Mayor Ray Nagin ordered an immediate evacuation Sunday for all of New Orleans

[Boris Godunov]

New Orleans' most frail residents got priority for placement in the makeshift Superdome shelter, by far the most solid of the Big Easy's 10 refuges of last resort for the estimated 100,000 city residents who don't have the means, or strength to join a mandatory evacuation. By nightfall, an estimated 25,000 to 35,000 heeded the call.

100,000 are left in the city?!

Sweet jesus, they're estimating a 30-foot storm surge and 80% of the city being under 20 feet of water come tomorrow night.

[Gatekeeper]

Art Bell's* Coast to Coast show is talking to people right now who are holed up in and around New Orleans. I can't help but feel that I'm listening to dead people.

Gatekeeper

*or whoever the heck is the host now

[H Tower]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov


100,000 are left in the city?!

Sweet jesus, they're estimating a 30-foot storm surge and 80% of the city being under 20 feet of water come tomorrow night.

actually there are more like 300,000, according to WLLTV New Orleans

[asleepathewheel]

so set him up,
then let him fall.
turn him over in your hands.
god save the king of new orleans.

[Edan]

Originally posted by H Tower


actually there are more like 300,000, according to WLLTV New Orleans

[SlowwHand]

Dangerous Hurricane Katrina set to make landfall

1:33 a.m. ET 8/29/2005
M. Newman and C. Dolce, Meteorologists, The Weather Channel

Hurricane Katrina remains a powerful Category 5 hurricane -- top winds are 160 mph. Katrina is a large hurricane with hurricane-force winds extending 105 miles from the center and tropical storm-force winds extending up to 230 miles from the center. Katrina continues to move towards the north-northwest at 10 mph with a turn to the north expected tonight. As of 12:00 a.m. CDT, winds have gusted as high as 98 mph in Southwest Pass, La. which located in the extreme southeastern tip of state. In New Orleans, the lake front observation has reported wind gusts over 60 mph.

The pressure dropped as low as 902 mb this afternoon but has risen to 908 mb as of 12 p.m. CDT. The 902 mb pressure reading was the 4th lowest on record in the Atlantic Basin. Stu Ostro explains the significance of pressure from his blog posted earlier today..."We look at pressures as a good barometer (pun intended) for intensity. The difference in pressure from one location to another, known as the pressure gradient, is associated with wind speed. There are other factors involved, but basically, the greater the pressure gradient in hurricanes, typically the higher the wind speed."

Everyone along the northern Gulf of Mexico should listen to local emergency management officials for instructions. Hurricane warnings are up from Morgan City, La., to the Florida-Alabama border. This includes the city of New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. A tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch have been issued from the Alabama-Florida border eastward to Destin, Florida and from west of Morgan City to Intracoastal City, Louisiana.

Although conditions are already deteriorating tonight, places such as New Orleans, La. and Biloxi, Miss. can expect to see the maximum impacts from Katrina on Monday morning and afternoon. Areas further inland such as Meridian, Miss. and Jackson, Miss. should see their maximum impacts by mid-afternoon and through the evening on Monday.

A storm surge of 20 to 25 feet or more is possible along and to the east of Katrina's landfall point Monday. On top of the water rise, pounding waves of 20 to 40 feet will produce catastrophic damage at coastal locations.

Effects from Katrina will not be confined to coastal areas. Once Hurricane Katrina makes landfall, it will progress inland Monday into Tuesday with a trail of flooding rains and damaging winds across Mississippi and Alabama and then into Tennessee. Torrential, flooding rainfall is possible with the remnants of Katrina well inland, possibly into the Ohio Valley, Great Lakes and the Northeast later this week.

Elsewhere, there are two areas of low pressure in the central Atlantic. The first area of low pressure became Tropical Depression Thirteen at 5 p.m. EDT on Sunday. Currently, it is located about 875 miles east of the Lesser Antilles and is expected to pass well north of the islands.

The other area of interest is a low pressure system that has just come off the African coast. This system also has the potential to develop into a tropical depression over the next couple of days.

In the northwest Pacific Talim has become a typhoon and is forecast to grow to a 120 mph typhoon before moving across Taiwan and into mainland China in the next 3 to 4 days.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Gatekeeper
Art Bell's* Coast to Coast show is talking to people right now who are holed up in and around New Orleans. I can't help but feel that I'm listening to dead people.

Gatekeeper

*or whoever the heck is the host now

One article I read mentioned a musician who was remaining in his Bourbon Street hotel. I don't know how the hell he'll live through this.

He said he saw the line for the Super Dome and decided it wasn't worth it. What?! Waiting in line for even a whole day isn't worth a huge decrease in your risk of dying? Nice...

[H Tower]

they were interviewing people at the hyatt hotel in new orleans. about 1,000 people are in the third floor ballroom. some of them were giddy at being able to see the storm, tourists who figure they're in for a great thrill.

[SlowwHand]

[Ted Striker]

Is that current or projected?

[Theben]

With a 20-25 foot surge + New Orleans already being below sea level, they better move to the 4th floor...

Apparently the mayor told people before evacuating to take a good look around the city, as it will never look the same again.

Biloxi Mississippi is starting to get strong gusts as well.

[DRoseDARs]

Go here and select the different info views:

http://www.weather.com/newscenter/tropical/?from=wxcenter_news

Edit: Toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe...

[Theben]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
Is that current or projected?

Projected. The worst should happen about 8 am CST.

EDIT: IT's the current projection.

[DRoseDARs]

And I just edited mine

[Ted Striker]

What other parts of Louisiana are going to be destroyed?