Hurricane thoughts

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Don’t have any kids in the area around the Gulf, but I know some of you do. I am praying this hurricane will unwind!!! What about those of you with students at Tulane and other Gulf Coast schools? Are they evacuating?</p>

<p>Blessings on them all.</p>

2

<p>A friend of a friend was delivering her D to Tulane on Friday. The university has closed and told everyone to evacuate as of yesterday. Kids whose parents were there were told to leave with their parents. Kids who were on their own were being evacuated by bus to Jackson State. The city has issued a mandatory evacuation so I hope that everyone heeds it. Category 5 storms are rare and deadly.</p>

3

<p>Tulane’s website mentions that they are closed (as of Sat.), with plans to reopen on Wed. afternoon. They stopped orientation activities for first-year students and encouraged them to leave with their families if they could, and are busing remaining students to Jackson State University in Mississippi. I imagine other Gulf Coast schools are reacting similarly. This is a monster storm.</p>

<p>I recall a hefty number of CC parents with students starting at Tulane this year. My thoughts are with you all…</p>

4

<p>Me too–we are watching from afar, but I fear the worst. The winds have kicked up from 150 when I got up and are now reported at 175. All just in 3 hours.</p>

5

<p>Mom60s D is heading to Tulane. I think she was heading out this weekend. I also think they had family in the area. </p>

<p>Mom60 - thinking of you and your family. Please let us know how you are when you are able.</p>

<p>Just spoke with a friend with a Freshman D at Xavier - her D is at the airport trying to get home. All flights have been cancelled except USAir, which she is scheduled to fly out on in a couple of hours. Everyone is praying she makes it out, or she’ll have to ride it out in the airport.</p>

6

<p>We are in the thick of it right now. Not sure how much I’ll have time to post. Kids are in Jackson at Mississippi State. Sleeping on gym floor. Rumors are - based on S’ quickie cell phone call this morning - that kids may be there for longer than midweek. So they are creating new options - S says a new friends’ parents are going to pick them up and start driving toward home (Maine!?!). </p>

<p>We had planned to stay in NOLA at our hotel, but mandatory evacuation emptied the hotel. We’ve moved on to Baton Rouge where we scrounged for a hotel. Had we not left last night, we wouldn’t ever have found a room here and would have had to go further. May have to go further anyway.</p>

<p>Right now weather is beautiful; you would never know what’s expected. </p>

<p>I will say, move-in itself went fine. Got S’ room all set up. Met roomate and family. President Cowan had an informal and upbeat Town Meeting at 1pm yesterday to welcome and talk re Katrina plans. Prevailing mood was upbeat, although all Orientation activities are being rescheduled. Still, there are nervous moments, nervous Moms needing reassurance…</p>

<ul>
<li>in the last moments, phone and wireless access have become very intermittent; don’t know why - sunny and beautiful still. Will post when I can*</li>
</ul>

7

<p>My son is finally on his way to Jackson, MS. He was amongst a group of 8 T.E.M.S. (Tulane Emergency Medical Service) kids who were asked to stay behind last night in case they were needed on campus as they also serve the staff and faculty in the U. area. They have now loaded the second ambulance and trailer and are making their way to be with the rest of the TEMS team and students who have already evacuated.</p>

<p>I will relax a bit when he calls to say they have made it to Jackson!</p>

<p>Oh, and for you Freshmen Tulane parents – welcome to the crazziness that is N.O. and Tulane.</p>

<p>CD</p>

8

<p>concerneddad-</p>

<p>Glad they’re getting your son out of there. Hopefully, this sort of event won’t be in any way a normal part of life at Tulane.</p>

9

<p>My thoughts and prayers are with all of you.</p>

10

<p>When I spoke with S last night, he was with a group driving to a friend’s home in Mobile. This was before the news that Mobile may be in for it, too! I have not been able to get through to his cellphone - recorded message states that the lines are busy due to heavy calling. I know he’ll be OK but will feel better when I speak with him. </p>

<p>Just got an email from Tulane saying they are shutting off email to protect the equipment, but listed an emergency number to call and will post updates on their alert site: <a href=“http://emergency.tulane.edu/[/url]”>http://emergency.tulane.edu/&lt;/a&gt;. I keep thinking of all the permanent residents and the devastation they will suffer if this hits straight on. From what I hear, this storm is very rare. Good luck to all.</p>

11

<p>momsdream: we are now batting 2 for 2. Freshman year we had to fly him out of N.O. Oh well, he has great stories to tell – and it certainly will build “community” with this year’s incoming class. What other college invites you to campus and then takes you on a retreat! LOL</p>

12

<p>We brought S to move in to Tulane on Saturday morning and after nicely getting him settled in, we were told the 1 pm meeting with the president was only for those individuals with no way to get out of NO. Perhaps that info was incorrect as it sounds like the meeting was more than that. They closed the university later that day.</p>

<p>Tulane acted quickly in closing and asking all to evacuate. Because Tulane hurried us along on Saturday, we were fortunate to miss the brunt of the traffic going north. We drove back home that same day(Atlanta) with S. He’s extremely disappointed but mostly very worried about what will happen next. We just hope there will be a college to go back to! Some of the predictions on the fate of New Orleans are dire indeed.</p>

