Hurricane Katrina, Live Thread, Part V

NHC - NOAA ^ | 28 August 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[NautiNurse]

Extremely dangerous Hurricane Katrina is bearing down on the North Central Gulf of Mexico. Mandatory evacuation of New Orleans is finally underway. Louisiana officials are warning of complete failure to levy systems, and pleading with people to leave low lying areas. For those who choose to stay, they are recommending picks and axes for breaking through to access their roofs during flooding.

Due to the size and intensity of this storm, all interests in the North Gulf of Mexico should be rushing hurricane preparations to completion.

The following links are self-updating:

Public Advisory Currently published every 3 hours 5A, 8A, 11A, 2P, etc. ET
NHC Discussion Published every six hours 6A, 11A, 6P, 11P
Three Day Forecast Track
Five Day Forecast Track
Navy Storm Track
Katrina Track Forecast Archive Nice loop of each NHC forecast track for both three and five day
Forecast Models
Alternate Hurricane Models via Skeetobite
Bouy Data Louisiana/Mississippi
Buoy Data Florida

Images:

New Orleans/Baton Rouge Experimental Radar Subject to delays and outages - and well worth the wait

Mobile Long Range Radar Loop

New Orleans/Baton Rouge Radar

Ft. Polk, LA Long Range Radar Loop

Northwest Florida Long Range Radar

Storm Floater IR Loop
Storm Floater Still & Loop Options
Color Enhanced IR Loop

Other Resources:

Hurricane Wind Risk Very informative tables showing inland wind potential by hurricane strength and forward motion
Central Florida Hurricane Center
New Orleans Web Cams Loads of web cam sites here. The sites have been very slow due to high traffic
New Orleans Music Online Couldn't resist--love that jazz
Golden Triangle Weather Page Nice Beaumont weather site with lots of tracks and graphics
Hurricane City
Crown Weather Tropical Website Offers a variety of storm info, with some nice track graphics

Live streaming:
copy/paste into player:

http://www.wjbo.com - BR radio station. Callers calling in and describing traffic etc.
WWL-TV/DT New Orleans (WMP) - mms://beloint.wm.llnwd.net/beloint_wwltv
WVTM-TV/DT Birmingham (WMP) - mms://a1256.l1289835255.c12898.g.lm.akamaistream.net/D/1256/12898/v0001/reflector:35255
WDSU-TV/DT New Orleans (WMP) - http://mfile.akamai.com/12912/live/reflector:38202.asx
Hurricane City (Real Player) - http://hurricanecity.com/live.ram
ABCNews Now (Real Player) - http://reallive.stream.aol.com/ramgen/redundant/abc/now_hi.rm
WKRG-TV/DT Mobile (WMP) - mms://wmbcast.mgeneral.speedera.net/wmbcast.mgeneral/wmbcast_mgeneral_aug262005_1435_95518

Hurricane Katrina, Live Thread, Part IV
Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part III
Katrina Live Thread, Part II
Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part I
Tropical Storm 12

Category	Wind Speed	Barometric Pressure	Storm Surge	Damage Potential
Tropical Depression	< 39 mph < 34 kts			Minimal
Tropical Storm	39 - 73 mph 34 - 63 kts			Minimal
Hurricane 1 (Weak)	74 - 95 mph 64 - 82 kts	28.94" or more 980.02 mb or more	4.0' - 5.0' 1.2 m - 1.5 m	Minimal damage to vegetation
Hurricane 2 (Moderate)	96 - 110 mph 83 - 95 kts	28.50" - 28.93" 965.12 mb - 979.68 mb	6.0' - 8.0' 1.8 m - 2.4 m	Moderate damage to houses
Hurricane 3 (Strong)	111 - 130 mph 96 - 112 kts	27.91" - 28.49" 945.14 mb - 964.78 mb	9.0' - 12.0' 2.7 m - 3.7 m	Extensive damage to small buildings
Hurricane 4 (Very strong)	131 - 155 mph 113 - 135 kts	27.17" - 27.90" 920.08 mb - 944.80 mb	13.0' - 18.0' 3.9 m - 5.5 m	Extreme structural damage
Hurricane 5 (Devastating)	Greater than 155 mph Greater than 135 kts	Less than 27.17" Less than 920.08 mb	Greater than 18.0' Greater than 5.5m	Catastrophic building failures possible

[Diva Betsy Ross]

"They are being evacuated into a death trap IMHO"

Oh I so hope and pray you are wrong. The footage of the people with their belongings and children and babies was enough to make me want to cry.

