Hurricane Katrina Devastates The Gulf Coast.

[Rome]

Now they're saying that they expect anything constructed of wood frame to be utterly destroyed, the entire region's electrical system to be obliterated, and that 30-40 foot storm surge is expected on the northeastern eyewall side of the storm.

Basically, go outside and look for a four-story building.  The flood water will be as high as the peak of the roof.

I called a guy I know who works as a damage analyst for FEMA and he told me that no one is going to venture into the area for a full week after the storm hits because the flood waters won't recede until at least then.  He also said that emergency units from all over the country are going to be called in to search for survivors and to help police the remains of the dead.

Oh, man...   

[JTrotter Fan]

Has the U.S. ever seen a storm of this magnitude?  I can't recall in my 30 years.  I've never really heard of 175 mph sustained winds before. 

[PhillyGirl]

Has the U.S. ever seen a storm of this magnitude?  I can't recall in my 30 years.  I've never really heard of 175 mph sustained winds before. 

Andrew was at about 165mph. That was the worst I can remember in recent history.

[PhillyGirl]

Check out this site

I remember Hurricane Gloria like it was yesterday.

# Cape May Hurricane of 1821--The last major hurricane to make a direct landfall in the Garden State of New Jersey. This storm, which was a Category Four Hurricane, struck Cape May, New Jersey on September 3, 1821, and had hurricane force winds go as far west as Philadelphia while folks in New Jersey experienced wind gusts of up to 200 mph. The storm cut a path of destruction that is similar to that of the Garden State Parkway. More detailed information on this hurricane is at Greg Hoffman's Real Lousy Weather Page.

[Geowhizzer]

Has the U.S. ever seen a storm of this magnitude?  I can't recall in my 30 years.  I've never really heard of 175 mph sustained winds before. 

The two Cat-5 hurricanes that the Weather Channel has been mentioning is Camille in 1969 and Andrew in 1992 (some sources list Andrew as just a 4, others as a 5).

Camillle is the strongest to ever hit the United States (centered at Mississippi) at sustained winds of 190mph.  It's pressure was 905Mbs at impact.

At the time of it's impact, Andrew was classified as a Cat-4 with 145mph sustained winds.  Re-evaluation since then has upped it to a Cat-5 with 165 mph winds.  Andrew, much like Katrina, re-emerged and re-energized over the Gulf of Mexico before hitting the upper Gulf course.  Unlike Katrina, Andrew never regained it's original intensity (whereas Katrina is much stronger in the Gulf than it ever was in the Atlantic, where it was just a Cat-1 storm).

If it keeps intensifying as it has been, Katrina is more likely to be like Camille, and much more powerful than Andew, which devastated much of south Florida (Homestead is southwest of Miami).  Naples was just clipped by Andrew, as the eye passed about 50 miles south. 

Isabelle hit North Carolina at 160mph winds.  That one hasn't been mention, probably because it was an Atlantic rather than a Gulf Storm.

Here is a listing of CAT-5 hurricanes.  Andrew is not on this list, as they're going by the original measurements.

[JTrotter Fan]

Hurricane Katrina--Started out modestly on August 23rd, 2005 in the Bahamas as a tropical wave that emerged from the remnants of a tropical depression that had been in the Caribbean. It gradually grew into the season's eleventh named storm and fourth hurricane prior to making landfall in South Florida as a minimal hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, and gusts up to 95 mph. After quickly crossing Southern Florida, Katrina emerged again over water in the Southeastern Gulf of Mexico near the Florida Keys, and strengthened to the 2005 season's third major hurricane before reorganizing into the most powerful storm of the season to date, and third Category Five Hurricane in as many years with winds as high as 160 mph, and a minimum central pressure of 908 mb, or 26.81 inches of Hg. The storm left six people dead in Florida along with $600 million dollars in damage according to initial insurance estimates.

Pressure is now down to 902mb and predicted to drop to 900 at least.  I highlighted the $600 mil because it was just a little Cat 1 and did that much damage.  You've got to believe the damage will be in the billions in Louisiana.  The crappy thing is...there will be alligators swimming around all over the place.  They will end up in places they shouldn't be.  You won't even be able to walk outside without worrying about it.

[Geowhizzer]

Check out this site

I remember Hurricane Gloria like it was yesterday.

