Hurricane Gustav

[SkyEye]

I'm getting to New Orleans 5am this time. There was barely anything left for the last looting frenzy.

New models:

I'd like to order a triple black 'Sclade rollin' on 22"s with a 50" LCD in the back.

[KinkaidAlum]

I think you should talk to a few Port Arthur and Beaumont residents before you make claims that Rita was overhyped. Then again, after reading your comments on the presidential thread, NO ONE knows hyperbole and overhype like you do. Perhaps I and others should yield to your overwelming expertise in hyperbole.

Exactly. I drove to Lafayette, LA 3 weeks after Rita. It looked like a war zone from Beamount to about 50 miles east of Lake Charles. My friend who I was driving with has family in Iowa, Louisiana. They were lucky. They were only forced to live without power for almost 4 full weeks. Their neighbors across the street weren't so lucky. A likely tornado touched down and wiped out 8 homes. These were solid brick construction ranch homes from the 1950s and they were literally gone. Wiped out to just the slabs.

[RedScare]

I tend to agree with you that even fairly inexpensive minimum construction standards would be beneficial, although I'm hestitant to take on Florida codes in most places because there is a point of overkill...but that doesn't mean that a homeowner that does build beyond the point of overkill couldn't get a break on their insurance cost, either.

I do think that construction should be allowed in flood plains, but that water should be allowed to flow freely under the living area of the structure...not only to prevent or minimize damage, but also because if the flow of water is impeded by a structure, it can reduce the flow of floodwaters and cause worse flooding upstream. So there is a legitimate concern, but an outright ban of construction in the flood plain (or as Houston was actually proposing, the floodway) is not justified.

Btw, if I wanted to be a jackass, I could smear your name in mud for having provided misinformation to forumers by having confused flood plains and floodways and for having posted something that wasn't perfectly clear. But I'm not going to. I am not a jackass.

This isn't necessarily good policy. I suggest you read up on concepts of time value of money and net present value.

Your attempt at smear by pedantry will not work on a forum in which your tactics are well known.

The Florida codes would not be required statewide. They should be required in coastal counties, and those inland counties where there is a need. As you traverse inland, maximum potential wind speeds dramatically decrease, and the wind rated requirements should decrease with them. For instance, City of Houston codes for Montgomery County (120 mph) add little to overall construction costs, since local builders are used to them, and would cover any storm Montgomery County would endure.

Since New Orleans more resembles a flood plain than a floodway, I believe my raised elevation suggestion is more applicable. The problem in most areas there was not impeding flood waters, but flood water itself. A raised floor elevation protects the occupants from drowning, and if the structure is also wind rated, many may not need to evacuate.

While I acknowledge your devotion to economic theory, you should recognize my fondness for pragmatism. Political realities dictate that it would be nearly impossible to let New Orleans die, or even to force it to die through insurance. As the levee system is proving to be problematic, I believe my raised elevation suggestion could provide a middle ground....thinking off the top of my head, of course.

[HtownWxBoy]

Pointing at us again.

Yea looks like once it pushes inland across Louisiana it should curve towards the west into east Texas... could bring us some rain maybe Tuesday into Thursday.

[Trae]

New Orleans: Ghost Town

[TheNiche]

Your attempt at smear by pedantry will not work on a forum in which your tactics are well known.

The Florida codes would not be required statewide. They should be required in coastal counties, and those inland counties where there is a need. As you traverse inland, maximum potential wind speeds dramatically decrease, and the wind rated requirements should decrease with them. For instance, City of Houston codes for Montgomery County (120 mph) add little to overall construction costs, since local builders are used to them, and would cover any storm Montgomery County would endure.

Since New Orleans more resembles a flood plain than a floodway, I believe my raised elevation suggestion is more applicable. The problem in most areas there was not impeding flood waters, but flood water itself. A raised floor elevation protects the occupants from drowning, and if the structure is also wind rated, many may not need to evacuate.

While I acknowledge your devotion to economic theory, you should recognize my fondness for pragmatism. Political realities dictate that it would be nearly impossible to let New Orleans die, or even to force it to die through insurance. As the levee system is proving to be problematic, I believe my raised elevation suggestion could provide a middle ground....thinking off the top of my head, of course.

I really don't think we disagree about very much, here. We're just picking at each other's posts, looking for ways to smear one another. How about we stop BSing?

[IronTiger]

Gee, Baton Rouge might get hit badly. That's depressing, as my uncle wants to sell his home in Baton Rouge.

[20thStDad]

My family and my wife's are in Baton Rouge. Hopefully we'll have some nice, harmless, but interesting stories after this passes.

They are far enough inland that the main threat is flooding and tornados, if any are spawned. Hope your people don't live in a flood zone, and have trimmed their trees.

[HtownWxBoy]

New Orleans: Ghost Town

Wow scary... I remember the afternoon before Rita hit here after everyone had left Houston... before work (went in that evening) my boyfriend and I went to the Galleria... got a picture of me sitting in the middle of Post Oak Blvd around 4:00 pm w/ no cars in site... was so freaky.

[Trae]

There is a big eye forming now. Bigger eyes mean the storm can sustain its strength for a longer period of time (after making landfall).

[OkieEric]

There is a big eye forming now. Bigger eyes mean the storm can sustain its strength for a longer period of time (after making landfall).

