Gustav Churns Into New Orleans

Source: WDSU TV

NEW ORLEANS -- Hurricane Gustav's first outter rain band darkened New Orleans' sky Sunday evening, bringing with it rain, lightning and tornado warnings. The main body of the storm was expected to make landfall in southern Louisiana on Monday morning.

A tornado watch was issued for Venice and Boothville at 10:30 p.m. Sunday.

As the storm inched closer to landfall, scattered power outages were reported in eastern parts of New Orleans at 10 p.m. Sunday.





Read more: http://www.wdsu.com/news/17348786/detail.html

wow!

Sure looks scary!

Be careful, Gulf Coast People!

....and failed the operational tests ?

(Yiddish - Oh Dear God!)

I hope you guys down in NO are hanging in there - what Category Level is it now?

Hawkeye-X

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080901/ts_alt_afp/usweatherstorm_080901052051

Hurricane Gustav begins lashing US coast
by Glenn Chapman
17 minutes ago
NEW ORLEANS (AFP) - Storm force winds and rain from approaching Hurricane Gustav began lashing the US Gulf coast early Monday, soon after nearly two million people fled the state of Louisiana ahead of the killer storm. The exodus is being called the largest evacuation in US history, and officials have also shut down the area's vital oil production facilities.

Reports of power outages in eastern portions of New Orleans began after wind and rain began hitting the city late Sunday. "The outer edge of the storm is already over the Mississippi Delta and going in toward New Orleans now, according to radar," center meteorologist Patricia Wallace told AFP.

At 0300 GMT, the eye was located 220 miles (360 kilometers) southeast of New Orleans and moving northwest at 16 miles (26 kilometers) an hour. However, the hurricane had a wide swing, with tropical storm force winds extending as far as 220 miles (350 kilometers) outward, the center said in its advisory.

Still a category three hurricane, Gustav packed sustained winds of 115 miles (185 kilometers) per hour. Forecasters predicted a slight strengthening before landfall, but Gustav was expected to stay at category three for the rest of its journey across of the Gulf of Mexico.

They expect it to make landfall to the southwest of New Orleans which will put New Orleans on the "dirty side" but if it veers slightly north the storm surge will go into Lake Ponchartrain and the levees may not hold under the pressure. The surge is expected to be 10-14 feet.

The majority of the city evacuated. Having learned from Betsy in 1965 and Katrina in 2005. They really didn't expect another bad storm in three years. There is some irony that it will hit the day the Republican Party planned to start its convention. A reminder, perhaps unfortunately, of what the Republican Party has done to this country. The repair and upgrade of the levee system is incomplete and in some places probably insufficient to handle a storm surge and a northeast wind at 110 mph or higher. There is some concern that Gustav may actually strengthen overnight and become a Category 4 storm before it makes landfall. The reality is that New Orleans may become a much smaller city after this if there is the major disaster some fear.

While thousands still wait for housing, some of them living in trailers, the Republicans in Mississippi and Alabama of course got their million dollar homes renovated with their share of the FEMA pot. Another example of how the Republicans respond to disaster. They take care of themselves and then don't care about anyone else. At least New Orleanians decided not to trust the government and most would have evacuated whether they were told to or not. We can all learn from them. Do not trust the government. And do not trust Republicans.

would like to make sure any info I try to send is reliable.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Hopefully your friends are in the Quarter or the downtown area. Those are the only areas that didn't have significant flooding in 2005. They are still predicting it will in just south of Houma which will reduce the chance of a 10-14 foot storm surge in Lake Ponchartrain.

Riding it out on webcam

http://www.gregledet.net/hurricam/hurricam.html

If those fools die you probably won't be able to see it, because their power will be out.

somewhere around Thursday or Friday....mostly rain