Hurrican Isaac

[santaman2000]

LANDFALL!!

-18:45 Central Time at the mouth of the Mississippi River as a solid Cat 1 (about 80-85 MPH) Expected to proceed northwest to New Orleans and then to Baton Rouge.

-100,000 homes in Louisiana and Mississippi without power.

-The governors of Mississippi and Louisiana have activated their states respective National Guard and Air National Guard (similar to your Territorial) and between them have 5000 Guardsmen ready for emergency response.

-Navy and Air Force evacuate aircraft from coastal bases in Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana (except for the Hurricane Hunters in Mississippi and the F-35s At Eglin AFB, Fl where they are housed in Cat 4 hurrricane resistant hangars)

-Expected winds here overnight to reach about 60 MPH (tropical storm force) with 40% chance of tornadoes.

-Schools in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties (Florida) closed today and tomorrow. Okaloosa county schools (Florida) closed today but re-open tomorrow. Most government offices (apart from emergency services) closed tomorrow everywhere west of Panama City, Florida and east of central Louisiana.

 

[santaman2000]

Mixed numbers now. One estimate has 70,000 homes in Louisiana without power and another has 200,000 homes and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi without power. Another report has it moving back to sea.

 

[santaman2000]

Still pounding the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts as a Cat 1 with gusts well into Cat 2. The central eye seems to be stalled just offshore. Slow or no movement cause greater damage as the storm lingers. Also as long as the eye stays offshore, the storm can (and has) maintain strength rather than begin to deminish.

Up to 470,000 homes and businesse now without power.

The levees in New Orleans have held but been overflowed by storm surge.

Still only a slight wind and rain here; likely to be a non-event in mainland Florida apart from school and office closures (although the photos of surf were awesome)

 

[Samon]

I hope you're keeping well mate.

is your house made of bricks and concrete?

 

[santaman2000]

LOL. No. It's a conventional wood framed house with vinyl siding. That will easily withstand Cat4 hurricanes as such. I'm not on the beach where storm surge destroys EVERYTHING by washing the very ground out from under it (except for homes buit on stilts)

 

[Samon]

oh.. I don't think I could live in a house not made of bricks/rock. I live in an apartment/house and it's built like a bomb fort but the lightning outside right now is still freaking me out!

I guess houses wouldn't be so cheap though if they were made like ours..

How long is this one expected to alst mate?

 

[santaman2000]

oh.. I don't think I could live in a house not made of bricks/rock. I live in an apartment/house and it's built like a bomb fort but the lightning outside right now is still freaking me out!

I guess houses wouldn't be so cheap though if they were made like ours..

How long is this one expected to alst mate?

Nor would they last very long here. Their weight would crack the foundations as the sand sinks under them. Even brick and mortar homes here are wood framed with a brick layer as the outer sheath. There are full on concrete homes here (usually dome shaped) but they are rare. Slightl more common are homes built into a hiilside to take advantage of both the storm protection and the thermal stability. To be honest, the biggest advantage of wood framed homes (colloquially referred to as "stick built) is the ease with which they can be remodeled or even torn down and replaced as they become obsolete. That said, formed steel C channel is becoming increasingly popular for the framing material.

Apparently Louisiana and Mississippi are going to be pounded another 12 hours or so. After that it will slowly disapate, first to a tropical storm, next to severe thunderstorms, and lastly to rainfall as it continues inland; purportedly to Chicago.

 

[santaman2000]

Power outages now affecting upwards of 1 half million homes and businesses in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Roads washed away or blocked by fallen trees and power poles. widespread flooding. just saw video of dogs being recued from flooded home in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana by Louisiana National Guard. (not a joke)

Finding homes for a multitude of stranded or abandoned pets was a severe problem after Hurricane Katrina.

 

[santaman2000]

Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana: Rescues underway. Estimated 19-24 stranded as waters rise. Mississipi River expected to breach the Levees (possibly a controled, manmade breach to alleviate pressure) and flooding of the west bank (mandatory evacuation ordered yesterday)

Correction. They're "considering breaching the levee. That descision is yet to be made.

