Its Raining Here In The South..

[Pylon]

And that means no caching

[+Ladycacher]

I have family just out of New Orleans And they are staying there I have been talking to them all day today and I am starting to worry for them. Although they are stupid for staying .

Edited August 28, 2005 by ladycacher

[magellan315]

I have family just out of New Orleans  And they are staying there   I have been talking to them all day today and I am starting to worry for them.  Although they are stupid for staying .

When I lived in Florida a friend of mine decieded to "ride out" hurricane David, instead of come stay at my place for a few days. Eventually when I got her on the phone she said it was the dumbest and dangerous things to do. Tell your relatives to get out.

Edited August 28, 2005 by magellan315

[+AuntieWeasel]

I have family just out of New Orleans And they are staying there I have been talking to them all day today and I am starting to worry for them. Although they are stupid for staying .

Bad. Very bad. Don't mean to worry you, but this is shaping up to be one for the history books.

[+Miragee]

 

and look what happened with another Category 5 Hurricane:

 

 

Richelieu Apartments, before and after storm surge damage, Hurricane Camille (Category 5), Mississippi, 1969.

 

I hope everyone gets out safely and stays safe over these next few days.

 

Very, very scary . . .

[+Ladycacher]

I live in Texas and told them they could come here. Well today my mom started getting scared. It is to late for them to go anywhere now. The gas stations are out, the banks are closed, atms are out of money, the highways are packed and jammed, hotels are ful all the way to Texas. They tried to go get some supplies and everybody is out. Crazy. My brother is in Mobile and my Mom and other brother are outside of New Orleans. It's just nuts. I LOVE New Orleans and just returned there from visiting them not even a month ago. I have been there 6 times in the last 9 months and it makes me sick to think what could happen to that awesome area. We went to the Aquarium and Zoo, which is amazing an beautiful....to think that it couls be destroyed. I am at this point glued to the TV and praying.

[+Isonzo Karst]

We got some unseasonably pleasant caching/biking in this morning, precisely because Katrina headed west of the Florida pennisula - leaving our part of the state windy and overcast with fast moving showers. For an August day, it's been great here.

Anybody in the path of this thing should move. We were hit by 4 hurricanes last year. I speak from experience. The power outages alone will go on and on. No phones, no water, no gas no groceries & horribly overstretched public services. If you can be someplace else - go there.

[Pylon]

Ya i too have heard that this hurricain is gonna be making the history books. Not one i would choose to ride out, thats for sure. Tell your relatives about a nice cache thats near your place and maybe they'll come over

[+MountainMudbug]

My folks in LA decided to hit the road this morning when they got up at 5am and saw a Cat5 aimed right at them. All our fingers are crossed, this one looks very bad. They made it through Camille in '69 with just a couple trees on the house, power was out a week I think.

[+Ladycacher]

The Major said "Take a good look at the history here. The buildings, statues, landmarks, because they will be gone come tomorrow."

[Shoobie & the Sand Crabs]

The Major said "Take a good look at the history here. The buildings, statues, landmarks, because they will be gone come tomorrow."

too true too true

[+southdeltan]

Tell your relatives to get out.

If they're not out by now, I'm afraid they probably won't be able to get out. Traffic is moving at about 3mph out of the city and they will probably be closing the interstates very shortly.

 

The scariest thing is there is another tropical depression forming now (#13) which is projected to be named within 2 days (whatever the L name is).

 

sd

[+Miragee]

Maybe Leonard . . . or Lawrence . . . or Lou.

 

I hope "he" will be gentler than Katrina is going to be . . .

 

Edit to add that it will be Lee.

Edited August 28, 2005 by Miragee

[WH]

This monster is packing maximum sustained winds of about 175 miles per hour which equivalent to an F3 tornado except in this case, the damage path is hundreds of miles across rather than a hundred feet.

