Hurricane Gustav

[GoldenEagle]

There is good news. Cuba did a number on Gustav and a shear and some dry air are really preventing it from getting organized this morning. It will likely strengthen some but its running out of room. It is also moving pretty quickly. The 4 PM advisory will be pretty important.

It is still a very dangerous situation but it is not going to develop into a Cat 5 or the "storm of the century" like Nagin was calling it last night. These things are hard to predict. No one thought Cuba would tear it apart like it did. We should probably send them a bouquet of roses or something.

[claphamsa]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

There is good news. Cuba did a number on Gustav and a shear and some dry air are really preventing it from getting organized this morning. It will likely strengthen some but its running out of room. It is also moving pretty quickly. The 4 PM advisory will be pretty important.

It is still a very dangerous situation but it is not going to develop into a Cat 5 or the "storm of the century" like Nagin was calling it last night. These things are hard to predict. No one thought Cuba would tear it apart like it did. We should probably send them a bouquet of roses or something.

NOAA disagrees with you. they say its gonna hit worse than katrina. they could be wrong tho.

[Eaglesfan27]

We had 2 more people come this morning whom I wasn't expecting. We now have 14 people and 8 pets here. The good news from this is we have a strong work force, with only Kathy's grandparents and mother being unable to help out. We've trimmed trees, boarded 2 windows where we will stay if it gets nasty and the ladies are currently taping up the very large windows that are impractical to board (so that if windows shatter, the shards shouldn't fly and become dangerous.) Also, a couple of the guys have climbed up on our roof and made sure all of the storm gutters are cleared out.

Edit to add: All loose objects in our yard and now are in our garage, so now projectiles from our yard at least. I'm still worried about neighbors stuff who left town quickly. Most of them keep very clean yards, but you never know.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

We had 2 more people come this morning whom I wasn't expecting. We now have 14 people and 8 pets here. The good news from this is we have a strong work force, with only Kathy's grandparents and mother being unable to help out. We've trimmed trees, boarded 2 windows where we will stay if it gets nasty and the ladies are currently taping up the very large windows that are impractical to board (so that if windows shatter, the shards shouldn't fly and become dangerous.) Also, a couple of the guys have climbed up on our roof and made sure all of the storm gutters are cleared out.

Edit to add: All loose objects in our yard and now are in our garage, so now projectiles from our yard at least. I'm still worried about neighbors stuff who left town quickly. Most of them keep very clean yards, but you never know.

might be worth sending out some of the workforce to check that stuff out...

[Eaglesfan27]

Just did. 2 neighbors are doing their job, but 1 of the ones that evacuated left garbage cans outside. I don't think they will mind if we temporarily move them into our garage.

I also just went with part of the workforce and bagged 30 sandbags at the nearby firestation, just in case they are needed. If nothing else, they have calmed my wife's grandmother down.

[Flasch186]

Cringer, start blowing.

[thealmighty]

Wife from Baton Rouge. Bachelor party was in a hotel overlooking Bourbon Street. Have been to BR/NO literally dozens of times and still visit every year. Wife has friends and family there as well.

Stay safe everyone.

P.S.- I am in Dallas (if you don't know) and could be in BR area in no time with whatever was needed if it gets really bad.

[Noop]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Just did. 2 neighbors are doing their job, but 1 of the ones that evacuated left garbage cans outside. I don't think they will mind if we temporarily move them into our garage.

I also just went with part of the workforce and bagged 30 sandbags at the nearby firestation, just in case they are needed. If nothing else, they have calmed my wife's grandmother down.

Do you have a generator and one of those portable AC's? Since it is a given that the power will go out I think that would help out immensely. Then again it is pretty late in the game for me to be suggesting that stuff.

I hope everyone is safe.

[Eaglesfan27]

We tried to get a generator but they were all sold out every time we went to look. Grandparents are complaining it was/is too cold in the house, but in a few hours I'm dropping the temperature very low anyway to at least cool the house and help prevent it from warming as fast when the power goes out.

I almost had a professional install of a huge generator that connects to the gasline and uses fuel as a backup last year, but we decided to hold off for some odd reason. Assuming we get through this without major house damage, it will be a top priority for this winter.

[JW]

But then some people are absolutely delighted that a hurricane is going to hit Louisiana this week.

