Frightening Early Image From Cameron, LA

[simplykristi]

I just saw some new video from southern LA on CNN. The floodin g is very widespread. There's definite significant structure damage.

Kristi

[milankovitch]

I saw on cnn.com that the TX govener says they estimate the TX damage to be around 8 billion since they've been able to get in; there is probably quite a bit in LA too. I think when all is said in done uninsured damage is going to be in the Charley/Ivan range which is still REALLY high. It's amazing to to think that 6 of the 10 costliest hurricanes ever (even adjusted for inflation) could have been in the last 2 years.

[AL Chili Pepper]

i dont quite understand the "shock" and even media coverup conspiracies that beach front property was destroyed....of course it was.

I agree. Building that close to the beach, you can almost count on losing your home one day; be it sooner or later. The destructive power of water is orders of magnitude above that of the wind.

[hunter1]

OMG! That's terrible. Louisiana has really took a hit this season. I hope that there will be little tropical activity for Oct. and Nov.

[HurricaneQueen]

The CNN coverage of Cameron by air is just beginning now!!!

[FunkMasterB]

The CNN woman said Cameron is 90% destroyed. The pictures I've seen looks more like 50%, but pictures only show so much.

[simplykristi]

100% of the homes in Holly Beach are gone. 60% of the homes in Johnson's Bayou are gone. Information was from CNN a little bfore 5:00 PM CDT.

Kristi

[HurricaneQueen]

The flyover with Gen. Honore still has not taken place although they keep saying it's coming up "next". Then they announce a different segment. I'm ready to switch channels but don't want to miss the flyover. Is this an example of "bait and switch" to keep us tuned in???

I'm guessing they are dependent on the General's schedule and are lucky to be flying along.

They did say that part of Cameron Parish are under 15 ft. of water!!!!

[simplykristi]

I am not sure if there are going to be any live shots from the flyover or not. The flight had not taken off as of almost 5 PM CDT.

Kristi

[arkess7]

I saw on cnn.com that the TX govener says they estimate the TX damage to be around 8 billion since they've been able to get in; there is probably quite a bit in LA too. I think when all is said in done uninsured damage is going to be in the Charley/Ivan range which is still REALLY high. It's amazing to to think that 6 of the 10 costliest hurricanes ever (even adjusted for inflation) could have been in the last 2 years.

In the last 2years ....WOW thats just UNREAL!!!! Its so true though..ugggg!!!

[wxmann_91]

Sorry please disregard this post.

[JtSmarts]

1. Katrina
2. Andrew
3. Ivan
4. Charley
5. Rita ??
6. Frances
7. Hugo
8. Jeanne
9. Allison
10. Dennis

2004-2005 Bolded

[timNms]

What I think about is Waveland, MS. There were no reports or pictures on the media for days there either. We know now how that town fared...

I know people who used to lived on the beach in Waveland. There's NOTHING left. I think the reason we didn't see the pictures from that area were 1. because no one could get in there and 2. The news from New Orleans' flooding was what the news media was interested in at the time.

[recmod]

These photos are definitely legit. The one I posted at the start of this thread came from the Fox News website. The url to the photo essay containing the image in question:

Fox News Photo Essay

The photo being discussed is image #2 in the photo essay. Fox misidentified the town as "Campron". There is no Campron in Louisiana (at least according to my Google search).

Whether this is actually Cameron (the town) or Holly Beach as some suggest is really not important to the intent of this thread. Both towns are within 5 miles of each other. The bottom line is the same: Rita's surge was extremely devastating along the western Louisiana coast.

--Lou

[curtadams]

Well it seems odd because all the other surge damage photos show houses swamped in 10 feet of water and missing walls and that sort of thing, but these images show an absolutely wiped landscape. With no landmarks except for what looks like the remainder of a paved road, which suggests it isn't Indonesia. But you'd think the media would be swarming over this area, since the devastation is so graphic and complete.