 

While my heart goes out to everyone down there, the word STUPID comes to mind on anyone who doesn't at least try to get the hell out of its way. They wouldn't be taking it so lightly if the F3 tornado equivalent was headed straight at their house

Edited August 28, 2005 by WH

[bonnjer]

I'm from central Louisiana and have been glued to the tv and internet watching updates. It is horrible to think that New Orleans and the surrounding areas are going to be completely wiped out. There is so much history there and so many people will be affected. I'm just hoping that lives lost are at a minimum.

 

On a side note related to caching that is not all that important relative to everything else......there will undoubtedly be many quality caches wiped away as well. Let's hope that all cachers stay safe and are able to return to replace all that is lost and then some! You're all in my thoughts and prayers.

 

Jeremy

[WH]

Any caches within 100 miles of New Orleans will be a definite 5/5 for the next few days if not longer.

[+Rick618]

Drudge has some links on his site, current sat data etc that are indeed showing this one shaping up to be a big mess. Good chance for hurricane strength wind all the way up through Jackson,MS

 

http://www.crownweather.com/katrinawind.gif.

 

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ftp/graphics/AT12/...05W5+GIF/1A.gif

[+southdeltan]

There are 10's of thousands of people in the greater NO region that depend on public transportation and lack a way to evacuate. The Superdome has been converted into a shelter as it is built above sea level (not that it will matter during the storm surge, but afterwards most of NO will be submerged as it is below sea level) and was designed to withstand hurricane force winds (not that it's ever been tested).

 

At this point, however - if you're not out by now - it's pretty much too late.

 

The vast majority of geocaches in the area will likely be wiped out - but that's the least of their problems.

 

The LA Geocachers website has been eerily quiet for the past 2 days

 

----

 

This storm is projected to be as bad as Camille, but larger in size. The picture posted above of the apartments doesn't begin to tell the destruction that Camille did to the area. If you have ever been to the MS gulfcoast to the beach - you were on the largest manmade beach in the world. Camille washed the natural beach away. Hundreds of people were killed and the population in NO and along the MS Gulfcoast is much larger than in 1969.

 

It appears that a direct hit on NO might not be the worst thing that can happen - if it's slightly to the east - hitting Lake Ponchatrain and wiping out the levees there - the city will be flooded for many weeks, if not months. It is projected that the power grid will be wiped out as well.

 

 

sd

[+AuntieWeasel]

While my heart goes out to everyone down there, the word STUPID comes to mind on anyone who doesn't at least try to get the hell out of its way.

Problem is, as of last night they were pegging it as a Cat 3, maybe a weak Cat 4. Once the magnitude of the thing became apparent, all methods of getting-the-heck-out-of-Dodge were jammed solid. A lot of those staying behind are tourists who simply have no way of getting out.

 

Yeah, there's a bunch of Stupid going on down there, but there's even more Unlucky.

[+southdeltan]

Problem is, as of last night they were pegging it as a Cat 3, maybe a weak Cat 4. Once the magnitude of the thing became apparent, all methods of getting-the-heck-out-of-Dodge were jammed solid. A lot of those staying behind are tourists who simply have no way of getting out.

That's another valid point. Aside from those who live there and lack transportation - there are also the tourists. NOLA is a major tourist destination. The flights have been cancelled for a while and the rental cars are all rented. Many tourists aren't American and English isn't their primary language.

 

The mayor has granted hotels an exception to stay open as shelters for those that cannot evacuate.

 

Sure - there are people that aren't leaving who could have left but there are a lot that just can't. Some were taken by surprise at the force of this. Just a few days ago this was supposed to hop FL and then turn sharply N into FL as a minor hurricane.

 

sd

[+reveritt]

As a toddler, I lived through a serious hurricane and flood in 1955. Hundreds of people died--because there was no warning.

 

Many years later, I lived through what was at the time the worst hurricane and flood in US history in terms of property damage (Hurricane Agnes, 1972). !7,000 families with no place to live. I knew people who had flood water in their third-floor apartment. Whole shopping centers disappeared completely. A gas and oil slick caught fire, and several city blocks burned to the waterline. It was a world beater, but the loss of life was slight because there was plenty of warning.

 

The only people that died were those who would not leave, and those who tried to rescue them. If you wait until there is no longer any doubt, then it's too late.

