New Orleans Authority's Silence

[seaswing]

I just hope that LA does a better job in getting their evac plans together earlier than they did last year. Whatever happens to the structures are and should not be the priority. Get the people who need the help out early. Let them take their animals with them.... get them somewhere waaaaay north and start planning NOW

[skysummit]

I just hope that LA does a better job in getting their evac plans together earlier than they did last year. Whatever happens to the structures are and should not be the priority. Get the people who need the help out early. Let them take their animals with them.... get them somewhere waaaaay north and start planning NOW

From what I'm hearing, if that track doesn't change (which it likely will), people in FEMA trailers will evacuate on Tuesday following by mandatory evacs starting Wednesday morning.

[seaswing]

More importantly sky, their mandatory evacs will include a mode of transportation, not just a mandate....like last year

[skysummit]

More importantly sky, their mandatory evacs will include a mode of transportation, not just a mandate....like last year

Yea, I believe they're set up this year with bus drivers to help people get out. Also, this past week they had a run through of an evacuation and it seemed to go ok.

[Innotech]

I think peoples issue regarding tax money to N.O. is simply this. It isnt like other american Cities that get hit by a Cane and rebuild. By virtue of its extremely poorly chosen location in a floodplain, , N.O. is a disaster that has happened and will happen again. I know of its importance as the largest port in the south and what it does for economy and tourism, but someting DRASTIC has got to be done to fortify that city. Levees as they are just cannot be trusted anymore. Perhaps a system of backup levees should be implemented, or new drainages dug or something. ANYTHING.

[beachbum_al]

First I see no reason for them to alerting people right now. We do not know where he is going. When it comes to that point then do it. As for the cities and States they should already have a plan and be in stand by. This is something that we all know can happen every summer and there should be a plan before the storm arrives. For example you go to several of the t.v. stations in the Mobile area they have a hurricane section that gives all of the infor. NBC and several of the radio stations in the area have a website with information on what to do and info on the storm. Even the cities have websites.

My husband who works for one of the local cities in nearby to where we live are not panic mode yet but they are watching it. It is like he said it is too far out and computer models can be wrong. Right now we do know where the models are showing but that can change drastically. So just because the mets and cities are not blowing bull horn doesn't mean that they are not prepared. What goes on behind the scenes is unbelievable and I can tell you that if you live in Alabama Coast you will know if a threat to us is coming.

[LSU2001]

THere are plans in place in La. for evacs etc. However everyone must remember that there are at least 100,000 people living in FEMA trailers along the gulf coast. THey must evac if the winds are forecast to over something like 40mph. They also must start evacs very early. NOLA officals and Red Cross officials say that there will be NO shelters south of I 10 this year so if someone stays there will be no last resort shelters. IMHO South La. and South Miss. and Beaumont area of Texas simply do not have the resources to respond and prepare for another storm. The best thing they can do is evac and hope for the best. There are many places in La. that still look as if Katrina and Rita hit last week. THough it is not time to panic or hype the potential of Ernesto it is time to watch and prepare to evac if necessary.
This is just my 2 cents and maybe I a wrong.
Tim

[HurryKane]

Tim, you're quite right. We're all jumpy and with the change in the number of people in substantial housing, people are going to get moving early on this one.

But I think there's still a pretty good contingent who are just exhausted and won't leave.

[bayoubebe]

I'm sure that wants the system enters the Gulf, Nagin will make it a mandatory evacuation.

Remember though, it's up to each individual to get their butts out!

My mom has already phoned to instruct me to get out of here if the system enters the gulf. Moms know best.

[canegrl04]

If NO gets hit again,I would be against rebuilding the city.Its just not an area condusive for human population

[bayoubebe]

If NO gets hit again,I would be against rebuilding the city.Its just not an area condusive for human population

Though my heart will always say, Yes! rebuild!!

My brain sees your point.

It's still a pretty ugly site down here in many places.

So many places are still not opened for business.