Surge per se doesn't usually knock buildings down, because the water comes up gradually. It's surge + enormous waves that causes the obliteration. Most of the footage is from inland locations with miles of swamp between them and the gulf. The swamp pretty much absorbs the waves so you get only a gradual rise and few knockdowns. Since LA is so flat they still flood, though. That location in the photos is on the gulf - you can see it in one photo - so, obliteration.

[milankovitch]

1. Katrina
2. Andrew
3. Ivan
4. Charley
5. Rita ??
6. Frances
7. Hugo
8. Jeanne
9. Allison
10. Dennis

2004-2005 Bolded

1. Katrina ???? A lot
2. Andrew (SE FL/SE LA) 1992 5 $34,954,825,000
3. Charley (FL) 2004 4 $14,000,000,000
4. Ivan (FL/AL) 2004 3 $13,000,000,000
5. Rita ???? 10+
6. Hugo (SC) 1989 4 $9,739,820,675
7. Frances (FL) 2004 2 $8,860,000,000
8. Agnes (NE U.S.) 1972 1 $8,602,500,000
9. Betsy (FL/LA) 1965 3 $8,516,866,023
10. Dennis 5-9 is the estimate I believe may top Jeanne
11. Jeanne (FL) 2004 3 $6,500,000,000

weatherunderground.com/tropical

I'm using inflation adjusted so our lists are a bit different, forgot about Dennis though he's got a shot a cracking the top 10.

[wxmann_91]

1. Katrina
2. Andrew
3. Ivan
4. Charley
5. Rita ??
6. Frances
7. Hugo
8. Jeanne
9. Allison
10. Dennis

2004-2005 Bolded

1. Katrina ???? A lot
2. Andrew (SE FL/SE LA) 1992 5 $34,954,825,000
3. Charley (FL) 2004 4 $14,000,000,000
4. Ivan (FL/AL) 2004 3 $13,000,000,000
5. Rita ???? 10+
6. Hugo (SC) 1989 4 $9,739,820,675
7. Frances (FL) 2004 2 $8,860,000,000
8. Agnes (NE U.S.) 1972 1 $8,602,500,000
9. Betsy (FL/LA) 1965 3 $8,516,866,023
10. Dennis 5-9 is the estimate I believe may top Jeanne
11. Jeanne (FL) 2004 3 $6,500,000,000

weatherunderground.com/tropical

I'm using inflation adjusted so our lists are a bit different, forgot about Dennis though he's got a shot a cracking the top 10.

The insured damage in Texas alone from Rita I heard from either CNN or FOX is $5 billion. This is not including LA, which they said had more damage. Suppose though that LA got $5 billion insured also. That would be $10 billion insured, or total damages of $20 billion. That's greater than both Ivan and Charley, so IMO Rita has a good chance (and in fact is likely) to be the third costliest hurricane once everything is totalled up.

[JQ Public]

I think large hurricanes that start off big and make landfall weaker will have larger surges b/c the waves/surge will not automatically lower so dramatically after a change in strength. It takes time for the seas to calm. I think windspeeds can't be the only criteria for storm categorization.

[Nimbus]

Hunter1 wrote:

OMG! That's terrible. Louisiana has really took a hit this season. I hope that there will be little tropical activity for Oct. and Nov.

Ya this is nuts, I predict the season will stop on a dime with Tammy. 20 named storms is enough!!!

[recmod]

This morning's Times Picayune posts a photo depicting the total devastation in Cameron Parish. I have uploaded a copy to my hurricane website to show here:



As with the photo I posted yesterday, this looks like it may be Holly Beach. The original photo from the Times Picayune just identified it as "Cameron Parish".

In any case, the damage is severe. I think it's kind of sad that the media is hyping how Rita was much less severe than originally forecast. What I think we have here is a Katrina mentality going on. If there had never been a Katrina, I think the media would be all over Rita, trumpeting how destructive the hurricane was. But, because Katrina's destruction was almost biblical in scope, almost anything else in comparison seems rather trivial.

It appears that Rita, when all the $$ are added up, may wind up being the 3rd costliest hurricane in US history.....certainly not a "trivial event". I guess things are all relative....

--Lou