Gustav

[Martha]

Hmmmm. I haven't seen that, but I did see an interview with an Amtrak official yesterday who said they had run two special trains so far and would try to do a third if the storm's progress permitted it. And I have seen people boarding buses in NOLA for a couple of days.

Are you there?

 

[Leonidas]

Strapped for cash, some in New Orleans stay and hope - CNN.com

Yeah, those people are poor and evacuating would cost them financially, but I'm having a hard time understanding their decisions.

First, they can evacuate for free and be taken to a shelter far out of the path of the storm.

In downtown New Orleans, thousands of residents lined up in the morning heat, toting backpacks and plastic bags of food as they waited to board buses and trains to shelters in northern Louisiana and neighboring states.

These were some of the city's most vulnerable citizens: the elderly, the impoverished, the sick. Three years ago, many of them rode out Hurricane Katrina at home, and ended up trapped in flooded homes or in the squalor of the Louisiana Superdome and the nearby convention center.

Second, the lady with her two dogs will find that the evacuation centers are equipped with pet carriers so she can get on the train or the bus and take her dogs with her. Animal shelters as far away as Atlanta are willing to house and care for evacuated pets.

Money is tight for these folks, I understand that. But they are making a choice here and I think the message sent by the city and state has been pretty darn clear. It would be one thing if people like this were unaware of the evacuation assistance offered them, but I've seen the pictures of the billboards that have been up all over the city.

Even that idiot Nagin is sending a clear message

"You need to be getting your butts moving out of New Orleans now," Nagin said of Hurricane Gustav, a storm the National Hurricane Center said could be a Category 5 -- the top intensity -- when it enters the Gulf of Mexico today.

On Saturday the police went through the city, especially the poor neighborhoods, announcing over bullhorns and loudspeaker the need to evacuate and directing people to where they could get assistance to do that.

And the means are there...

This time, the city has taken steps to ensure no one has an excuse not to leave. The state has a $7 million contract to provide 700 buses to evacuate the elderly, the sick and anyone around the region without transportation.

And I bet that the guy who is worried about losing his dishwasher job at the clam bar can find an equally great job without much difficulty. It's hard to find a job if you're a corpse floating on top the water as the sun slowly heats you up to popping pressure.

Edit to respond to Martha: No, I wouldn't throw myself into the path of that, besides they're trying to get everyone out of there. I haven't thought about going after, but I'm sure there will be opportunities galore. I got calls for weeks after I came back last time. The scenes I described were from CNN/TWC and numerous other sources. Plus, several hundred buses staged here overnight several days ago before going on to the East.

 

[lets-retire]

Hmm, okay so theres less dumbness than I thought. I just read an article chock full of people being interviewed who said they'd like to leave but dont have any way of doing so.

It's not all peaches and cream. Rather than take the people to say Jackson, MS or someplace out of the way but close they are being evacuated all the way to TN on the same train. If the trains took the evacuees someplace safer like Jackson, or Shreveport and drop them off for another train to take them to TN, they would be able to return to New Orleans and evacuate more people quicker.

As far as the people camping in the rest area inside Mississippi, apparently they didn't learn a darned thing from Katrina. They are still sitting outside with a thin piece of canvas or nylon for protection and are going to whine that they didn't know any better. That defies common sense.

 

[bssc]

Great name to contact.

 

[Ronstar]

Hey, arent all those katrina trailers still sitting around somewhere? :

Yes - the mayor said they could become "projectiles flying around the city" in his news conference this morning

 

[W2R]

I made the mistake of getting on I-20 this morning. Going to the hiking trail and lake where I take my mutt. Anyway, traffic moving through Meridian fairly well but cars as far as the eyes can see. No rooms available here. Might be some in Birmingham. I imagine that is where lots are headed.

All the fast food joints covered up big time. The weather is nice here, but looks like a good day to stay put.

Frank's family was able to reserve four rooms in Birmingham last week, thank goodness. They were on their way this morning. This is a family of long time New Orleanians (6 generations), none of whom had ever evacuated before Katrina.

Springfield is far enough north that we didn't have to make reservations. Our usual motel is around $85-$90 per night, but they gave us rooms at $55 because we are Gustav evacuees. That was so nice of them!! I was wondering how we would ever afford an unexpected "vacation" like this.

We spent the afternoon away from television. Too much CNN can be hard to take at times like this, and tomorrow we will need to watch.

 

[Purron]

We spent the afternoon away from television. Too much CNN can be hard to take at times like this, and tomorrow we will need to watch.

DH and I tackled a painting project today and had CNN on all day. We have followed the news during our breaks and meals. This seems so different than Kartrina. First of all, the storm has weakened, thank goodness. Also, the preparations seem much better organized.

My main concern, like most folks, is the levees. I heard the governor say they should hold if the storm keeps its current tract and doesn't vere to the east.

Let's all hope tomorrow brings good news. I'm sure you are anxious to get back home like so many others.

 

[laurence]

I remember three years ago when someone here posted, "Run UncleMick!" when Katrina was bearing down. I really hope it's different this time.

 

[REWahoo]

I remember three years ago when someone here posted, "Run UncleMick!" when Katrina was bearing down. I really hope it's different this time.

Here's that thread: http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f27/run-unclemick-unclemick-checks-in-on-page-8-a-17787.html

 

[moneytutor]

Gustav has just grown to a 4. It doesn't look good.

 

[Notmuchlonger]

This reminds me to remove NO as a retirement place.

 

[Leonidas]

Gustav has just grown to a 4. It doesn't look good.

