Downtown New Orleans late sunday evening.
Photo by Jim Seida / MSNBC.com
Photo by Jim Seida / MSNBC.com
Here's hoping Hurricane Gustav (as of now a Cat. 3) is not a repeat of almost exactly three years ago when Katrina hit New Orleans. Right now it's not looking the best, that's for sure.
I'm back to watching The Weather Channel again.
They have evacuated an unheard-of 2 million people from the city of New Orleans and they have pretty much battened down the hatches at this point. All they can do now is pray.
So we will join them in that effort and hope this is not a disaster of epic proportions, again.
I'm back to watching The Weather Channel again.
They have evacuated an unheard-of 2 million people from the city of New Orleans and they have pretty much battened down the hatches at this point. All they can do now is pray.
So we will join them in that effort and hope this is not a disaster of epic proportions, again.
Apparently Gustav hit Cuba as a category 5 storm (!) but as of yet there have been no deaths reported. Though it hit in an area rich in tobacco crops - there goes all those Cuban cigars, people.
You'd think New Orleans would get a free pass on this one and the weather gods would spare them... but sometimes that just isn't how it works. I hate to think this could be called "The Big Labor Day Storm" (replacing the previously identically-named 1935 hurricane in the Florida Keys)- but maybe the fact that it is on a holiday will be better, perhaps some people have been away anyway. That storm in 1935 hit the Keys as a Category 5 though, and I don't think we are going to see anything quite that furious.
I have read on various websites that nearly 90% of the city has evacuated. I cannot fathom that task, and commend law enforcement and the National Guard for getting that job done. Now we can only hope they are able to keep the looters away and the post-storm crime to a minimum.
You'd think New Orleans would get a free pass on this one and the weather gods would spare them... but sometimes that just isn't how it works. I hate to think this could be called "The Big Labor Day Storm" (replacing the previously identically-named 1935 hurricane in the Florida Keys)- but maybe the fact that it is on a holiday will be better, perhaps some people have been away anyway. That storm in 1935 hit the Keys as a Category 5 though, and I don't think we are going to see anything quite that furious.
I have read on various websites that nearly 90% of the city has evacuated. I cannot fathom that task, and commend law enforcement and the National Guard for getting that job done. Now we can only hope they are able to keep the looters away and the post-storm crime to a minimum.
In any event, I have a feeling that the name Gustav may be retired from the hurricane name list this year - and that is never a good thing.
NOAA satellite image of Gustav in the Gulf of Mexico.
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