The highways are all one way out of town since 4PM yesterday. You just can't see on those blasted video cams that the contraflow starts outside their view. The inbound lanes are for westbound traffic, and the outbound lanes are for eastbound traffic.
000 WTUS84 KLIX 281521 HLSLIX LAZ038-040-050-056>070-MSZ080>082-281900- HURRICANE KATRINA LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA 1015 AM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005 ...HURRICANE KATRINA NOW A CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE PACKING SUSTAINED WINDS OF 175 MPH... ...DIRECT STRIKE OF POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC AND LIFE THREATENING HURRICANE EXPECTED... ...RUSH PROTECTIVE MEASURES TO COMPLETION AND LEAVE THE AREA NOW!... ...HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND COASTAL MISSISSIPPI FROM MORGAN CITY EAST TO THE ALABAMA FLORIDA BORDER.... ...DANGEROUS HURRICANE KATRINA MOVING WEST NORTHWEST IN THE GULF OF MEXICO... ...AREAS AFFECTED... IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA...THE FOLLOWING PARISHES ASSUMPTION...ST JAMES...ST JOHN THE BAPTIST...ST CHARLES...ST BERNARD...TERREBONNE...ORLEANS...JEFFERSON...PLAQUEMINE... LAFOURCHE...ST TAMMANY...TANGIPAHOA...LIVINGSTON. IN COASTAL MISSISSIPPI...THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HANCOCK...HARRISON...JACKSON ...WATCHES AND WARNINGS... A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM EAST OF MORGAN CITY EAST TO THE ALABAMA-FLORIDA BORDER AREA. THIS INCLUDES THE METRO NEW ORLEANS AREA...AND THE MISSISSIPPI COAST. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 10 AM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE KATRINA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 26.0 NORTH...LONGITUDE 88.1 WEST OR ABOUT 225 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 175 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. HURRICANE KATRINA IS A CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR SIMPSON SCALE. SOME MINOR FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. HOWEVER...KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL AT A CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE PACKING SUSTAINED 160 MPH WINDS. HURRICANE KATRINA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 12 MPH AND A GRADUAL TURN TOWARD THE NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED LATER TODAY. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... PROTECT YOU AND YOUR FAMILYS LIVES. FOLLOW LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGERS RECOMMENDATIONS AND LEAVE HURRICANE WARNING AREA NOW BEFORE WEATHER CONDITIONS WORSEN. RESIDENTS OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND COASTAL MISSISSIPPI SHOULD RUSH PREPARATIONS FOR THE LANDFALL OF A CATASTROPHIC HURRICANE LATER TONIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY...WITH DAMAGING HURRICANE FORCE WINDS AND HIGH STORM SURGE. MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDERS ARE IN EFFECT FOR MOST SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA PARISHES AND COASTAL MISSISSIPPI COUNTIES. RESIDENTS SHOULD FOLLOW EVACUATION RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCAL PARISH OFFICIALS. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL ALONG THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO COAST AS A CATASTROPHIC LIFE THREATENING HURRICANE. WHILE EXACT LOCATION LANDFALL IS UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME...SIGNIFICANT AND LIFE THREATENING STORM SURGE 18 TO 22 FEET ABOVE NORMAL IS POSSIBLE NEAR AND TO THE RIGHT OF THE LANDFALL AREA. A FEW AREAS MAY EXPERIENCE STORM SURGE FLOODING AS HIGH AS 25 FEET ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL. RESIDENTS IN AREAS PRONE TO STORM SURGE FLOODING SHOULD LEAVE NOW! HEED EVACUATION RECOMMENDATION FROM LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS. SECONDARY ROADS OUTSIDE LEVEE PROTECTION WILL LIKELY BECOME IMPASSABLE THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. ...WIND IMPACTS... EAST TO NORTHEAST WIND OF 20 TO 25 MPH SHOULD CONTINUE OVER THE REGION TODAY...THEN INCREASE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING TONIGHT. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE LIKELY TO OVERSPREAD THE COASTAL AREAS THIS EVENING AND THE REMAINDER OF THE INLAND AREAS BY EARLY MONDAY MORNING. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE LIKELY TO BEGIN BY MIDNIGHT AND MOVE INLAND MONDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON. KATRINA IS FORECAST TO MOVE ASHORE AS CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE... SIMILAR IN STRENGTH TO HURRICANE CAMILLE IN 1969. WINDS ASSOCIATED CATEGORY 4 AND CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE CAN TOTALLY DESTROY MOBILE HOMES...AND CAUSE MAJOR DAMAGE TO EVEN WELL CONSTRUCTED BUILDINGS. HIGHER WIND SPEEDS ARE LIKELY TO BE EXPERIENCED ON UPPER FLOORS OF TALL BUILDINGS CAUSING DAMAGE. ...RAINFALL... RAINFALL TOTALS OF 8 TO 10 INCHES...WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 15 INCHES...ARE POSSIBLE NORTH AND SOUTH OF LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN AND THE MISSISSIPPI COAST. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 130 PM CDT.
I'm glad to know that. I've never been in a hurricane, and can't even imagine how bad this one's going to be. Prayers for all of the people who won't be able to get out of its way, including any Freepers in that area. Do we have a list of who they are?