New Orleans!!!

[rtd2]

My God ... I really can't understand the attitude. So what if there's a probability that it misses east or west or whatever? If you were standing in a room, and you knew for a fact that sometime real soon bullets would be flying though that room, but there's only a 20% chance you'll be hit, would you stay in the room or would you go out the door? I mean really!

The chance Effects MILLIONS and Cost Many MILLIONS and if the NHC pulls the string TOO quick and Advises NOLA to Clear out THEN the storm turns and misses them then People BECOME compalcent and And ANGRY the HAD to Leave...

[SamSagnella]

The threat Katrina poses is absolutely unreal; for years everyone has been saying that a Cat5 to N.O. would be utter devastation and I cannot believe that it is on the verge of actually happening. The loss of property is inevitable, but the loss of life is not. However, people in the area seem to be *hoping* that Kat will go elsewhere and not doing enough to prepare for the fact that it very well might not. I fear that a death toll >1000 isn't absurd considering we're less than two days from probable landfall.

[skysummit]

I see people are starting to leave down here. The lines at the gas stations are getting long and Walmart is going mad.

[vbhoutex]

ALWAYS BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY!!!!!!

[gk1]

from other states. You would have to live in southeast LA to know how funny this area operates. Normally, I must say, people of SE LA. get well prepared for storms. I think the lack of hype from Emergency Planners has given residents a "laid back" approach.

[SamSagnella]

ALWAYS BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY!!!!!!

Especially when, in this case, sorry means dead.

[NorthGaWeather]

My God ... I really can't understand the attitude. So what if there's a probability that it misses east or west or whatever? If you were standing in a room, and you knew for a fact that sometime real soon bullets would be flying though that room, but there's only a 20% chance you'll be hit, would you stay in the room or would you go out the door? I mean really!

The chance Effects MILLIONS and Cost Many MILLIONS and if the NHC pulls the string TOO quick and Advises NOLA to Clear out THEN the storm turns and misses them then People BECOME compalcent and And ANGRY the HAD to Leave...

So what. I'd rather spend money with the evac and coast afterwards than have to spend that money on body bags. So what if they are angry, if they want to stay fine, get the rest out. Better safe than sorry. I don't see your logic.

[milankovitch]

I'm coming around to thinking landfall will be a tad east of here but that we'll still probably be in the thick of things.
Steve

As I recall, a track just a tad East of New Orleans is one of the worst case scenarios. That would allow the winds wrapping around the West side of the eye from the North to push water out of Lake Ponchartrain and into the city.

That's if the eye passes over the east side of New Orleans proper, essentially the current NHC track. The farther east of the 11am NHC track the actual track is the better for New Orleans.

[rtd2]

My God ... I really can't understand the attitude. So what if there's a probability that it misses east or west or whatever? If you were standing in a room, and you knew for a fact that sometime real soon bullets would be flying though that room, but there's only a 20% chance you'll be hit, would you stay in the room or would you go out the door? I mean really!

The chance Effects MILLIONS and Cost Many MILLIONS and if the NHC pulls the string TOO quick and Advises NOLA to Clear out THEN the storm turns and misses them then People BECOME compalcent and And ANGRY the HAD to Leave...

So what. I'd rather spend money with the evac and coast afterwards than have to spend that money on body bags. So what if they are angry, if they want to stay fine, get the rest out. Better safe than sorry. I don't see your logic.

Its NOT my logic! If you want to read the story on it go to WWL-TV.COM

[AlabamaDave]

What's really frightening is to consider the thousands and thousands of people in New Orleans who have no way to get out even if they want to. The city has many square miles of poverty-stricken neighborhoods. In fact, it's almost like a city in Third World Latin America in many ways. Where do all of these people go who have no transportation out of the city?? In a worst-case scenario flood situation, they might not even be able to survive on their rooftops or on the second floors of the dilapidated housing projects.

[milankovitch]

My God ... I really can't understand the attitude. So what if there's a probability that it misses east or west or whatever? If you were standing in a room, and you knew for a fact that sometime real soon bullets would be flying though that room, but there's only a 20% chance you'll be hit, would you stay in the room or would you go out the door? I mean really!

The chance Effects MILLIONS and Cost Many MILLIONS and if the NHC pulls the string TOO quick and Advises NOLA to Clear out THEN the storm turns and misses them then People BECOME compalcent and And ANGRY the HAD to Leave...

