Posted August 28, 200817 yr New Orleans braces for hurricane on Katrina anniversary As it prepares to mark the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has been forced to draw up an emergency evacuation plan to deal with tropical storm Gustav, which is was predicted to reach hurricane strength in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm has already killed 22 people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic and today it moved away from the Central American coast and into the Caribbean. The eye of the storm was expected to pass Jamaica today as it sweeps towards the United States. The National Hurricane Centre in Miami predicts that it will grow in power as it approaches Louisiana over the weekend. US National Guard troops are standing by as residents prepare to mark the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Ray Nagin, the mayor of New Orleans, left the Democratic National Convention in Denver to return home for the preparations. Some of the residents, who were displaced personally or knew victims of Katrina, were watching the weather forecast with trepidation. ?I?m panicking,? said Evelyn Fuselier of Chalmette, whose home was submerged in 14 feet of floodwater when Katrina hit. Ms Fuselier returned to her house exactly one year ago, and now she is terrified that her ordeal could be repeated: ?I keep thinking: Did the Corps fix the levees? Is my house going to flood again? Am I going to have to go through all this again?? Govwernor Bobby Jindal has declared a state of emergency to lay the groundwork for federal assistance, and put 3,000 National Guard troops on standby. City officials have begun preliminary planning to evacuate and lock down the city to ensure there would be no repeat of the disaster following the 2005 storm. There will be no mass shelter like the one at the Superdome last time around. Instead the state has arranged for buses and trains to take people further away from the coast. Steve Weaver, 82, and his wife stayed for Katrina and had to be plucked off the roof of their house by a Coast Guard helicopter. This time, Mr Weaver has no inclination to ride out the storm. ?Everybody learned a lesson about staying, so the highways will be twice as packed this time,? he said. Since Hurricane Katrina, the Army Corps of Engineers has spent billions of dollars to improve the levee system, but because of two quiet hurricane seasons, the flood walls have never been tested. A day after stalling off Haiti?s coast, Gustav was today centred about 80 miles east of Kingston, Jamaica, and moving toward the west-southwest near 8 mph. The National Hurricane Centre expects the storm to pass very close to Jamaica later today. Its maximum sustained winds were near 50 mph. Forecasters have predicted that Gustav could strengthen to a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 111 mph or higher in the coming days before landing on US soil somewhere between the Florida Panhandle and Texas. The storm formed on Monday before going onshore near the southern Haitian city of Jacmel with top winds near 90 mph on Monday. It triggered flooding and landslides that killed 23 people in the Caribbean. It weakened into a tropical storm and appeared headed for Jamaica, though it is likely to grow stronger in the coming days by drawing energy from warm, open water. * Have your say I visited New Orleans in July and got to know a lot of people there, particularly at the Audubon Institute. This is a city that needs to be taken care of, it's a place like no other I've visited and should be treated as such by the Federal Govt. and the state govt. not conveniently forgotten Keith Thomas, Tavistock, UK New Orleans needs residents who work & pay taxes instead ofliving every day with their hands out waiting for something free. That city has become the essence of the failure of welfare. I am. Personally tired of wasting money on a city not fit for human habitation. Rosalie gray, new orleans, usa The levees are no better than they were pre Katrina. We've had 3 years to get more concrete levees added around the lake but only piles of dirt have been pushed up in some areas. the government has spent millions sending help to other countries and to other states. New Orleans needs more help now dsullivan, attleboro, USA
August 28, 200817 yr My girlfriend was just talking about it. I hope its not a Katrina repeat... And I cant believe Katrina was 3 years ago... it feels like it was last summer or something, ya know?
August 28, 200817 yr I hope that sewer hole gets washed out big time Its a tax payers black hole that will always be trouble And I hope Mayer Naygen gets drowned have a nice day
August 28, 200817 yr I hope that sewer hole gets washed out big time Its a tax payers black hole that will always be trouble And I hope Mayer Naygen gets drowned have a nice day wow... that was mean as hell... remind me not to piss you off, ever.
August 30, 200817 yr As poorly worded as that was, zark, I think you do bring up an interesting point... =/
August 30, 200817 yr I hope my house doesn't get destroyed. I live in Vermilion parish! Right now its dead center of the projected path!!
August 30, 200817 yr It would be devastating if the Hurricane was to hit New Orleans as a repeat from Hurricane Katrina. I live in Australia, but I am half American, so I have that sympathy for New Orleans and the rest of America. In Geography class, we learned about Hurricane Katrina and what happened in New Orleans, we watched a video on it. I was blown away from what I saw on the video, it was like a 3rd world country with a war going on. Where some evacuee's were staying (a lot of them actually) there were dead bodies, rapes, the toilets were absolutely foul, there were murders / violence, and the US Army were forced to have snipers in place and patrols. When they delivered food, it was like throwing a hot chip into a flock of 100 seagulls. Thanks for making the topic, I hadn't heard about this yet.
August 30, 200817 yr I keep my eyes on Gustav hopping that the patern of him is not going to be seen here too.Last time with Katrina we were lucky cause it was the highest point at the sea and after go over Taiwan. Good luck to all.