Prayers for all of those people.

[gov_bean_ counter]

The Battle of Bourbon Street...

French Quarter Mojo vs Mother Nature

[hole_n_one]

Shep Smith just admitted to tossing back cocktails while awating the inevitable

He doesn't sound like the party animal he came across as a couple of hours earlier.

[pax_et_bonum]

My sisiter-in law lives in Lafayette- about 150 miles directly west of NO. She is not the least bit worried. Says they will get a little rain and that's it. she's planning to be at work in the morning. Does this sound right? Will there be no devestation to the west at all?

This is a huge storm, and I've never been through one like it, of course, but you'd be surprised at how little the area west of the west edge of a tropical storm or average hurricane is affected.

The west side of the storm is called the dry side because so much of the rain has already fallen by the time the rotation gets there, but in a storm this strong I would think that the dry side would just be the 'less wet' side.

[small voice in the wilderness]

I do understand; I used to be a Shep fan.

Same here. There was just something about him hitting another reporter with his car that made me re-examine him. Now I just see him as another punk, smarta** reporter who just doesn't get it. Although he thinks he does.

He'll cry before this is over. I'm surprised the f guy didn't start him whimpering.

[Peach]

I see Americans who may be dead this time tommorrow.

That's what I see too. Most of us are so fortunate, but so many people have so little and now in fear of their lives. The woman holding an infant in her arms broke my heart. She didn't even have a carriage to put her child in and her arms must be weary from 3 hours of waiting and holding.

[11th_VA]

It will hit TONIGHT.

So does that make tomorrow, WET Monday ???

[tet68]

RE;super death trap.

Just think of the spin offs.

SURVIVOR NEW ORLEANS.

Superdome of death.

Katrina Cat 5, the true story.

Hurricane, one mayor's epic struggle.

JeanClaude's Hurricane Recipes.

Thug, the story of the survival
in the hurricanes aftermath.

Why Hollywierd is going to go nuts!

[toomanygrasshoppers]

Sounds like Shep may be staying at the Royal Sonesta Hotel. It's located at 300 Bourbon Street.

[kcvl]

Seem to imply that belongings are being checked and people wanded.

Because some of them are carrying liquor which is forbidden in the shelters because of obviuos problems later. They aren't happy about having their liquor taken from them according to one report I heard (I forget which channel - either Fox or TWC).

[IndyTiger]

...there was a mandatory evacuation in Savannah, they used school buses to take elderly...

An alarming lack of leadership for NO at the local and state level. Why weren't plans in place to do this?

[Frank_2001]

Wonder what kind of language he'll be using in twelve hours..........

[SE Mom]

I don't know for sure, none of us do. I'm relying on the press releases from the National Hurricane Center, the president, and all the other emergency workers we've been listening to. I have a dear friend who is at this moment responsible for evacuating all the VA hospitals in the path- a very practical and level-headed fellow. He sent an email to me a little while ago saying all he can do now is pray.

Listening to Shep just now- his tone has taken a striking change- he is NOT the same as he was two hours ago.

[MinuteGal]

I know they were late to the drill, but I can't help but feel badly for those poor people inside the gridlocked cars out on the open highway. Some are only 35 miles away from the city although they've been inching along for 4 hours.

What if they didn't bring food, what if they need a bathroom (especially the kiddies), what if a small baby needs a warm bottle. Or what if they break down or run out of gas. They can't leave their cars. They can't go forward quickly and they can't turn around and go back.

Maybe it's better to be in that scary stadium than trapped on the highway when the raging winds smash into all those vehicles in a couple hours.

Oh my, this is horrible for all these good folks. I'm sure they are terrified.

Leni

[Warren_Piece]

diverteach,
Did they ever rebuild the boardwalk where the Crab Trap was? As I recall, they lost the parking lot to Ivan.

[Mo1]

Shep Smith just admitted to tossing back cocktails while awating the inevitable

I think I might toss back a few at this point knowing I was stuck there

[Dog Gone]

They have opened up all the freeways one way leaving town. There just aren't enough of them. Three roads leave town.

This storm will now catch many motorists on the roads in non-moving traffic.

It's the worst case scenario. And it's actually happening. And I can't help but think that all those thousands of people lining up to enter the Superdome are in for the worst experience of their lives if they're lucky enough to survive.