked, which is absolutely hauling for a storm this size. The biggies tend to move a bit slower. They need time to percolate, if you will, over those warm waters to gather strength and organize. It's possible this one will slow down and gather strength, but it's kept a pretty consistent pace so far,so I don't think it's likely.
2. The biggest problem in NO during Katrina was that the folks in charge were idiots. And That's the most charitable thing I can think to say about them right now. The reason we can get hit with as many hurricanes and tropical storms and such in Florida and never have the problems they had in NO is because we are seriously organized and prepared here. Our emergency management here is the pride of the state. And Bobby Jindal and company in Louisiana have been ramping up their emergency management preparations over his term, basing it off the Florida model. So long as they can keep things moving in an orderly fashion and actually evacuate if it looks like the storm is going to be above Cat 2, they will be fine. The levees breaking last time would have still done structural damage to the city, but the lives lost would have been minimal had the officials at the time been more organized and evacuated when it became apparent it was going to be at least Cat 4 and headed right for them. The management was just stupid during Katrina.
August 27, 2012 at 9:23 pm
I'm with Mike the Geek on this one. You know it's bad when you see Texas Ranchers trying to give a little left body english when the storm track is shown on TV. Padre south of Corpus would be just about right.