<p>H will be headed down there to assist with emergency efforts as part of his regular job. I’m sad for S and all the kids at Tulane but even more concerned for the residents of that area. We’re doing some praying.</p>

13

<p>concerneddad - Thanks so much for your “insider” info. I posted re Katrina and evacuation on the Tulane Forum so as not to get the Cafe too bogged down in details. Plus, don’t want to scare away the faint of heart. But I would love for you to keep us posted on details you learn, as some rumors floating around the kids in Jackson are kind of crazy. At least, I <em>think</em> they are rumors.</p>

14

<p>Thinking of all the folks in NO. Special kudoes for Concerneddad’s S for stepping up in this emergency. S has a former classmate at Xavier.</p>

15

<p>My thoughts are with everyone in the path of the hurricane. All hurricanes are horrible, but this one sounds especially vicious. I hope everyone who is anywhere near the projected affected area will take heed and leave immediately. Good thoughts to all those folks!</p>

16

<p>I posted over on the Tulane board. My family is all down there, waiting it out for now with friends in Baton Rouge; I am glued to the weather channel. DH said I would have liked Scott Cowan’s speech. DD has her stuff in her room. her ID card, and her mailbox (which at 4’11" she can’t reach LOL). It took them 6 hours to drive to BR. Geez, these kids started high school with 9/11 and now college with one of the worst hurricanes in US history. One tough group, I think.</p>

17

<p>I don’t want to alarm anyone unnecessarily but anyone in the area truly needs to be warned. I saw the following and frankly it reads like science fiction. But it is very real. Someone posted elsewhere on the net: think of the 9/11 devastation floating in standing water, for months. Others have posted that as dire as this sounds, it will probably be worse, short of a miracle. Truly, it is like science fiction of the worst kind. Pray.</p>

<p>URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
1011 AM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005</p>

<p>DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED</p>

<p>HURRICANE KATRINA
A MOST POWERFUL HURRICANE WITH UNPRECEDENTED
STRENGTH…RIVALING THE INTENSITY OF HURRICANE CAMILLE OF 1969.</p>

<p>MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS…PERHAPS LONGER. AT LEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL…LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.</p>

<p>THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL. PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. CONCRETE BLOCK LOW RISE APARTMENTS WILL SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE…INCLUDING SOME WALL AND ROOF FAILURE.</p>

<p>HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY…A FEW TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT.</p>

<p>AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD…AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES. SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED. THE BLOWN DEBRIS WILL CREATE ADDITIONAL DESTRUCTION. PERSONS…PETS…AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE
WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK.</p>

<p>POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS…AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.</p>

<p>THE VAST MAJORITY OF NATIVE TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING…BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED. FEW CROPS WILL REMAIN. LIVESTOCK LEFT EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL BE KILLED.</p>

<p>AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR HURRICANE FORCE…OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE…ARE CERTAIN WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS.</p>

<p>ONCE TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ONSET…DO NOT VENTURE OUTSIDE!
…</p>

<p>INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IN EFFECT</p>

<p>HURRICANE KATRINA
A MOST POWERFUL HURRICANE WITH UNPRECEDENTED
STRENGTH…RIVALING THE INTENSITY OF HURRICANE CAMILLE OF 1969.</p>

<p>ONSET OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL BE AROUND 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON AND PERSIST FOR ABOUT 26 HOURS. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WILL ONSET AROUND SUNSET TONIGHT IN LOWER PLAQUEMINES PARISH AND SPREAD NORTHWARD BY 3 AM MONDAY MORNING…PERSISTING FOR ABOUT 12 TO 17 HOURS. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS IN EXCESS OF 140 MPH CAN LAST FOR 2
TO 3 HOURS.</p>

<p>ONCE TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ONSET…DO NOT VENTURE OUTSIDE!</p>

<p>I apologize if anyone thinks this shouldn’t have been posted but I do think that it is a catastrophe in the making and that such warnings help save lives. Pray for a miracle.</p>

18

<p>wish - would like to have the link and see the actual origin of that post. Scary.</p>

19

<p>Katrina hit the University of Miami Thursday when she was much weaker. The school thought they would be able to clean up enough debris on Fri, Sat and Sun to reopen by Monday, but have just cancelled classes for tomorrow. There are still 500,000 people in Miami without power and S says there are downed trees and flooding everywhere-the palm trees still standing now look like telephone poles. He says they are working very hard on the cleanup, but there is just so much. I am afraid that with the strength of Katrina now, Tulane and the other NO schools will be closed for quite some time. I’m so glad they started the evacuation process early.</p>

<p>I will keep you all in my thoughts and prayers.</p>

20

<p><a href=“http://www.drudgereport.com/flash.htm[/url]”>http://www.drudgereport.com/flash.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>The radar picture is telling–perfect storm</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.wunderground.com/data/640x480/2xg1_ir_anim.gif[/url]”>http://www.wunderground.com/data/640x480/2xg1_ir_anim.gif&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;