According to meterologist "catastrophic" is an understatement for what Hurricane Katrina will in New Orleans.

See this excerpt from a comment in the dailykos diary "Urgent Warning Thread: Hurricane Katrina Strength Unprecedented
by DarkSyde
Sun Aug 28th, 2005 at 08:17:44 PDT

"...KATRINA IS COMPARABLE IN INTENSITY TO HURRICANE CAMILLE OF 1969...ONLY LARGER. GPS DROPSONDE DATA FROM THE NOAA G-IV MISSION EARLIER TODAY SHOWED KATRINA'S INTENSE CYCLONIC CIRCULATION EXTENDING THROUGH THE 200 MB LEVEL...WITH THE FLOW SPIRALING ANTICYLONICALLY OUTWARD IN A WELL-DEVELOPED UPPER-LEVEL OUTFLOW PATTERN BEYOND A COUPLE HUNDRED N MI FROM THE CENTER.

HOWEVER WE SEE NO OBVIOUS LARGE-SCALE EFFECTS TO CAUSE A SUBSTANTIAL WEAKENING THE SYSTEM...AND IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE HURRICANE WILL BE OF CATEGORY 4 OR 5 INTENSITY WHEN IT REACHES THE COAST.

THE ACTUAL LANDFALL POINT COULD STILL BE ANYWHERE FROM SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA TO THE MISSISSIPPI COAST. ALSO...WE MUST CONTINUE TO STRESS THAT THE HURRICANE IS NOT JUST A POINT ON THE MAP...BECAUSE DESTRUCTIVE WINDS...TORRENTIAL RAINS...STORM SURGE...AND DANGEROUS WAVES EXTEND WELL AWAY FROM THE EYE. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SPECIFY WHICH COUNTY OR PARISH WILL EXPERIENCE THE WORST WEATHER.

THIS ADVISORY SHOWS AN ADDITIONAL EXPANSION OF THE WIND FIELD OVER THE EASTERN SEMICIRCLE BASED ON AIRCRAFT AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE FORECAST TO SPREAD AT LEAST 150 N MI INLAND ALONG THE PATH OF KATRINA. CONSULT INLAND WARNINGS ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICES.

This storm is a very serious storm and people should leave the coast and they should be considering leaving inland areas as well if their forecast office recommends doing so. You can't have property if you don't have life.

by inclusiveheart on Sun Aug 28th, 2005 at 09:08:21 PDT

-snip-

also see this comment:

"Absolutely chiiling advisory ...

From the New Orleans office of the NWS:

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA 1011 AM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005
...DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED...

.HURRICANE KATRINA...A MOST POWERFUL HURRICANE WITH UNPRECEDENTED STRENGTH...RIVALING THE INTENSITY OF HURRICANE CAMILLE OF 1969.

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 BEKILLED.

AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR HURRICANE FORCE...OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE...ARE CERTAIN WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS.

ONCE TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ONSET...DO NOT VENTURE OUTSIDE!"

by jrooth on Sun Aug 28th, 2005 at 09:40:26 PDT

-snip-

Click Hurricane Katrina here for of the diary and comments, including some from meterologist.

Warning: There are some political comments in this dairy. However a significant number of posters to that dairy indicated that the potential devastation of this hurricans supercedes politics.


Pray. Send Positive Vibrations. Hope for the best.

Words can not express the horror of these times.


Azizi