Hurricane!

Being from the midwest, hurricanes are a frightening and completely foreign concept to me. Tornadoes, sure, no problem, you sit in the basement and listen to the radio and it blows over. Moving to the east coast raised my awareness a bit. Oh, sure, we had some minor flooding in downtown Baltimore during Hurricane Isabel two years ago — my kitchen window dribbled rainwater for an hour and my nerves were scrambled — but cars floating away? Perching on shingles waiting for a helicopter? Not part of my reality.

Two months ago, President Bush took an ax to budget funds that would have helped New Orleans prepare for such a disaster. The New Orleans branch of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers suffered a "record $71.2 million" reduction in federal funding, a 44.2 percent reduction from its 2001 levels. Reports at the time said that thanks to the cuts, "major hurricane and flood protection projects will not be awarded to local engineering firms. … Also, a study to determine ways to protect the region from a Category 5 hurricane has been shelved for now." (Too bad Louisiana isn’t a swing state. In the aftermath of Hurricane Frances — and the run-up to the 2004 election — the Bush administration awarded $31 million in disaster relief to Florida residents who didn’t even experience hurricane damage.)

Several US Web sites, including Weather.com, became temporarily unavailable while people were trying to find all information available on Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricanes are said to be the most destructive force of nature. We in the eastern United States know that power well. Now we are fortunate to have warnings before fury strikes. When Galveston was hit in the early 1900s and Long Island in the 1940s, with so many lives lost, people were going about their everyday affairs when devastration came. It has been almost two years since northern Virginia was visited by the fury and destruction of Hurricane Isabel, 19 September 2003. Our neighborhood weathered the storm quite well. However, my son’s neighborhood, which is nearer to the Potomac and Washington City was without power for more than a week. For a few days it was not even safe to drink tap water.

By all indications, New Orleans is undergoing their worst case scenario. This study, written in November of 2004 by Shirley Laska of the Center for Hazards Assessment, Response and Technology at The University of New Orleans, provides a glimpse of exactly what is in store for the great city of New Orleans.

In fact, for the last two years, efforts to shore up the levees and pumps in order to prepare for an event like Katrina have been gutted due to the every growing demands of the Iraq war. This disaster might not have been so bad had plans been allowed to continue to prepare for the storm everyone knew was comng sooner or later.

Hi, jumping in between normal TWT episodes here to give you (and me) some encouragement to do what you can to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. I don’t intend to stump for a particular charity; instead I encourage you simply to remember the importance of charity (or love, if you prefer.) 1 Corinthians 13, which you’ll hear on September 2, says it’s greater even than faith and hope.

We THE 66TH MOB and I am sure several RAIDERS fans want to extend a helping hand out to all of the victims devastated by Hurricane Katrina. *THE RAIDER NATION TO THE RESCUE.

May all of our thoughts and prayers, go out to the people whose lives have forever been altered by Hurricane Katrina. From the devastated coastal communities, to the families affected by inland tornados and storms. May they be given the strength to endure their grief and suffering. Many have lost the material things they hold precious, but material can be replaced over time, but it seems it’s always the poor who take the brunt of the pain. To those of them who were unable to leave, we can only hope they found shelter for them and their families.

The President has also authorized a declaration for public assistance for the southern tip of Florida in response to Hurricane Katrina's first landfall on Friday. FEMA is moving federal response teams as well as supplies of generators, water, ice and food and other emergency commodities into the region for immediate deployment once the storm passes to any of the Gulf Coast states impacted and in need. The FEMA site has full details.

David M. Brown wrote a provocatively titled piece, “Price Gouging Saves Lives,” for Mises.org following Hurricane Charley in 2004. The thrust of the argument is essentially that to limit the prices vendors can charge is to reduce the incentive for vendors to go through the hardship and risk of transporting commodities to the afflicted areas.

It’s raining quietly now…the first bits of hurricane weather we’ve gotten. Earlier I worked out in the garden, cutting back our Black-Eyed Susans and pulling weeds since the beds were already damp from rain yesterday. Wonderful time to be doing tidying types of work outside. The clouds were thick and before it began raining, it was nice and relaxing out there.

