We need to remember the weather service warning for Katrina

In light of the video that surfaced today, and the fact that Mayfield (from the Hurricane Center) is seen in the background on the tv screen, we have to know, without a doubt, that blivet** knew just what was going on in NOLA.

Remember this report?

WWUS74 KLIX 282139
NPWLIX

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
413 PM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE KATRINA CONTINUES TO APPROACH THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA...
...DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED...

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WATCH IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR
HURRICANE FORCE...OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE...ARE
POSSIBLE WITHIN THE NEXT 24 TO 36 HOURS.

LAZ038-040-050-056>070-MSZ080>082-290300-
ASSUMPTION-HANCOCK-HARRISON-JACKSON-LIVINGSTON-LOWER JEFFERSON-
LOWER LAFOURCHE-LOWER PLAQUEMINES-LOWER ST. BERNARD-LOWER TERREBONNE-
ORLEANS-ST. CHARLES-ST. JAMES-ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST-ST. TAMMANY-
TANGIPAHOA-UPPER JEFFERSON-UPPER LAFOURCHE-UPPER PLAQUEMINES-
UPPER ST. BERNARD-UPPER TERREBONNE-
413 PM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

...INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT...

HURRICANE KATRINA CONTINUES TO APPROACH THE AREA. TROPICAL STORM
FORCE WINDS ARE CURRENTLY MOVING INTO THE COASTAL MARSHES AND WILL
PERSIST FOR THE NEXT 26 TO 28 HOURS. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WILL
ONSET AROUND MIDNIGHT NEAR THE COAST AND BY 3 AM CLOSER TO THE NEW
ORLEANS METRO AREA AND PERSIST FOR 9 TO 15 HOURS. MAXIMUM WIND GUSTS
AROUND 175 MPH ARE LIKELY IN THE WARNED AREA BY DAYBREAK MONDAY.

DO NOT VENTURE OUTDOORS ONCE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ONSET!

$$

LAZ034>037-039-046>049-MSZ068>071-077-290300-
AMITE-ASCENSION-EAST BATON ROUGE-EAST FELICIANA-IBERVILLE-
PEARL RIVER-PIKE-POINTE COUPEE-ST. HELENA-WALTHALL-WASHINGTON-
WEST BATON ROUGE-WEST FELICIANA-WILKINSON-
413 PM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

...INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT...

HURRICANE KATRINA CONTINUES TO APPROACH THE AREA. TROPICAL STORM
FORCE WINDS ARE CURRENTLY MOVING INTO THE COASTAL MARSHES AND WILL
SREAD NORTHWESTWARD INTO THE GREATER BATON ROUGE AREA AND
SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI LATER THIS EVENING. TROPICAL STORM FORCE
WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO ONSET AROUND 9 PM TONIGHT AND PERSIST
FOR 22 TO 26 HOURS. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WILL ONSET AROUND
DAYBREAK AND PERSIST FOR ABOUT 5 TO 10 HOURS. MAXIMUM WIND
GUSTS OF 80 TO 90 MPH ARE POSSIBLE IN EAST-CENTRAL LOUISIANA
AND SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI.

DO NOT VENTURE OUTDOORS ONCE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ONSET

--------

Now think about this report --
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/08/30/State/For_forecasting_chief.shtml

For forecasting chief, no joy in being right
Max Mayfield strives for accuracy, but worries about complacency.
By TAMARA LUSH, Times Staff Writer
Published August 30, 2005

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


MIAMI - About an hour after Hurricane Katrina made landfall, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center were running on adrenaline and sugar. Few had slept much in recent days, if at all.

Director Max Mayfield's eyes were puffy, his voice slightly cracked from giving interviews to media outlets around the world.

"I don't even know what day it is," said Mayfield.

Mayfield and the team of forecasters in Miami had just achieved the near-impossible.

At 11 p.m. Friday, more than two days before Katrina reached land, the hurricane specialists said the hurricane would make landfall in the bayous of Louisiana, east of New Orleans. They pinpointed a town called Buras as the most likely place it would strike.

<snip>

On Saturday night, Mayfield was so worried about Hurricane Katrina that he called the governors of Louisiana and Mississippi and the mayor of New Orleans. On Sunday, he even talked about the force of Katrina during a video conference call to President Bush at his ranch in Crawford, Texas.

"I just wanted to be able to go to sleep that night knowing that I did all I could do," Mayfield said.

No way "he couldn't have anticipated" the levees failing!

...or even adequately during Katrina....how agonizing for their staff when nobody else was doing their job..

Mayfield told him directly. Brian Williams was blackberried this weather report. How did blivet** not get it?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=3919915

here's a telling snippet from an article posted after Katrina hit south Florida on 8/25/05...and what *ush had to say about it...

''For those who have been hurricane watching, there may be some commentary that it's not a Category 4, it's a Category 1,'' Bush said. ``But hurricanes are hurricanes.

here's the NWS *prediction*...:eyes:

And Katrina is expected to curve through the Gulf of Mexico and hit the Florida Panhandle late Sunday or early Monday -- a double-barreled strike on the state.


~~~~~~~~~~

here's another one...

Forecasters said Katrina would likely get stronger and perhaps make a second landfall in the Florida Panhandle early next week.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1729275

I hadn't seen that thread before.

....all too well in advance..edited my post to add another thread from 8/26th. :hi:

....but still it speaks volumes to me about their *compassion* for the people affected. :wow:

C'mon. The guy takes over the running of America y'know like only 5 years ago, HOW THE FUCK IS HE SUPPOSED TO KNOW? Everybody just wants to jump on him for not knowing....
How's he supposed to know that there's such things as hurricanes?

And this so-called "National Weather Service" (which smacks of socialism right there in its name if you ask me), how's Bush supposed to know about a "National" weather service? Don't we all just watch the local news and listen to the weatherman--oh excuse me, the meterologist? You know in Britain they call their communist medical system the National Health Service, so I'm relieved Bush didn't know anything about the National Weather Service. If he did it would suggest he was in on the plot to socialize our weather.

Is he supposed to know every little detail about the workings of every agency of the federal government? Give him a break for Christ's sakes. He didn't take over the country in order to work at your beck and call every goddamn minute. What would be the point of ruling if you had to work constantly? His family owns this little outfit now, he's entitled to kick back some.

here on DU. Everyone was all WTF - nobody had ever seen such a dire weather warning before.

It sent chills down my spine. If they were willing to go that far out on a limb we were all terrified it was going to be bad, REALLY bad.

Well, the last 5 1/2 years have been one surreal moment after another, haven't they?

I rmember the hair on my whole body standing at attention. I remember feeling the impending doom like I had never felt before. I remember being in Massachusetts holding my breath for the Gulf Coast having lived through hurricanes myself but never having seen a warning like that ... ever!

I guess that is what flooded back into my head last night and I had to go back and revisit it hoping that I could keep the anger in check. It didn't work. I am just as pissed now as I was that whole horrible week.