[+Ladycacher]

My brother lives in Mobile....he just had major damage done to where he lives and to his truck from the outer band storm that just came through with the tornado threat. My other brother and mom is having dark clouds, wind, and rain.

[+Miragee]

Look at this scary picture of the eye.

 

[+Ladycacher]

My mom and brother just lost the use of TV and they are now relying on radio.

[+Miragee]

My heart goes out to you. I hope they will be okay.

[WH]

Remember the scene at the end of twister when Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt lashed themself to a water pipe? I'd go tie myself in now if I were there.

[+southdeltan]

While I haven't seen Twister, I think at this point I'd be on Bourbon street drinking Hurricanes.

 

It's just about time to bend over and... well... you know...

 

 

sd

[+Ladycacher]

New Orleans Camaras

 

These will be interesting to watch here in a few hours.....the bead cam, and river cam for sure.

Edited August 28, 2005 by ladycacher

[+ParrotRobAndCeCe]

New Orleans Camaras

 

These will be interesting to watch here in a few hours.....the bead cam, and river cam for sure.

Wow. They're already interesting. I can't say as I've ever seen a picture of Bourbon Street with not a SOUL to be found ANYWHERE...

[WH]

A statement from the National Weather Service in Slidell, near New Orleans, Louisiana, warned that much of the affected area "will be uninhabitable for weeks, perhaps longer."

 

Low-rise, wood-frame buildings will be destroyed, and concrete apartment buildings "will sustain major damage," it said.

 

"High-rise office and apartment buildings will sway dangerously, a few to the point of total collapse," the warning read.

 

"All windows will blow out. Airborne debris will be widespread, and may include heavy items such as household appliances and even light vehicles."

[+Ladycacher]

My mother and brother have now lost phone service..... Edited August 29, 2005 by ladycacher

[WH]

My mother and brother have now lost phone service.....

You are in my prayers. I hope with all my heart that they make it through this ok

Edited August 29, 2005 by WH

[ScottFla]

My mother and brother have now lost phone service.....

You are in my prayers. I hope with all my heart that they make it through this ok

Same here, hurricanes are serious business. I hope your family comes out of this with nothing but interesting stories.

Edited August 29, 2005 by ScottFla

[+dkwolf]

My thoughts and prayers go out those people, and the friends and families of those people whose lives and property lie in the path of this--especially those stuck in town. I can't even imagine what a person is supposed to do when all hell has an appointment to break loose, and looks like it's planning on keeping it. Around here, the standard operating procedure for twisters is get to the lowest level, but with a 23' storm surge that's not such a great idea.

 

God bless all of you.

 

~dkwolf

[+Ladycacher]

For all those who have emailed, It truely touches my heart. I talked to my brother and mom for about 5 minutes and they are doing ok.

 

My brother is Mobile, AL we have not herd from.

 

Thanks again to everybody!

[+Miragee]

I had phone problems today and couldn't log on until now. This was the one thread I wanted to see because I wanted to make sure your brother and mom came through the storm okay.

 

I'm so glad to see your post.

 

I hope your brother in Mobile is fine.

[+Planet]

All the webcams are down, my hopes and prayers are with your family ladychacher, and all the people caught up in Mother Nature's fury today. CNN is showing some pictures from New Orleans and it doesn't look good.

[+AuntieWeasel]

Bad, but not as bad as expected. I've heard from my friend from NO. She and her family managed to evacuate to Baton Rouge. That's twenty miles up, and they're okay.

[+reveritt]

Yes, but how many geocaches have been lost?

 

That's crass, I know. It reminds me of surfing through the cable news channels today. They are all reporting on the property destruction, the awesome power of Mother Nature, and the human drama--until you come to the business channel. They are speculating on how the disaster will impact stock prices.

 

They did the same thing after 9/11--endless speculation on how the attack would affect big business, and who would lose and who would profit. I know that's their job, and I know it needs to be considered, and I know there is no point in them reporting exactly the same story as every other channel, but Jeez--it makes me just a bit nauseous.