But with Monday’s all-day coverage of Hurricane Katrina, it appears severe weather has a new suitor: the Internet.

As for my girlfriend’s hometown, New Orleans was spared the brunt of Hurricane Katrina but it still got hit pretty hard. If you are coming here for hurricane information, then you are pretty stupid, but I can tell you that it will be a few days (obviously) until her parents venture back to town to discover what has been left behind. As of right now, it is pretty much assumed that her father’s office was destroyed because nearly every report has implied that there was standing water of at least feet near Lake Ponchatrain where it is located. Again, here’s the link to the Red Cross and any help would be much appreciated by the thousands of displaced Southerners.

I don’t usually do posts like this, but this time I just feel compelled. Please pray for all of those who are about to be affected by Hurricane Katrina. My very close friend Kathalise (aka Smoke) has family in Lousiana, which is where she grew up. My Cotillion sister Beth lives in the Mobile, Alabama, area, and is having to flee from this storm.

Katrina revved up to a maximum Category 5 hurricane at the weekend, far stronger than last year’s Hurricane Ivan, which tore up platforms and pipelines along a very similar path through the Gulf, disrupting oil production for months.

I would like to end tonight with this cool hurricane tracker thing my dad found. To the left of the screen is every hurricane for 2004 and those that have happened for 2005. Clicking on the names shows you its path. I would like to direct your attention to Hurricane Jeanne. This was clearly named after a typical woman. Look at the freaking path she took. She’s indecisive, she’s insecure, and fuck, it looks basically like she got lost and had to ask directions. “Umm, hi, umm, yeah, I’m kind of lost, can you tell me where Florida is…well, then do you know where the United States are, I have no idea where I am…no I don’t have a map, I can’t even fold one…” Jeez.

Watching the CNN coverage is surreal, he’s right.

They are covering it like a sports event - and inventing a psuedoscientific argot of catastophe as they go along: “wobble factor”, “cone of possibility” etc.

City of New Orlean's Hurricane Preparedness Guide (note animals are not allowed in the public shelters).

Hurricane Katrina has weakened to a powerful Category Four storm. Maximum sustained winds are around 145 mph.

I was in Florida during the hurricane season last year, and felt two of the storms. Neither was anywhere near as bad as Katrina will be, but they were still frightening experiences.

New Orleans is about to be hit by an enormous hurricane, the highlight so far of an unusually active hurricane season. Meanwhile, Americans keep buying SUVs...

Hurricane Katrina is worrisome for many reasons. I have family and friends in Baton Rouge but I think they will be reasonably safe. But, if the predicted scenario happens the entire nation could be effected by the damage brought on by Katrina.

By the time most of you read this post Hurricane Katrina will have come and passed over New Orleans. However on this, the eve of the storm, I can only compare the thought of the oncoming storm to the saying that I heard from my brother-in-law some time ago; “Everyone prays in the foxhole”.

They are saying Katrina will likely be a category 4 hurricane, with winds 140+ mph. This could be significant damage, with loads of residual damage as well. I have boarded the front and back windows, which are the most vulnerable to damage from flying objects. My northern side is protected by buildings next door (this is one of the few times it is good to have neighbors an arm distance or so away).

In other news I like the weather outside: mercurial, playful, bands of clean gold sunlight and bruised gray tatter alternating, the wind alive in a way difficult to put to words. The air is humid but fresh and restless, like a retriever puppy tearing around a grassy park snapping at butterlies and falling leaves and tumbling end over end for the sheer hell of it… Pre-hurricane weather makes me glad to have ever experienced Florida living. Nothing like it.

out of nowhere, hurricane katrina is now upon us and tomorrow’s classes are cancelled! i can’t believe it, i was sitting at dinner with christine eating mexican food (chicken and rice burrito, yum-me) talking about what i wouldn’t give to not have to do my homework tonight and my phone rings. it was my roomate dave telling me that miami-dade county cancelled all classes at all schools for tomorrow and friday and our school is included. so my weekend started on wednesday night, totally awesome.