August 30, 200817 yr I live in Htown Last time we got a flood of gangsters...... and have had 2 years of gun totting killers mugging, robbing ,drug killings, home invasions you name it. you would read the news story on the web and there would be a part where it would say (person arrested was a Katrina survivor). Ya I love New Orleans Tilgato you own a boat?
August 30, 200817 yr Author who lives Down there Get out Now cat 5 155MPH wins http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
August 30, 200817 yr My wifes family lives in Eunice, LA which is right in the path of it. Her parents decided to tough it and bought a ton of supplies and are going to stay at there home. Me and the Mrs. are going to end of with Ulser worrying for them. Only upside is Eunice is 3 1/2 hours North of New Orleans so waves wont be an issue. Mr
August 31, 200817 yr Author Many of the energy companies located on the Gulf of Mexico have shut down in preparation for Hurricane Gustav. Three fourths of companies brace for the hurricane to hit the oil patches. According to the United States Minerals Management, 76.8 percent of the Gulf?s crude oil production and 37 percent of its natural gas production were closed. Forecasters predict that Gustav will be as strong as Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. According to Richard Knabb, a senior hurricane specialist at the U.S. National Hurricane Center, it is ?plain and simple, Gustav is forecast to be a large and powerful hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, headed toward the northern Gulf coast.? According to analysts, if the Tropical Storm Hanna, currently in the Atlantic, strikes offshore production areas, oil prices could once again skyrocket. ?You'll get all this money that will come back into the energy markets again,? said Planlytics analyst Paul Corby. Corby admits that due to the storms, oil could rise as much as $10 per barrel. U.S. crude oil prices were at an all time high in July at $147.27 per barrel, however, prices have fallen to $115.46 per barrel as of Friday. The New York Mercantile Exchange has moved the start time for Sunday?s electronic trading of energy contracts to 2:30 p.m. EDT from 6 p.m. EDT. After Hurricane Katrina hit and Rita followed, 124 oil platforms were temporarily out of service, and placed an approximate 30 percent of refineries in the dark. A quarter of the offshore oil production was shut down for another nine months. The Gulf coast provides a quarter of U.S. oil output and an additional 15 percent in natural gas production. Currently, Gustav has affected 10 percent of refining operations. Two refineries adjacent to New Orleans have shut down as of Saturday, and at least five other operations were at reduced capacity or suspended, with a total capacity of 1.16 million bpd. According to a spokeswoman for the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, the only one in the United States capable of offloading giant tankers has stopped unloading tankers. The port continued to supply refiners from onshore tanks. The state is shutting down a 256,000 barrel-per-day operation in Garyville, Louisiana and Murphy Oil said it was shutting down a 120,000 bpd plant. The nation?s leading energy provider, Valero Energy Corp., said it was going to reduce production at the St. Charles, Louisiana facility as well as their Port Arthur, Houston, and Texas City operations in Texas on Saturday. The four refineries have a total production capacity of 920,000 bpd. ConocoPhillips noted their facility was reduced to 247,000 bpd and some workers were told to stay home. Motiva Enterprises also sent workers home as it reduces its facility to 236,000 bpd. Shell, the leader in oil production at 370,000 bpd, noted it will shut down all oil and natural gas production operations by Saturday afternoon.
August 31, 200817 yr I was informed tonight that my tasteless post was offensive. Having family in Crowley La. IM not as callus as my post sounds. I hope all the good, honest, hard working,non violent people are safe. well the rest drown em all let god sort it out. Apologies to whom ever I offended
August 31, 200817 yr .... Tilgato you own a boat? No I don't. I'm here in Texas on a job, but there is a mandatory evacuation of Vermilion parish. My wife is gonna stay with my parents, a few miles further north. I may make it down there if this rig decides to let me go home. I hope I get to go home to keep my wife from losing her mind. I hope we make it through ok.
August 31, 200817 yr No I don't. I'm here in Texas on a job, but there is a mandatory evacuation of Vermilion parish. My wife is gonna stay with my parents, a few miles further north. I may make it down there if this rig decides to let me go home. I hope I get to go home to keep my wife from losing her mind. I hope we make it through ok. Best of luck 'tilgado', I hope you do get through it alright. My thoughts are with you and your family, I'd really hate to be in your position. Being in Australia, I am far from danger. @Zarkspoint; I just read your earlier post and am pretty shocked, but it is alright. Good apology by the way.
August 31, 200817 yr I don't hope anyone is killed or the "sewer hole" is destroyed or anyone (mayor or otherwise) gets hurt or drowns, but I do think that building NO where it is was a huge mistake.... and if the Army Corps of Engineers had been allowed to do the fixes they proposed (and they did propose them, early!) then Katrina probably would not have done the extensive damage she did and we would not be having this conversation... I do agree, though that we are wasting tons of money trying to fix a broken system! It costs regardless, though.. kind of a catch 22 in that sense.... I hope for all clan and community members that you are all save during Gustav...
September 2, 200817 yr Author More Problems out in Atlantic but Hanna could effect East coast by end of week and up The eastcoast and Through here by saturday http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at3.shtml?5day#contents
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