RedState: Fowler Fouls: Hurricane is God's Favor to Democrats

Also check the Michael Moore link at that site.

[SFL Cat]

Who says all the nut-jobs are on the Republican side?

[DaddyTorgo]

JW - we already mentioned that in the political thread and all (dems+repubs+libertarians) agree it's fucking despicable

[JPhillips]

The Moore quote is despicable partially due to the fact that he knew h was talking to a national audience.

The Fowler video strikes me as much less offensive. Sure he shouldn't have made light of the hurricane, but people talk like this in private all the time. I'd hate to see video of everything I've joked about on the internet. Fowler should apologize and that should be enough.

[sterlingice]

And, as mentioned previously in the thread, so that it doesn't turn into a crapping ground like the original Hurricane Katrina thread- politics don't really belong here.

SI

[Flasch186]

I think that this just sucks. And then there is Hannah waiting in the wings. Just absolute crap for everyone involved.

[DaddyTorgo]

let me try to get this back on-topic:

I don't understand some of these things I'm reading about people who say they cannot leave. "Oh I'd lose my job if I left...I'm a dishwasher."

I think there's a serious issue here - any business owner that fires an employee for not showing up due to a hurricane in which a MANDATORY evacuation notice has been issued ought to be jailed.

I also don't get some of these people that say they don't have the means to leave - there were free amtrak trains and free charter flights they could have gotten on, and free buses to get to the train stations and airports.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

let me try to get this back on-topic:

I don't understand some of these things I'm reading about people who say they cannot leave. "Oh I'd lose my job if I left...I'm a dishwasher."

I think there's a serious issue here - any business owner that fires an employee for not showing up due to a hurricane in which a MANDATORY evacuation notice has been issued ought to be jailed.

I also don't get some of these people that say they don't have the means to leave - there were free amtrak trains and free charter flights they could have gotten on, and free buses to get to the train stations and airports.

[devils advocate]
and when the train or plane stops then what?
Assume you dont have friends or family in other parts of the country...if you cant afford a hotel room for the forseable future wheere do you go.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

[devils advocate]
and when the train or plane stops then what?
Assume you dont have friends or family in other parts of the country...if you cant afford a hotel room for the forseable future wheere do you go.

shelters

[claphamsa]

we have set up shelters for 500,000 people

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

[devils advocate]
and when the train or plane stops then what?
Assume you dont have friends or family in other parts of the country...if you cant afford a hotel room for the forseable future wheere do you go.

Aren't there shelters in many cities, even if there were no evacuees? I imagine that there are many more temporary emergency shelters being set up.

[Buccaneer]

well fine.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

And, as mentioned previously in the thread, so that it doesn't turn into a crapping ground like the original Hurricane Katrina thread- politics don't really belong here.

Yes, please, there are a lot of good people on the board who live in these areas or have very deep ties to these areas, and we really all owe it to them to leave this thread respectful and informative. Even with the best of intentions(which I know we all do have on all sides) that's impossible once it turns into politics chat.

[claphamsa]

someone should start a hurricane politics thread

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

any business owner that fires an employee for not showing up due to a hurricane in which a MANDATORY evacuation notice has been issued ought to be jailed.

If there was a mandatory evacuation order, wouldn't the business owner be in violation of something or other by being open in the first place? Or are these employees maybe living in an area under the evacuation order but working in one that isn't? (just sorting that out a little here, don't mind me much)

[Radii]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Aren't there shelters in many cities, even if there were no evacuees? I imagine that there are many more temporary emergency shelters being set up.

I know Atlanta did a ton for people fleeing New Orleans when Katrina hit. A very quick google leads to:

http://www.11alive.com/rss/rss_story...storyid=120524

[claphamsa]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

If there was a mandatory evacuation order, wouldn't the business owner be in violation of something or other by being open in the first place? Or are these employees maybe living in an area under the evacuation order but working in one that isn't? (just sorting that out a little here, don't mind me much)

maybe they are illegal? or dont know their rights? and you can always think of a way to fire someone if you want.....