OK, as of 1:30 AM Thursday it is not yet a hurricane. Just a tropical storm. But it will be Hurricane Katrina later today or tonight. And then if projections are correct, come ashore about 5 Am Friday morning. And head down Hollywood/Pines Blvd west to my neighborhood.

To irreversibly date this blog entry: hurricane Katrina is heading our way. As of the latest advisory, the storm should be hitting us in the middle of the night, with bad winds starting this afternoon-ish. If it keeps its current westward track (it’s now around 26-27 degrees N), it’ll end up hitting Ft. Lauderdale more directly and we’ll be getting the top side, which is actually pretty bad.

Newsflash! During the months of July thru September is hurricane season. Also in the news, it’s summer time and Americans tend to take more road trips during this time. New excuses to raise gas prices, do you have any?

The weather worldwide has been a bit mucked up and crazy lately. From heat waves throughout the US and Europe to snow in Australia, it's been nuts. But one of the bigger concerns is that it's shaping up to be an wham, bam, thank you ma'am of a hurricane season for the Southeastern United States. At this point you may be wondering why someone way up in Michigan would be worried about what's happening way down in Florida. Two reasons. A) My grandparents spend their winters in Florida and B) Hurricanes affect weather patterns up here too. When it rains down there it pushes it way up here too. And right now, rain would be a very, very good thing here, where we've been setting record highs in the 90s and up!

I’d like to have the job of the person who gets to name hurricanes. I could come up with some really great names instead of boring Hurricane Emily or Hurricane Dennis. I’d sit at my desk all day just waiting for a hurricane to name.

i’m glad to hear that discovery landed safely in edwards afb. i guess hurricane season isn’t the best time to launch and land a shuttle. here’s a thought, why not put the space center in a weather free zone like eastern cali or nevada? no, i guess that would make too much sense.

I’ve heard predictions that it is to climb over the $3/Gallon mark once hurricane season really starts setting in.

Is it just me or is serious weather the order of the day? The recent heatwave in Northern Ireland left apples cooked on the trees as we all know here on the fair Isle. We have had delightful weather on and off for the last month or so but it seems that this is only because all the rain and wind is centralised in the South Eastern US of A as hurricane Dennis tears about wreaking havoc and causing over $900 million in damages. That is just the cost of wind damage, according to some news sources, and is nothing compared to the damage that will be caused if hurricane Emily makes landfall properly. The US in the meantime is still in the grip of heatwaves on the east and west coasts (although the west coast is apparently cooling off now).

Which is why this report on a monster wave created by Hurricane Ivan freaks my shit out big time.

CNN) – Tropical Storm Irene – the ninth named storm of the 2005 hurricane season – was packing winds just below hurricane strength late Friday, and was expected to become a hurricane Saturday, forecasters said.

We made a stop at Double Eagle in ABQ to check the weather ourselves and the southwest was a disaster area. Starting at about ABQ and going to what looked like California was filled with thunderstorms everywhere, lots more than the one or two isolated small cells that were there earlier. I called a briefer to see what was up, and he said that moisture from Hurricane Emily ended up getting thrown into the southwest, and with the heat that is in that area it turned the entire region into the breeding grounds for thunderstorms. This happened yesterday between the time we left and the time we got to ABQ because the briefer that we talked to when we left Arlington told us that the area was espically dry and that we shouldn’t have a problem making to Phoenix. So much for forcasts.

As tropical depression #8 forms in the Atlantic tonight and NOAA predicts an even worse hurricane season than initially forecasted in May, I can’t help but feel fortunate that the Tampa Bay area and most parts of Florida (with the exception of the Panhandle, unfortunately) affected by last season have been spared so far this season.

I really worry about those who are in Florda and other areas that get hit most often. Many people have barely begun to recover from last years storms. And now they have to worry about what this year will bring. I can only hope that the predictions are wrong, but with 2 hurricanes already named…I really dont think it is going to be a good year.

While Hurricane Dennis was a very dangerous storm, Chris Pirillo has an interesting and humorous take on US news coverage of the Hurricane. Then he topped himself with his own audio "News Report".