<p>The Carousel Bar in the French Quarter is a friend now. During a “visit” there last week the mom of my D’s classmate offered her home in Texas to Tulane refugees. (Wonder how that’s working out, because I know at least five students who took her up on the offer.)</p>
<p>Just a quick Yankee shout-out of concern and hope, in this time of increasing worry, to those in the CC community who are located in, or have ties to, the New Orleans area.</p>
<p>(And to those whose response has been to suggest that New Orleans is expendable - it ought to be forgotten about and “moved” - not only are your timing and insensitivity hard to believe [even by CC standards], you might as well say the same thing about, say, Washington, D.C. Without NOLA, America simply ain’t America.)</p>
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<p>(P.S. I can’t recommend Times-Picayune columnist Chris Rose’s collection of Katrina-related columns highly enough:</p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> 1 Dead in Attic: After Katrina: Chris Rose: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/1-Dead-Attic-After-Katrina/dp/1416552987]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/1-Dead-Attic-After-Katrina/dp/1416552987).)</p>
<p>jym - that’s a great site. (I always appreciate maps that are easy on the eyes…even maps that predict destruction…ha.) Interesting that some models have tropical force winds as far north as Shreveport! Whoa.</p>
<p>We lived in Lafayette when Danny came onshore near New Iberia with just under 100 mph winds. The area (New Iberia/Erath/Jeanerette) is so low and marshy, virtually no terrain to slow down a storm. My strongest memory is of huge dumpsters rolling down the street like dice.</p>
<p>epistrophy - I agree…we must always have our New Orleans. I say… if a person will just visit once, they will see the light. A lot of American history located in the Crescent City.</p>
<p>I do (somewhat)take issue with some of the rebuilding in the 9th though. The poorest of New Orleans lived in that low, filled marshland because they could not afford to live anywhere else. And now we are putting them back there in harm’s way? I just don’t know about that. Doesn’t seem wise.</p>
<p>Category 4 now</p>
<p>egads teri. </p>
<p>Now I can’t, any longer, put off the trip to Home Depot for batteries and water I suppose.</p>
<p><a href=“And%20to%20those%20whose%20response%20has%20been%20to%20suggest%20that%20New%20Orleans%20is%20expendable%20-%20it%20ought%20to%20be%20forgotten%20about%20and%20%22moved%22%20-%20not%20only%20are%20your%20timing%20and%20insensitivity%20hard%20to%20believe%20%5Beven%20by%20CC%20standards%5D,%20you%20might%20as%20well%20say%20the%20same%20thing%20about,%20say,%20Washington,%20D.C.%20Without%20NOLA,%20America%20simply%20ain’t%20America.”>quote</a>
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<p>One can feel horribly for all the people who have suffered from Katrina and might suffer from Gustav and [fill the blank for the next hurricane] and AT THE SAME time decry the callousness of the local politicians who have acted as federal panhandlers instead of facing THEIR problems with realism. The saddest part is that NONE of this was unpredictable and that the movement to preserve a historical monument might very well turn out to be a monument to a misplaced determination to save something at all cost. If the cost were only expressed in dollars and cents, it might be acceptable, but when the costs are really measured in human tragedies, it IS a different story. </p>
<p>It is next to impossible to preserve the New Orleans of yesterday without a massive and comprehensive plan that addresses the entire delta. As long as the city clings to its commercial heritage that depends on rerouting the water bodies, we will jump from one crisis to another and live with the fear of more human losses. Inasmuch as the United States does have a direct reponsibility, the ultimate and MAJOR cost to keep living the NOLA dream has to be covered by the State of Louisiana. Unfortunately, the state has demonstarted to be more apt at praying and “laissez les bons temps rouler” than at investing in its own safety and future.</p>
<p>Insisting to rebuild in the lower parts of town speaks volume about the type of decisions that are made in this decadent and doomed city.</p>
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<p>xiggi, I think you missed post #10</p>
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<p>Crud.</p>
<p>My friend and her husband are moving as much as they can to the second floor; they already have plywood cut and ready to board up the house. She’ll drive out; he’ll fly their small plane (built from a kit; if that isn’t reason to read and follow directions carefully, I don’t know what is!) somewhere.</p>
<p>As this storm approaches the Gulf Coast and towns start to order evacuations, I hope that those who are able to, will be able to let us know of their safety when they are able to. I understand that you will have much higher priorities than CC, but some of you might just be sitting in a hotel room somewhere hundreds of miles from home twiddling your thumbs. </p>
<p>Whatever, you can never be overly cautious when it comes to this stuff, so keep safe.</p>
<p>jym - those are some awesome sites. I particularly like the storm pulse one. I think I originally had the weatherunderground one saved to my favorites before losing it.</p>
<p>thanks, teriwtt- But those websites are scaring the bejeezus outta me right now…</p>
<p>yea, but sometimes knowledge is power. I’d rather know as much as I could about it, than try to figure out what to do without that information.</p>
<p>My prediction… it will grow to a Cat 5, but weaken before hitting land to a Cat 3; remember, NO would not have had the damage it did if the levees hadn’t failed. If they hold this time, then this should not be the catastrophe that Katrina was. For now, that’s the hope we have to hold onto.</p>
<p>Did your son make it home?</p>
<p>Yup-- he is home. As for the 'knowledge is power"-- well, from what I’ve been hearing from several sources about the status of the levees… that “knowledge” if you can call it that, is causing a lot of angst. If the storm turns west and NOLA gets hit with the bad (east) side of the storm, it’ll get tons or rain and possible tornadoes. Then they are predicting it’ll slow down, possibly even stall, dumping more rain. Those poor levees…</p>
