Gustav Looks Bad (1 Viewer)

And it appears that it might briefly reach Cat 5 status before landfall.

I don't know how it compares size wise to Katrina but Gustav really doesn't look like it will mess around when it hits Louisiana as the storm track really seems to be aiming that way.

It is great to see mandatory evacuations and a much better prepared local, state, and federal government storm plans take effect.

Im not sure the local plans are much better at this moment. I can only hope that the mayor takes a more direct approach today. Maybe the news reports are misleading (and I hope they are) but it appears a lot of the lower income families are still in no position to leave on their own - Having no place to go. A mandatory evacuation and telling people to leave does not do much unless it is backed up with getting people out and having a safe place for people to go.

In terms of size, Gustav is a monster. I've heard that it's about three times the size of Katrina.

I live on the West Bank, just across the Mississippi River from New Orleans proper. We made it through Katrina relatively unscathed on this side of the river, but they're saying that this time, it's the West Bank that's going to take the brunt of the storm.

I packed a couple of bags, moved pretty much everything I own off of the floor, and took off for Baton Rouge to stay with family yesterday morning (we're right next to LSU's campus, and actually went to the football game yesterday). After hearing the latest news reports, though, I'm starting to wish that I'd taken more things with me--I left all of my DVDs and video games, for example. It wouldn't have been that difficult to box 'em up and throw 'em in the car, but I didn't think that it would be necessary--as I said, not even Katrina caused serious damage on my side of the river. But I'm worried about what will happen if the house floods, which looks like it's a real possibility this time.

At least my family and I should be safe. During Katrina, we were pretty worried about my aunt and cousin, who insisted on staying behind--they actually ended up staying at our house, since they live in a trailer. Fortunately, they were ultimately okay (though pretty uncomfortable for a few days) and decided they weren't going to try that again. This time around, everyone I know has evacuated and should be okay, which is the important thing, so I'm trying to stay focused on that.

I'm right outside of Baton Rouge also Carl

Don't know what predictions you're watching, but I never heard that. It never regained any strength at all after passing over Cuba and emerging as a Cat 3 storm, then it just slowly weakened from there.

I don't know if it's the 24-hour news cycle, or if people are just especially hyper about hurricanes in the wake of Katrina, but I thought the coverage of this storm was waaaaay over the top. A couple of years ago, the only place you ever saw this 24/7 type of coverage was on the Weather Channel. Now it's on every news channel.

I agree with everything you said except that last part. Larger than Kat? Cat 5 before landfall? WTF are you guys watching?
It is also topping the international news outlets I watch/read (but then again they covered the Sichuan earthquake and Cyclone Nargis extensively while J6P in the US has probably never heard those words. Those disasters claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.) But I do think the hype is justified, the thing was heading straight for NOLA once again, and had it not been weakening since Cuba instead of the usual weakening right before landfall, it would have been another disaster. If the impending potential destruction of a city does not warrant intense news coverage, I don't know what does.

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H

They're now predicting Hanna to be just as strong as Gustav as it approaches Florida/Georgia/Carolina later this week. Then Ike moves in for next week. And possibly another storm forming behind Ike.

Busy time in the tropical Atlantic.

I may be hit by Hanna.

Either Hanna or her sisters.....

> If the impending potential destruction of a city does not warrant intense news coverage, I don't know what does.

The issue was misleading or wrong coverage, not intense.

BTW, "destruction of a city" is way over the top as far as what was forecast. This was a hurricane, not a nuclear bomb.

So was Katrina, and that pretty much destroyed New Orleans.

Perhaps Ella said (sang?) it best:

They call her Hard-Hearted Hanna,
The vamp of Savannah,
The meanest gal in town;
Leather is tough, but Hanna's heart is tougher,
She's a gal who loves to see men suffer!
I saw her at the seashore with a great big pan,
There was Hanna pouring water on a drowning man!
She's Hard-Hearted Hanna, the vamp of Savannah, GA!

I might have to buy an ark, this thing is stalled out
I'm about 75 miles due north of Shreveport and stuck right in the middle of the moonson

If Hanna does indeed hit Savannah then those lryics are spooky!
I've got family down there and my wife and I are supposed to be attending a wedding out on Tybee Island there in two weeks, right on the beach. I hope there is one left.