 

[santaman2000]

-Houses collapsing in New Orleans.
-Roof taken off grocery store in McHenry, Mississippi (reportedly from-an associated tornado)
-A friend in Long Beach, Mississippi has water inside the house on the ground floor.
-Storm has only moved about 75 miles in 12 hours (a very lingering storm) but hasdecreased by about 10 MPH circular speed to downgrade status back to a strong tropical storm.
-Several friends and family in Mississippi (ranging from on the beach to 70 miles inland) keep blinking off-line but they still have power so far.

 

[santaman2000]

Rescues still underway in New Orleans. Estimated hundreds being evacuated (rescued) from nursing homes by Louisiana National Guard.

 

[sasquatch]

I heard on the news it was calming down a bit now, lets hope so. On a lighter note I think Hurricane Isaac would be a great Blues name. Stay safe...

 

[santaman2000]

Thanks. It's pretty calm here in Florida now. We dodged it when it turned west. Still have Family in Mississippi though.

Yeah, it had lost about 10 MPH circular speed. Apparently even more now.

Just in; everybody trapped by over-topped levee in Plquemine's Parish has been rescued.

Over 600,000 without power now and some areas could take up to a week before it's restored.

 

[santaman2000]

-Still moving slowly (expected to still be over Louisiana tomorrow afternoon) but deminishing now. Expected to veer back east overland from Arkansas as strong thunderstorms by Friday ot Saturday. Meanwhile still heavy rain and tornadoes over Loisiana and Mississippi.

-Air and rail service still suspended in the affected area.

-As of now the levees are holding.

I went out for supper earlier tonight and each resaurant I passed had about a dozen service trucks from various power companies in the parking lots. They appear to be staging here waiting to proceed tomorrow to begin restoring power. Local crews in the affected areas are working through the storm.

New Orleans residents are referring to it as "Uncle Isaac" Comparing it to a relative who shows up uninvited, sits down and doesn't know when to leave.

The urgency seems to be over now so I probably won't post again until recovery efforts begin.

 

[Shambling Shaman]

Glad your safe, keep us informed of the clear up.

 

[santaman2000]

-A crew is moving within the hour to breech the levees in Plaquemine Parish, Louisiana while a separate crew is preparing to do the same to a lake dam in Southwestern Mississippi. The controlled breeches should be less devastating than allowing them to continue until failure.

-Fleets of bucket trucks (the ones with extendable booms allowing linemen to work on power lines) are moving through here in route to help. Most are towing trailers with gasoline or diesel powered posthole diggers for erecting new power poles. Approximately 750,000 now without power.

-Approximatey 80% of the roads were blocked by debris in Forrest County, Mississippi yesterday; no word yet on how many have been cleared.

-Restoration of air and rail service to Southeast Louisiana not expected unti Friday or Saturday (although I suspect the airport will will open sooner for official agency traffic)

-One killed in Picayune, Mississippi when a tree fell on his truck.

 

[santaman2000]

And a big thank you to the Army and Air National Guard of Mississippi and Louisiana:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYuzso50MYI

 

[santaman2000]

-Three confirmed dead in Plaquemine Parish; two bodies floating in a home and one dead from a fire.

-Video from a Loisiana Army National Guard helicoptor on search and rescue patrol over St John Baptist Parish www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToIgUu6wWOk

 

[Jock]

Glad you're OK
I never understand why they don't sink the power lines in the US underground, the power disruptions after a storm wouldn't be as bad? I guess a lot of folks run a genny. Read a few books about Katrina, you certainly get it rough when these things mess with you. Makes our extreme weather seem a bit tame

 

[santaman2000]

Burying power lines has been discussed in Florida but was rejected due to cost and danger. Both the initial cost (which would be enormous) and maintenence costs (I know, that doesn't sound right when you consider the after storm repair costs does it?) Danger of someone digging into the buried high voltage lines.