Even if we get no more hurricanes, we are still a good ways back to getting back to "normal."

[stormcrow]

CNN , where Ernesto is now the lead story, just said NOLA has 1300 buses and 27 Amtrak trains on standby.

[rockyman]

I think, as usual, timing is a problem...If New Orleans waits until Monday to alert the public, the system will already be past Jamaica...and if Wxman57 and others are correct, the NHC track is a "day behind"....meaning landfall could be as early as Thursday...This would allow only 72 hours to get everyone out of harm's way Since so many people are still in FEMA trailers, those people will need to be evacuated quickly since the trailers would tip over even in sub-hurricane winds...also, many many people lost their cars in Katrina and will not have a way of evacuating except through public transportation...These issues needs to be discussed TODAY...get the public in an uproar...better to do it now while there is still time to prepare..we all saw what happened when New Orleans "pretended" Katrina would magically disappear

[seaswing]

If NO gets hit again,I would be against rebuilding the city.Its just not an area condusive for human population

I agree for the most part. The wetlands are all but gone. They served as the barrier for storms. Not that they blocked them but that they were the buffer. Levees are built to withstand cat 3....but as far as I know, they aren't finished. This would be catastrophic for NO as well as the rest of the country. We just couldn't support another rebuild...IMO

[storms in NC]

I am self live in NC. I have people that live in La and I was down to the farm for a month after Katrina. As of Right now I can't go down there if this storm hits LA. I am in a cast and my daughter is in 2 cast and can't walk. She was in a bad wreck. But is doing good. But It make my heart break to know I can't go down to help and PaG has no one to help him and I know this time he will not leave. But I will wait and see how things go. So let's hope it don't go to La. If it does I will have to beg him to leave and I know he is not.

[LAMOM]

Its not only the FEMA trailers in NO....if I heard correctly should winds be forcasted at 35mph ..they would be evacuating the residents in them. I am not sure if that is everywhere but the one park here near Baton Rouge which is huge is suppose to have its residents moved to the Centroplex.

[sunny]

If NO gets hit again,I would be against rebuilding the city.Its just not an area condusive for human population

I agree for the most part. The wetlands are all but gone. They served as the barrier for storms. Not that they blocked them but that they were the buffer. Levees are built to withstand cat 3....but as far as I know, they aren't finished. This would be catastrophic for NO as well as the rest of the country. We just couldn't support another rebuild...IMO

Maybe you all should wait for us to get hit again before you talk about not rebuilding us again? We've been through quite enough down here without all of this.

[AlabamaDave]

I believe New Orleans is too important of a city, from an economical standpoint as well as historical/cultural, to just give up and abandon it. If we can spend hundreds of billions of dollars "bringing democracy" to Iraq, then we can use our technological knowhow to shore up the levee system in New Orleans and adequately protect the city.

I am always puzzled when people refer to Katrina as a Cat-3 storm that affected the city. Wasn't Katrina still a Cat-4 when it crossed the Louisiana coastline? And the surge was a Cat-5 level surge for sure. Since New Orleans is primarily vulnerable to surge versus winds, what we saw last year was essentially a Cat-5 impact on the city (at least the Eastern part). Yeah, I know that Katrina tracking a little more West would have unfolded an even worse nightmare for the city, but this was damned close to that nightmare scenario. This was almost as bad as it could get for N.O., and I think we have the knowhow to protect the city against this. It should have been done decades ago. It's not like we didn't know this was going to happen. That we are still sitting around twiddling our thumbs and haven't started building Cat-5 grade levees for N.O. is a travesty.

[CrazyC83]

If NO gets hit again,I would be against rebuilding the city.Its just not an area condusive for human population

For the most part yes. I would preserve the most historic (and above sea level) areas like downtown but otherwise let Mother Nature take the rest back.

I'd build the new New Orleans on the north bank of Pontchartrain with most of the development north of I-12.

[bayoubebe]

Has Ray said anything yet about Ernesto and his plans?

I imagine he is going to be really scrutinized now.