Gustav
. . . I’ve been having trouble getting onto any of the hurricane watch sites because there are always 1,000,000,000 people there before me, but it looks as if, as these things go, it’s been less bad than predicted–and a lot less bad than Katrina, including that there were a lot more and better plans and preparations this time around (hell of a way for the government to learn that lesson). But last I heard the levees were holding and so on–? Not much comfort to the people whose houses have had large trees dropped on them, but at least both they and their pets are probably safe somewhere on higher ground.
But I’ve still got a few candles lit.
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Please join the discussion at Robin McKinley's Web Forum.
Please join the discussion at Robin McKinley's Web Forum.
I’ve heard it was downgraded to a Cat3 when it hit. I’m afraid I don’t know any details, though, and I’m hesitant to call anyone in that direction. I don’t want to tie up cell phone networks.
Yes, it went west of New Orleans and was only a category 2 when it hit. So far they are cautiously optimistic about the levees, but remember they didn’t breach until the day after Katrina. Anyway they do seem to have done a pretty good job of getting anyone who could be convinced to leave out–90% of New Orleanians evacuated, and 2 million people total from the coastal areas.
We are getting the remnants of it right now where I am, way up in the northeast corner of the state, but it’s a category 1 and weakening–not expected to cause much more damage than a heavy thunderstorm. We’ve got about 7000 evacuees in shelters here, plus separate shelters for small pets and horses, and all the hotels are booked solid. The university where I work has called off classes tomorrow and Wednesday, but we’ve just received definitive word that the library will be open, bah.
I watched the Weather Channel this morning as they had live reports of the storm’s center hitting land. It was bad, but definitely not as bad as Katrina. This time most people evacuated New Orleans and the vicinity, so little in the way of bodily harm done. From everything I’ve seen, the levees are holding. But more rain is coming, so we have to hope they continue to hold. The surge is also nowhere near as high as it was with Katrina.
Mobile, AL also got slammed with lots of rain, and there is some flooding there. My older son’s fiancee goes to college there, she came home for the weekend but will be staying at least one more day because of the flooding on campus. We were under a Tropical Storm Warning here in Panama City, but we only saw brief heavy showers and some wind gusts that maybe hit 28-30 mph, so we were pretty lucky.
Unfortunately we have Hannah and two or three other storms waiting in the wings, or more properly, the Atlantic*sigh*
I’m writing late night 9/1, and it looks like things might have been much worse. Weather Channel ( http://www.weather.com ) and CNN ( http://www.CNN.com ) have current information. Hopefully all those who evacuated along the coast will get back home and find things in pretty good shape.
Thankfully, it does look much less severe than Katrina. And I have read that peple can take their animals with them into shelters this time. That is Good News. Sending Good Thoughts for all!
The latest news is that the New Orleans levees have held–there was no second storm surge. There is a lot of coastal flooding( Mississippi, etc), and 8 deaths have been contributed to Gustav.
But the storm is stalled out over LA and is raining like crazy, and there are tornado watches and warnings everywhere. The LA Gov said they weren’t out of the woods yet, that there could still be local flooding due to all the rain, and everyone is watching for tornadoes.
But all in all things have settled down quite a bit. Still there is more need of candle burning, I think. Tornadoes are not fun.
And here comes Hanna and Ike.
Yes, candles, please…
I evacuated with my cats to Atlanta, and now they’re talking about evacuating from here if Hanna comes on up. And on the Italian front pages they’re already talking about Josephine..
This is my first evacuation and it was a wonder to experience.. I wish people would take global warming seriously. Such panic over the radio.. and I do wonder, as do my Nola friends, whether next time anyone will pay attention and evacuate since this time all the warnings came to so little.
As many candles as you can, everyone!
I do wonder, as do my Nola friends, whether next time anyone will pay attention and evacuate since this time all the warnings came to so little.
******** This is exactly what I’m worrying about.
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And Robin, for the record..
I know I am probably preaching to the choir here, but when I read columns (as appear these days during Gustav) questioning whether saving New Orleans is _worth_ it, I want to just shake the questioners.
Ever since I first read _Sunshine_, I have felt that city to be New Orleans in my mind.. or else, so many of the characteristics of her town are those I love about my own dear sweet Nola. I don’t know if you meant for it to come out that way – but it has, and I love your story all the more for it.
Thank you!
If it works for you, it can be Antarctica if you like. :) I see it as upstate New York with global warming. And ‘shaking’ the questioners is too good for them.
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Hanna and Ike and now Josephine. Oy.
At least where I live (Florida panhandle), the tornadoes that come with the hurricanes have wrought much more destruction and death than the hurricanes did. And my house suffered more damage from a mere thunderstorm (almost direct hit by lightning).