[kingu]

I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around the scale of this thing.

The scale, at least in my local perspective in Los Angeles, is a 7.9 or larger earthquake in the downtown metropolitan area with significant aftershocks. With a little bit of strengthening, a disaster on a similar scale is actually impossible in Los Angeles without going to nuclear weapons. Large nuclear weapons.

I'm praying that every forecaster is absolutely wrong, that this is completely wrong, and it will fizzle out. In any event, I'm now doubtful that Bush will be coming to visit the local area..

This is absolutely the worst thing that could happen... Oh, and as a side note, expect a jump in gas prices of a quarter in the next week and a half. I'm fillin' up my tank tomorrow.

[mewzilla]

Well, the disaster part I can get a handle on. We had Agnes up here in '72. We lived with the aftereffects of her visit for quite a while. It's physical aspect of the storm itself, the energy it generates, that I can't get a grasp of. How the thing does what it does. It's just horrifically awesome.

[cincinnati65]

Put simply, for New Orleans: This IS the worst case scenario.

[newzjunkey]

I just don't have a grasp on what this is like being another southern CA dweller. I've been in tropical storms but no tornadoes or hurricanes.