Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part VII

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

[NautiNurse]

Extremely dangerous Hurricane Katrina is bearing down on the North Central Gulf of Mexico and New Orleans metro area. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin conceded that as many as 100,000 inner-city residents didn't have the means to leave and an untold number of tourists were stranded by the closing of the airport. At this hour, people are still filing into the Superdome after security screening for weapons and contraband. National Guard have brought in 360,000 MRE (meals ready to eat) to feed the estimated 30,000 storm refugees in the Superdome.

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 Katrina Live Thread, Part VI
Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part V
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

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:

Fully-linked version of the live feeds (just in case a few people don't want to first open up WMP to cut-and-paste) -

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 WDSU-TV/DT New Orleans via WESH-TV/DT Orlando - http://mfile.akamai.com/12912/live/reflector:38843.asx

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

[PhiKapMom]

I would be afraid the wind would topple the upper floors and I would be caught underneath the debris. Of course, I would have been out of NO several days ago.

[Howlin]

If these elected morons can "canvass" neighborhoods for votes, bless bess, they can do it for the biggest storm known to hit the USA.

ROFLMAO! I am J U S T dying here!

[Ronzo]

Just checked in with the NO radar at the NOAA site...the eye is just now coming into view...

http://radar.weather.gov/radar/latest/DS.p19r0/si.klix.shtml

[Elyse]

They should have had more than 18 hours to evacuate which they would have had if they had really had a good plan. There was no plan to evacuate the poor and elderly. The mayor wasn't even sure that he had the power to order an evacuation. There is no excuse for that from a mayor of NO. Everyone with any clue in LA had known for ages that this catastrophe was likely to happen. I won't blame it all on this mayor, the plan should have been in effect way before he became mayor, but he should have been prepared for what he would do in case this very likely scenario would happen while he was mayor.

[WVNan]

Hi Nauti, you're up late tonight. I'll tell you which hurricane I was in. It was Camille in 69. Lived in Jackson, MS, 250 miles inland and a tree blew over onto our roof. It was a scary night. During the 50s & early 60s I lived in Miami and there were several hurricanes there, but they must have been little ones because they didn't make much of an impression on me (I was young and immortal back then). Now it's time for me to sleep a bit before facing the devastation wrought by God to keep us humble. Prayers for all in the path.

[non-anonymous]

I think you're referring to the energy as opposed to power.

[PureSolace]

whats it mean if the eye tightens again? wind getting faster?

[NautiNurse]

I can compare the actions of our Gov. Jeb and the local EOC to the disaster I saw in Louisiana the past 24 hours. It's called leadership--and it was sorely lacking in Louisiana.

Those numbskulls waited until the President called them--twice to get off their duffs and feebly attempt to motivate people.

It's all about leadership.

[AntiGuv]

PS. Might I add that it is hardly something I would advise. It is nothing but pure blind luck that I survived Hurricane Hugo.

[silentknight]

Very weird satellite photograph. It looks like someone sheared off the whole western part of the storm. Looks like they are seeding the storm and killing it it :P

heh

Some will say that...tin foilers.

[PAR35]

there are a million military bases around there, for starters.

Hattiesburg and Leesville are the only two locations with sizable installations away from the coast. Hattiesburg has a fair number of National Guard folks training for deployment to Iraq, but they could probably accommodate some refugees. They may be stretched, however, just getting their own folks under cover. That area is going to have its own storm related problems.

Leesville would probably be the best bet, but it isn't exactly easy to get to from New Orleans. Beyond that, you are talking about Shreveport or Meridian (which certainly doesn't have adequate facilities).

Or were you referring to the military facilities in metro New Orleans?

[rdl6989]

Do you think it's lost? Another one way out about 300 miles from Panama City stopped working last night.

[bonfire]

I would never even LIVE in NO! I visited a few years ago and it wasn't my cup of tea. Felt like I was underwater with the humidity, snakes hanging from the trees......no thanks!

[BurbankKarl]

Caller to Art Bell just said gasoline futures are up 20 cents in Chicago....immediate delivery

[Termite_Commander]

We should get a new update at 3 AM EST.

I'm thinking the max sustained speed may down to 155 MPH.

[PhiKapMom]

All night long the Weather Channel has been trying to say it looks like it is moving due north but the local New Orleans channels have said it is still moving to the NW.

[onyx]

ME too! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!

It's the "bless bess" part.

[JeffAtlanta]

You're drowning in desperation. Their basketball coliseum likely holds at least 10,000 just in the seats, plus more on the floor.

The superdome holds over 60,000 yet in an emergency situation they just have 25,000.

A hurricane is not like a tornado that is here and gone in 15 minutes. You expect those evacuated to sit on the gym floor for at least a week?

As I've tried to point out, you just can't cattle people and cram them into any nook or cranny you can find. This is especially true for long periods of time and in situations where the evacuation site has been hit hard by the storm as well and has it's own refugees to deal with.

You and some of the other women on the thread are probably good freepers, but you're just being totally unrealistic.

[Flyer]

Ok, go check in, then you are free for storm watch.

[PhiKapMom]

Same here! We stepped off the plane and it was like a wet blanket. Took the kids on a swamp boat ride and the guy said to look out for snakes in the trees. That did it for me -- not living around that kind of nature! :)