There really isn't anymore time to wait if the evacuation waited till Sunday it would be to late. It's true that evacuating New Orleans too many times would create a "boy who cried wolf effect" but if there isn't going to be an evacuation in this case then when would you have an evacuation?

[NorthGaWeather]

My God ... I really can't understand the attitude. So what if there's a probability that it misses east or west or whatever? If you were standing in a room, and you knew for a fact that sometime real soon bullets would be flying though that room, but there's only a 20% chance you'll be hit, would you stay in the room or would you go out the door? I mean really!

The chance Effects MILLIONS and Cost Many MILLIONS and if the NHC pulls the string TOO quick and Advises NOLA to Clear out THEN the storm turns and misses them then People BECOME compalcent and And ANGRY the HAD to Leave...

So what. I'd rather spend money with the evac and coast afterwards than have to spend that money on body bags. So what if they are angry, if they want to stay fine, get the rest out. Better safe than sorry. I don't see your logic.

Its NOT my logic! If you want to read the story on it go to WWL-TV.COM

What story is that?

[x-y-no]

My God ... I really can't understand the attitude. So what if there's a probability that it misses east or west or whatever? If you were standing in a room, and you knew for a fact that sometime real soon bullets would be flying though that room, but there's only a 20% chance you'll be hit, would you stay in the room or would you go out the door? I mean really!

The chance Effects MILLIONS and Cost Many MILLIONS and if the NHC pulls the string TOO quick and Advises NOLA to Clear out THEN the storm turns and misses them then People BECOME compalcent and And ANGRY the HAD to Leave...

NHC has forecast a track straight over NOLA two advisories in a row. It's up to the local emergency folks to issue evacuation orders, but as an individual, if I lived in NOLA I'd be on the road out of there already ... and I'd be nothing but happy if it turned out to be unneccesary.

Going back to my room full of bullets scenario, would you be upset about having left the room if subsequent analysis showed that the bullets would have missed you by two inches if you had stayed put? Let's say it cost you a moderate fee to go through that door - would you pay it?

[Lindaloo]

I would pay the moderate fee, no questions asked.

[Steve]

Here's my updated out and about report:

Shell Gas Station on Metairie Rd. and Codifer had 2 block long lines. I went to the one on the other end and only had to wait 10 minutes (including a lady who was goofy, paying inside in cash, pumped her gas, went back inside and bought her kid a coke, blah blah blah). I pulled up to her front and she had a guy behind her. I went and told him that I was not trying to cut and would let him get his gas, I'd back up so the slow lady could get out then he could back out so I could get in. An old guy pulled up behind him so we all worked it out (much nicer than getting into a fist fight or something). I went to Sav-A-Center on Airline and they were plum out of water. I called my old lady last night (she's a nurse) and told her I wanted to come get the check card so I wouldn't miss items or get caught in the store crunch. She said she was busy and that I could deal with it in the morning. In the meantime, she gets off of work and decides to go eat breakfast with her co-workers returning in about 9:30. I hit the store to buy her water and there was NONE. They were even out of stuff like propel. /tough luck KD

I need to put on the news for a while and see what's going on locally, because I've been interenet junkying for about 20 of the last 24 hours. But I don't want to. I'm getting my wife and kids out tomorrow (she's gotta work tonight) up to Jackson. If it turns out by then not to be necessary, we'll pay the 1 day's premium and move on. If it is, they've got the place for 3 days and should be safe. I've decided to most likely ride it out. My dog got ill and I've got options if necessary (including a pretty decent mountain bike if future transportation were to require it). It doesn't float but it handles rough terrain pretty nice. My decision isn't etched in stone, it's more based on the idea that I don't think we're going to take the brunt. I realize that we're all better safe than sorry, but how often do we have a chance to catch the fringe of the what could be the strongest storm in decades? I know it's twisted, but all of you know how I am about this stuff. And if something happens where I get injured or whatever, I won't blame anyone else but my own thickheadeness. I may still jet and can always go to my place of employment which is a virtual fortress if things don't appear to be going the way I foresee.

Tomorrow I'll bring the kids to church unless the Archbishop issues special dispensation in which case I will spend the day cleaning up the rest of my property for whatever is left for today. For the rest of you locals and SW MS residents, we're facing our biggest potential threat since 1969. Be smart and know what you can and can't do to the point you tip the odds completely in your favor.

Steve