<p>I am hoping this worry is all for naught, and that the weather channels are sensationalizing all this.</p>
<p>Well this is just what we don’t need-- the mayor creating a state of panic! [New</a> Orleans evacuation ordered - Hurricane Gustav News and Storm Tracking - NOLA.com](<a href=“Hurricane Center | NOLA.com”>Hurricane Center | NOLA.com)</p>
<p>Well, I think we have a trifecta effect going on here. This is the first storm to hit the area since Katrina… that alone is going to create an increased sense of awareness and cynicism (that the media loves to play on). You also have what many people considered a Republican administration that failed LA during Katrina, and that party is about to go into its convention with a goal to invigorate its party and celebrate its accomplishments (ALL politicians of both parties know they’re being scrutinized on how they will handle this - not just Republicans). Kind of a stark contrast to what will be going on along the Gulf coast. Third, you have Tropical Storm Hanna, and I’ve now seen them referred to as the Twin Storms. All this is enough to send people (the media) scrambling to figure out which story to give how much time to, and I’m guessing information is not being presented in the most rational manner possible. </p>
<p>This is not meant to be any sort of political indictment (I’m avoiding this on this thread), but with all the forces (no pun intended) converging in the same few days, I understand how anxious everyone (politicians, media, residents) can be. Honestly, I’d be more alarmed and surprised if, given all these events, Nagin wasn’t responding as he is, ordering evacuation.</p>
<p>Of course, what will happen is either, there will be heroes if the storm proves deadly, that they got so many people out in time, or they will be chastised for evacuating and going to such extremes if it ends up not being the catastrophe (either by weakening or veering off course) they’re predicting now.</p>
<p>It’s enough to put everyone on edge, and I just have to keep hoping that those levees hold out, or that the storm lands in a less populated area.</p>
<p>I remember, in the day, when hurricane tracking was not what it is now. Maybe some others will remember this, but during the summer months, when you shopped at the grocery store, they packed your groceries in large, brown paper bags that had hurricane mapping charts on the sides. Whenever a storm was in the Gulf, we’d get our coordinates a couple of times a day, mark it on the paper bag, and that was really the only information we had to go by. There were no 24-hour news stations or weather stations that were able to more accurately predict the kinds of information we get now. I remember one night going to bed, pretty confident that when I woke up in the morning, we would be in a hurricane, and school would be canceled. When I woke up and realized there was little wind and rain, I was disappointed to find out the storm had changed course during the night, and gone ashore somewhere else. Most people who went to bed that night expected the same as me. It’s just so absolutely different now.</p>
<p>Wow - amazing story.</p>
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<p>Will we even hear how things are in less populated areas? I was frustrated during Katrina coverage, not knowing how the boonies people made out. For that matter, I am still wondering how things are in less populated/wealthy areas near NO.</p>
<p>I’d probably just leave the politics out of it altogether teri. Those of us who have lived and worked in Louisiana (former auditor of various Louisiana governmental entities here) know most of the blame lies with the local and state gov’ts. It wasn’t just failure at the federal level no matter how many times people say it here on CC. I’m always amazed (not at you teri) that people will turn a blind eye and deaf ear to the fact that the CITY levees were in such bad condition because the STATE and LOCAL Levee Boards diverted necessary maintenance funds to the development of the gambling and hospitality industry. And evacuation of a city or parish is the responsibility of the Mayors, City Councils, Parish Presidents and Parish Councils elected by Louisiana residents. </p>
<p>Okay…I’ll shut up about that now. I know this is not the place. I’d like to find just one thread that is not infected with political commentary where I don’t feel like I have to respond. I know some here are just desperate to see Obama elected, but sheesh…we can talk about something else can’t we?</p>
<p>Again, it’s such a conflicted thing to say… to wish it would go somewhere else that is less populated, when you know that there are going to be people pretty much any which way it lands.</p>
<p>I still predict it will grow to a Cat 5, then weaken before hitting land. I wish the weather forecasters would stress that possibility more (some have said it, but not enough, and not often enough). </p>
<p>Having just been in the Rio Grande Valley two days after Hurricane Dolly came through, I saw what a Cat 2 storm can do; I know it was going to be weeks before power was fully restored. I would imagine if Gustav lands as a Cat 3, on New Orleans, it will be weeks before any of the colleges will be able to resume. That’s what’s so sad. Makes me wish, if this was going to happen, could it have happened four weeks ago.</p>
<p>ldmom - I twice thought about my post, but I was trying to offer insight as to why the mayor and meteorologists could possibly be overreacting or sending people into a panic mode. It’s a convergence of stress, anxiety, fear, etc., no matter who is/was at fault, or who did/didn’t do anything right or wrong. If I walk by my neighbor’s house and a dog escapes the front door and attacks me, you can bet that for the next 500 times I walk past that neighbors house, I’m going to be afraid of that dog coming out. It takes many, many more positive experiences to erase the anxiety of one. I suspect many of the people in New Orleans are feeling that right now, perhaps more so than those east and west of them by 100 miles (and as of now, they are predicting it to go a bit east of NO).</p>
<p>I mean a bit west of New Orleans (I need to stop reading my map upside down).</p>