# Cape May Hurricane of 1821--The last major hurricane to make a direct landfall in the Garden State of New Jersey. This storm, which was a Category Four Hurricane, struck Cape May, New Jersey on September 3, 1821, and had hurricane force winds go as far west as Philadelphia while folks in New Jersey experienced wind gusts of up to 200 mph. The storm cut a path of destruction that is similar to that of the Garden State Parkway. More detailed information on this hurricane is at Greg Hoffman's Real Lousy Weather Page.

I can remember Gloria, too.  I was in 7th Grade, and Gloria was one of those hurricanes that had a huge buildup, but all we got (on the border of the far western suburbs and Amish Country) was some rain and blustery wind.  Some friends and I actually went outside in the afternoon and played frisbee in the winds that were left (probably about 20-25 mph with some stronger gusts).  I had a smaller friend that we kept throwing up in the air to see how far the wind would take him.

Great fun that day. 

[Geowhizzer]

Hurricane Charley--When it was all said and done, Hurricane Charley went down as the most devastating hurricane to hit anywhere in Florida since Hurricane Andrew in August, 1992. It also ended up being the second costliest hurricane in U.S. History behind Andrew. Charley fooled forecasters by not only rapidly intensifiying, but also making a turn to the north and east much sooner than anticipated, which spared the city of Tampa, but devastated the Port Charlotte area on August 13, 2004. Winds were as high as 145 mph, and the storm left at least 35 people dead, and $14 billion dollars in damage.

This one is the one that forever changed the way I view hurricanes.  In the 10 years I had lived in Florida, we had seen a lot of hurricanes pass us by, with little or no damage, to the point that I had become nonchalant about them.

With Charley, the national guys (especially The Weather Channel) were saying that it was strengthening very slowly, and would hit somewhere in the Tampa (or further north) area as a Cat-2 storm.  Actually, the night before Charley hit, one of our local guys (who honestly do a better job of predicting the hurricane than TWC guys, IMO) said that he saw much faster strengthening than had been originally reported.  He said it wouldn't surprise him if it turned into a very powerful 3/4 storm, and it became a 4 just before it hit.

The quick, sudden turn eastward shocked everybody, though.  In all the years, and all of the watching of hurricane coverage, this is one of the first times that I've seen meteorologists absolutely nonplussed by something a hurricane did.   They were reporting that the storm was supposed to hit Tampa, Tampa, Tampa, and then they were like "Holy Crap!  It's turning towards us!"

It his dead center on Port Charlotte, about 60 miles north of us.  If there was an area that it totally not prepared for a hurricane in southern Florida, it is this area:  lots of mobile homes and pre-fab houses that just turned into piles of pseudo-wood when the storm raged through.  Even now, over a year later, there are still blue tarps all over Charlotte County, and it will take years and billions of dollars to repair all the damage.

After Charley and Frances, Ivan scared the life out of me, and I had my family evacuate (and finished off my back in the meantime  ).  That one ended up missing us entirely, but I would honestly do it again if a hurricane of that magnitude was bearing down on us.

We had already committed $$$ to our addition last year and couldn't afford to get hurricane shutters, but that is on our agenda this year:  add to the hurricane protection of our home.  If the past two years have taught me anything (other than I am freaking crazy to be living in Florida), it that we can't be too careful.  If I can get the money to do it, I'm going to have my roof reinforced in the next couple of years as well.

[Rome]

LOL.  Here is why New Orleans is going to survive:

I'm watching Fox News Channel and Shepard Smith is interviewing people down on Bourbon Street who're partying in advance of Katrina's landfall.

Anyway, he's being his usual pompous, arrogant self asking why in the world anyone would be down there knowing what's coming.  He walks up to a guy and asks him in a real dismissive voice "why are youuuu here" and the guy replies: "NONE OF YOUR fargIN' BUSINESS!"   

He said it right there on the air, and of course, Smith laughs as the bimbette anchor is apologizing furiously, and he says, "well, the guy's right, it is none of my business" and then they cut away to someone else forecasting doom.

[WEST is GOD]

I wonder how much the superdome can handle? With winds that strong and all those people inside wow.

We'll find out soon if it lives up to it's name as the Superdome.

[Eagles76ersFan]

If I lived anywhere in the South, I'd be heading to New Orleans right now. Seriously, how many times do you get to witness a city sink?

[Rome]

If I lived anywhere in the South, I'd be heading to New Orleans right now. Seriously, how many times do you get to witness a city sink?

Nice.

[General_Failure]

I'd go just for the pillaging, but I'd try to leave before the storm him.

[rjs246]

I'd go for the boobies.

[PhillyGirl]

Saints evacuate