[Eaglesfan27]

Well one of my friends who I wasn't sure would evacuate was in Jefferson Parish. That parish has NEVER evacated the Eastern bank where he lives and works. Today, they called for an evacuation of that area for the first time. He wasn't going to come because he didn't want to miss work Monday, but he is now very glad he did (he came early yesterday evening before the evacation was called) as traffic is getting crazy with all of the evacuations being called today and his work is now officially closed due to the mandatory evacuation order.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

politics don't really belong here.

Except that hurricanes,at least in Louisiana, do indeed appear to be political issues now, so it's increasingly difficult to keep the two separate.

Hell, both parties are already jockeying to use Gustav to their advantage (and doubtless working even harder to do so behind the scenes) & it hasn't even made land yet.

[Wolfpack]

It's becoming a mixed blessing of sorts. Gustav has weakened much more than expected with Cuba's interference and keeps moving rapidly, which is preventing it from strengthening much before landfall. However, the newest advisory still projects a Cat 3 at landfall (125 mph winds). Throw in the forward momentum on the northeast side of the storm and those winds could be pushed to Cat 4 (135+) levels near the landfall site. Landfall timetable has also moved up to lunchtime tomorrow.

As for Hannah...I don't think NHC really has a good feel for it yet. The outflow from Gustav is interfering with the storm, but that will obviously subside once Gustav makes landfall and dissipates. Hannah is expected to get to hurricane strength by midweek, but they're struggling to figure out where it's going and how soon. The steering currents are expected to break down somewhat leaving it to grind its way to the northwest along the east side of the Bahamas chain. Beyond that, though, I think the NHC isn't really certain. They seem to have done some sort of extrapolation guess because it's got a straight-arrow path towards Savannah by day 5. I'd be rather surprised if that happens because landfalling hurricanes in Georgia are uncommon as Atlantic storms usually get picked up by westerly winds that pull the storm north and east and bring them ashore in the Carolinas. At this point, it's just too early to tell what will happen with Hannah and any landfall in the US.

[Anthony]

at what point do people realize New Orleans/Gulf Coast area in general is not a good place to live? i mean, if i lived somewhere where every year at a certain time a tornado destroyed the entire city wouldn't i just be silly to continue to live there? how many times can you rebuild a devastated city before you realize God simply doesn't want humans living in that certain part of the world? after one major Hurricane i'd say "ok, that was enough for me - let's move somewhere else". some people are a glutton for punishment.

[Schmidty]

My family is praying for everyone in the gulf, particularly in LA.

[stevew]

I've been through a hurricane and it really sucks. Then if you have no power for several days it gets worse.

[Big Fo]

Eaglesfan27, is there any chance you and your relatives were thinking of providing FOFC with a hurricane webcast like these fine gentlemen:


hurricane webcast

I mean three people in lawn chairs drinking through a hurricane is somewhat entertaining, but 15+ relatives cooped up in one place arguing might be better.

[claphamsa]

my family is praying that the disaster responders all get out safe

[claphamsa]

note, I would be one had i not broken my hip 2 weeks ago :'(

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

Eaglesfan27, is there any chance you and your relatives were thinking of providing FOFC with a hurricane webcast like these fine gentlemen:


hurricane webcast

I mean three people in lawn chairs drinking through a hurricane is somewhat entertaining, but 15+ relatives cooped up in one place arguing might be better.

big fo you're awesome! this is great!!!

[Eaglesfan27]

Speaking of live updates, the local news just announced a Tornado Warning for where I live and this is just from the first band that is just arriving.

[Anthony]

hurricam is boring. they don't even sound drunk.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Anthony

hurricam is boring. they don't even sound drunk.

boring now but the potential is there for it to be great

[Tigercat]

Originally Posted by Anthony

at what point do people realize New Orleans/Gulf Coast area in general is not a good place to live? i mean, if i lived somewhere where every year at a certain time a tornado destroyed the entire city wouldn't i just be silly to continue to live there? how many times can you rebuild a devastated city before you realize God simply doesn't want humans living in that certain part of the world? after one major Hurricane i'd say "ok, that was enough for me - let's move somewhere else". some people are a glutton for punishment.

New Orleans survived for a couple of hundred years without a hurricane wipeout like Katrina. Asking this is like asking if people should abandon San Fransisco after a couple of once every 100 year earthquakes. Only having population in southern Louisiana is actually geographically essential beyond most other areas in the United States.