Where did you see that? 2200 CDT report from the NHC shows him to still be a 3. It sped up through the Loop Current, sucked in some dry air, which all helped keep him from being as big and mean as he wanted to be. But the little bit of wind shear present is slacking off, and Gustav is rebuilding his eye and getting a little meaner. Still, I'm not seeing anybody saying that it will come onshore as anything other than a 3. Pretty much your average major hurricane. An amazing destructive force, but it's not the "mother of all storms" or whatever Nagin called it.

It's the placement that sucks on this one - still close enough to NOLA that the tidal surge on the east side up through Lake Bourgne and into Pontchatrain mean that the repaired levees will be tested. That and the the fact that Gustav will be driving right up through a lot of refineries and other oil related facilities. Looks like he will come ashore around Fourchon early in the AM.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Where did you see that?

CNN is reporting class 4 winds and surge. Of course, its just CNN... so 2 steps over the national enquirer. Did all y'all see what Demi Moore is doing?

God bless our friends in the southeast. I hope you're all high and dry and in ample supplies of alcoholic beverages.

 

[Notmuchlonger]

CNN is reporting class 4 winds and surge. Of course, its just CNN... so 2 steps over the national enquirer. Did all y'all see what Demi Moore is doing?

God bless our friends in the southeast. I hope you're all high and dry and in ample supplies of alcoholic beverages.

No what Is Demi doing? Ya good luck to those in that area.

 

[Sarah in SC]

IMing my friend in Kingston Jamaica right now. The storm passed over on Thursday, washing out bridges, roads and causing mudslides. About 70 families in Portland (on the eastern coast of Jamaica) are homeless. For a Cat One, it was actually a much worse storm than they expected--mostly due to the rain and the fact it took 2 days to cross.

His parents live in the Blue Mountains above Kingston, and they are cut off from any roads into the city. No power or phones either, at his apartment in Kingston. Amazing he was able to go to a friend's house with internet. The city is very low lying so flooding is always a problem.

And hey, we've now got Hanna heading our way.

 

[Dawg52]

So far so good. Watching the Weather Channel and looks like N.O. doing well and levees holding up. Still a long way to go. I remember the same thing was said during Katrina but the levees broke late in the game.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

No what Is Demi doing?

Very pleased to have avoided marrying anyone named 'Glace'.

 

[Dawg52]

Uh oh, a barge is loose in the industrial canal that could pierce a levee. That's what happened during Katrina. The Coast Guard is suppose to be trying to secure it. How would you like to be a member of the CG right now?

I bet the news channels are getting a higher viewing rating today than they would have had at the RNC.

 

[Leonidas]

Well, Gustav weakened right there as he hit the coast, and he went a little further west than predicted. But he still managed to shove 9' of water (as per CNN, NOAA said 7' as of 8 AM before the site stopped working) up into Lake Borgne. Water is slopping over the top of the Industrial Canal. The levees might hold, and that is a good thing, but I think that landfall just a little closer to the city and that would not have been the case.

 

[Martha]

Here's that thread: http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f27/run-unclemick-unclemick-checks-in-on-page-8-a-17787.html

I reread the thread. I have to say the best post was yours, #75.

 

[lets-retire]

@@#$%%^ @##$$%%^^ @#%%^^. I lost two shingles from my house, and it is, of course, on the steepest part of the roof. I HATE heights!! I guess I'll have to suck it up and fix the roof, but since this is the second hurricane it has gone through I think a new roof is in order.

 

[Dawg52]

Just talked to a buddy from New Orleans. He stayed like a nut. His wife and parents(living with him) drove back to Meridian but he stayed with his animals. He does live in an area that is a little higher and has not flooded in previous storms. But I can't see staying when you know the power will probably be off for several days. He does have a gas generator, but I would have gotten the heck out of there. He did say the storm didn't appear to be that bad but the power went out at 5:30 a.m.

Oh well, to each his own. He's not dumb though. He was an engineer for Chevron Oil and retired at the age of 44. Common sense? Well.............

 

[unclemick]

Bubba and Ricki are fine(Slidell) - so who is Bubba and Ricki say's I? She tells me I meet them years ago - Evelyn's daughter and her little brother who is forty something.

Riiiiight. ok ok so the power may be out many places - but this time the phones are working much better and she is taking role call - and she knows a lot of people.

.

So far pretty much - the usual no power, trees down with some minor damage among the ones we know.

heh heh heh - Not over til it's over - but so far .

 

[W2R]

Slidell is an eastern suburb of New Orleans, bordering on Mississippi, so hopefully that worked in their favor a little as far as wind goes since the storm was to the west, UncleMick. I'm glad they didn't get too much storm surge though.

One of my neighbors stayed, and says that my shutters were torn off but no flooding, my tree didn't fall down, and I still have a roof!! There is no electricity. After Katrina, no electricity meant no plumbing/sewerage/water too since the pumps were down. Don't ask me - - I don't understand the fine points of city sewage all that well. As soon as Parish officials can evaluate the overall damage and what needs to be done, they will let us know when we will be allowed to return. Hopefully that won't be long. More info from the Parish at 7 PM. WWL radio reports that it is not safe at all to return yet because of all the downed trees and power lines.

When I called my agency's emergency number for employees, all I got was a recording saying that we are on admin leave indefinitely, and to call again tomorrow for more information. Electricity is out at work, too, I gather, since I just get a busy signal when trying to get to my work voicemail.

Overall, it could have been worse.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

glad to hear so far you all survived in good shape. now to see where hanna goes (good luck sarah) and then were ike goes (good luck me). i'm getting real tired of this real fast. just a few more weeks till we come off peak season. looking foward to a boring post-hurricane season.