Man, it still seems to be headed on the forecast track, but the recent direction of that dark spot (newly forming eye?) in the 2nd satellite image is a bit unsettling. Hopefully just some wobble

Edit: Wobble, wobble it is...

Edited August 31, 2008 by OkieEric

[Trae]

It looks like we'll have TS Ike pretty soon. It's well organized:

Man, it still seems to be headed on the forecast track, but the recent direction of that dark spot (newly forming eye?) in the 2nd satellite image is a bit unsettling. Hopefully just some wobble

Edit: Wobble, wobble it is...

Wobble it is not:

[westguy]

I've seen Gustav predicted to make landfall between late Monday and Wednesday, but it may be early tomorrow. It is moving really fast.

[OkieEric]

Wobble it is not:

I meant that the "eye" briefly looked like it was moving more westerly when you posted that satellite loop, meaning it could be more of a threat to us - however, it was just that wobbly movement you get with these things, as the overall path has more or less been as expected.

I'm personally watching for any sign of a western turn, as I'm currently east of Houston with an injured relative and debating whether to board up or not. Looks like we're just about in the clear for wind...rain could be another issue, depending on when (or if) we get that expected turn

Edited September 1, 2008 by OkieEric

[Trae]

Gustav's pressure is dropping at an alarming rate and the strong storms that were on the SW side are wrapping around to the NE side of the storm (forming an eye). It's also starting to jog to the north a bit more because of the storms moving to the NE side. In other words, bad news for NOLA.

[RedScare]

Perhaps I am not seeing this 'cane accurately, since the radar is only showing half the storm, but the radar loop on the Weather Channel sure looks like this thing is running more west than north.

[Trae]

CNN's radar has it going more north now though.

[TexasVines]

I'd like to order a triple black 'Sclade rollin' on 22"s with a 50" LCD in the back.

you can place your order directly at this URL

http://www.cityofno.com/pg-50-1-nopd-home-page.aspx

[20thStDad]

Looks like it's sliding directly west to me. Path still projected at NW though.

[citizen4rmptown]

its kind of funny that about half of trae's posts in this thread are innacurate or are later proven wrong...

so far, hurricane gustav is not as bad as katrina

its not actually getting stronger it actually weakened to cat.2

and the eye is not forming and very hard to actually pick out

[RedScare]

its kind of funny that about half of trae's posts in this thread are innacurate or are later proven wrong...

so far, hurricane gustav is not as bad as katrina

its not actually getting stronger it actually weakened to cat.2

and the eye is not forming and very hard to actually pick out

Yeah, he must be trolling those exotic weather sites. Stick with weather underground, trae. Nothing tops the wunderground....nothing.

Storm surge is now overtopping the Industrial Canal levee in New Orleans.

[Highway6]

its kind of funny that about half of trae's posts in this thread are innacurate or are later proven wrong...

so far, hurricane gustav is not as bad as katrina

its not actually getting stronger it actually weakened to cat.2

and the eye is not forming and very hard to actually pick out

WHAT ?!?!? You mean you weren't impressed by his newfound hurricane omniscience ???

Edited September 1, 2008 by Highway6

[Jeebus]

its kind of funny that about half of trae's posts in this thread are innacurate or are later proven wrong...

Well, you better steer clear of the Presidental Race thread..

[westguy]

its kind of funny that about half of trae's posts in this thread are innacurate or are later proven wrong...

so far, hurricane gustav is not as bad as katrina

its not actually getting stronger it actually weakened to cat.2

and the eye is not forming and very hard to actually pick out

Katrina was a Category 2 when it hit LA/MS.

[TJones]

Katrina was a Category 2 when it hit LA/MS.

All N.O. has to worry about are the levees, not if it's a Cat 2.

Anyone else notice how the news networks almost seem "sad" that the levees are holding? They keep focusing on the small sprays of water overlapping the levees, the water coming over has pretty much stopped as now the winds will start changing and push the water back out. Now we will see if the Ponchatrain side will hold up, that is where allt he problems started in 2005.

[houstonmacbro]

When are we gonna start feeling the rain?

[20thStDad]

Update from LA - in Baton Rouge, both parents, in-laws, and both sisters without power. There are some trees down on my parents' street and in my sister's backyard. In New Iberia the in-laws were getting nailed an hour and a half ago, haven't checked back with them since.

Picture from my sister's yard in BR. Yeah, they have too much junk back there already, but you can see branches down, part of the fence down, and in the 2nd one a pretty decent size tree laying down.

EDIT: My sister tells me there's actually a tree that fell into the house on the left in the second pic. Not their house, but sucks either way.

Edited September 1, 2008 by 20thStDad

[20thStDad]

I'll just post again instead of continuing to edit that last one. 3 houses on my sister's street (dead end street less than half a mile long) have trees that fell on them. Lots of shingles blowing off of the roof of the old lady across the street from them.

[Trae]

Baton Rouge is getting more damage than New Orleans so far it seems.

[Rammer]

The New Orleans moral to the story??

A hurricane slightly to the west doesn't push the beast(Lake Pontchartrain) upon the city like a hurricane slightly to the east does. It's not about clean/dirty side...it's about Lake Pontchartrain.