[Anthony]

it just seems like this is gonna be a recurring theme. katrina was only a few years ago. and its not like they magically have fixed the levee's if i'm not mistaken - the whole city of New Orleans is still below water level. it's a city that never should've been. i'm just saying this would be the wakeup call for me. one time is bad enough, but a 2nd time within a handful of years? no thanks. US is big enough to find somewhere else to live. i give credit to those who choose to stick around after this if over.

[claphamsa]

without getting in to it (no politics and all) global warming brings more extreme storms. this will be ever 5-6 years and getting more and more frequent

[miami_fan]

Maybe my awareness has been heightened, but during a drive from back home from Fort Walton Beach this afternoon, I noticed about one out of every 7-8 cars had Louisiana license plates on them. In addition, the drive which usually take about 85 minutes took about 2 1/2 hours.

I hope all in the path of Gustav make it through safely.

[Tigercat]

Originally Posted by Anthony

it just seems like this is gonna be a recurring theme. katrina was only a few years ago. and its not like they magically have fixed the levee's if i'm not mistaken - the whole city of New Orleans is still below water level. it's a city that never should've been. i'm just saying this would be the wakeup call for me. one time is bad enough, but a 2nd time within a handful of years? no thanks. US is big enough to find somewhere else to live. i give credit to those who choose to stick around after this if over.

We need population around the mouth of the river. If you can't realize why, I'm not going to type a 10 page essay for you. But obviously you have no idea of the commercial importance of the mouth of the river. Most of our domestic oil goes through south Louisiana at some point.

A few billion dollars or so, allocated properly would ensure that South Louisiana could easily survive all Hurricanes below Cat. 5 for centuries to come. The wetlands need to be restored and protected as a barrier, with that barrier New Orleans and south Louisiana are fine, and the US would make that money back easily as opposed to what it would cost to move important plants, docks, and other infrastructure.

You don't abandon important places just because of recent challenges, that is ridiculous.

[Pumpy Tudors]

welp

[Tigercat]

Originally Posted by claphamsa

without getting in to it (no politics and all) global warming brings more extreme storms. this will be ever 5-6 years and getting more and more frequent

This is probably true. If climate changes become more extreme, how many important places are some of us fine with abandoning rather than addressing the problems in long term ways?

/warning poltics?

Informed South Louisianians were calling for money and resources for wetland restoration decades ago, but DC and the rest of the nation didn't care. Most of the nation still doesn't care about the long term solutions even after Katrina.

Erosion from this storm will probably expose pipelines north of Fouchon (not to mention devastate the whole port) and gas may go up by 50 cents or more. Will people start caring then?

/end politics?

[JPhillips]

On a different note, I love General Honore on CNN. If he says more than a couple of sentences he ends with, "Over."

[Celeval]

Good luck, everybody.

[SFL Cat]

Latest track I looked at has Gustav coming ashore as a CAT-3. Still a dangerous storm but not as catastrophic as the monster CAT-5 some were predicting.

Still, Wilma was supposedly a CAT-1 when it hit us and it actually come ashore on the western side of the FLA peninsula and came across the state before hitting us. It tore the hell out of the town I lived in, much worse than the CAT-3 that hit us more or less head-on a few years earlier. You never can tell with these things.

As for Hannah, I don't think anyone really has a clue yet as to what this one is going to do. Latest track I saw has it hitting Georgia as a TS.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by SFL Cat

Latest track I looked at has Gustav coming ashore as a CAT-3. Still a dangerous storm but not as catastrophic as the monster CAT-5 some were predicting.

Still, Wilma was supposedly a CAT-1 when it hit us and it actually come ashore on the western side of the FLA peninsula and came across the state before hitting us. It tore the hell out of the town I lived in, much worse than the CAT-3 that hit us more or less head-on a few years earlier. You never can tell with these things.

As for Hannah, I don't think anyone really has a clue yet as to what this one is going to do. Latest track I saw has it hitting Georgia as a TS.

I lived in Georgia for 21 years and barely remember any Hurricanes or tropical storms that hit Georgia. They always seem to either break west and attack Florida, or they tend to get pulled up the coast and go either out to the Atlantic more, or end up hitting further north such as Charleston or such.