The Force 2005
Storm Tracker
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Loc: Philadelphia
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O.K.
What I was trying to convey is this. I don't expect other countries to come running to aid Americans in time of need. We are going to get through this as we always do. But this is of a different magnatude, that no one can imagine. To say that we as Americans are standing by to assist our own, will be tremendous out pouring from everyone. When it comes to donations and supplies, why not from other countries? This tradegy as it will be unfolded in the days and weeks, perhaps mothns and years, can and probally be more than anyone can bear. This is humane suffering, not just as Americans, but we as humans have to share this with everyone. I'm sure it has been beemed around the world for all to see, we too as a country need help in these kind of tragedies, of course we also have the resources to do this alone, but do we have too? I say not, yes every citizen of this great Nation should stand ready to assist our own citizens in anyway they can. Outside assistance would always be welcomed from our Allies. Isn't this tragedy the "Call" for help.
they barely helped us after 9/11...keep dreaming
Edited by LI Phil (Tue Aug 30 2005 02:47 PM)
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Margie
Senior Storm Chaser
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Loc: Twin Cities
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I hope you are right.
Here are some things I found from the web media. Apparently they haven't even been able to get to places like, I am assuming, Waveland, Bay St. Louis, and Pass Christian:
"We know that there is a lot of the coast that we have not been able to get to," the governor said. "I hate to say it, but it looks like it is a very bad disaster in terms of human life."
"This is our tsunami," Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway told the Biloxi Sun Herald.
In Louisiana, officials said people in some swamped neighborhood were feared dead, but gave no immediate numbers.
"Let me tell you something, folks. I've been out there. It's complete devastation," Gulfport Fire Chief Pat Sullivan said Monday. He estimated that 75 percent of buildings in Gulfport have major roof damage, "if they have a roof left at all."
Harrison County coroner Gary Hargrove said rescuers in flood areas should focus first on finding those who are still alive rather than worrying about floating bodies they might come across.
"If they're dead, they're dead," Hargrove said. "We've got the living to take care of."
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For some people, like Suzanne Rodgers, the day offered a rude awakening.
CNN's Paula Zahn spoke with her about what she saw.
ZAHN: When do you think you might be able to go home?
RODGERS: Well, I actually went home about an hour and a half ago. And there is no home to go to. The apartment complex that I lived in, which is on the beach in Ocean Springs, is totally leveled. There's nothing there anymore.
ZAHN: Totally leveled?
RODGERS: Not as much as...
ZAHN: Totally lost?
RODGERS: Totally lost. Totally lost. We actually had to park about three blocks away and walk as far as we could walk to the -- where I lived at. And there's nothing there. They're gone. It's all rubble. There's nothing left.
And my neighbors had just built a big beautiful home -- million-dollar home. And it is gone. All the homes on the beach in Biloxi -- in Ocean Springs, excuse me -- are gone.
And then, when I left there, after we viewed that -- I have nothing left now -- we went to Biloxi. We rode over to Biloxi to see about my mother, where my mother lives. And the water -- the rivers have swollen in north Biloxi so bad that you can't get through to drive over there.
So we drove to where the casinos are. The casinos appear to be still standing. Of course, you know, I don't know about the water and the tidal surges. But there are -- there are like 18 wheelers on top of cars and homes in the middle of the streets. And there's people wandering down the streets with nowhere to go, homeless. They've got maybe a bag over their shoulder, and they're all in the middle of the streets, with nowhere to go. And the homes, houses and boats and cars are just -- debris is just everywhere. It's just -- it's very catastrophic down here. It reminds me of Camille.
ZAHN: We should help the audience understand, you're talking about a storm that packed 135-mile-per-hour winds. But help us understand...
RODGERS: Yes.
ZAHN: ... the construction of an apartment building, where the whole thing went out to sea? You said there's absolutely nothing left?
RODGERS: There's nothing left. All I found that belonged to me was a shoe.
ZAHN: A shoe?
RODGERS: A shoe. That was it. And a chair that I had put inside of my apartment. I lived on the bottom floor. This was a two-story brick building that I lived in. And it was very nice. Of course we were on the beach. And there is nothing left. There's nothing left. There's -- there's debris hanging from trees. And there's homes that were -- that [withstood] Camille, actually 'stood Camille. The homes that 'stood Camille didn't stand this hurricane. They're gone. They're absolutely gone.
And the home that I was telling you about that my friends had just built, it was just -- it was just extremely gorgeous. And it was two stories and a beautiful home, stucco. It was made of stucco brick. And gone.
ZAHN: Nothing left of it either.
RODGERS: Nothing but -- nothing, nothing left.
ZAHN: Suzanne, what are you standing in front of now? What's behind you?
RODGERS: I'm standing in front of the Comfort Inn. This is where I work. And we got pretty beat up last night also. Today, this morning.
ZAHN: Well, we could see from the pictures when you were standing next to that window -- that made me very nervous. What are you going to do now, Suzanne? Where are you going to live?
RODGERS: Well, I've got family that live in Jackson. I've got a sister up there. But I'm, you know, presently worried about a younger sister of mine who stayed near the beach this morning. And like, we have no power, and no phone, no way to call. And you know, my family probably -- they don't know if I'm OK or not. They're all in Jackson. My children are in Jackson. And one is in Destin, Florida. And...
ZAHN: Well, I'm hoping they have power tonight so they can see that you're OK, that you've survived, and...
RODGERS: Yes, right.
ZAHN: ... seemingly undaunted by the challenge that lies ahead. We are so sorry, Suzanne. And we really appreciate...
RODGERS: Well...
ZAHN: ... your dropping by to explain to us just how powerful this storm was.
RODGERS: Yes, it was very, very powerful. I can remember Camille. But I can never remember Camille doing what it did to the north side of the Highway 90. You know, a lot of damage was up front. But it's devastating.
Note: Ocean Springs is in Jackson County MS where there has still been no word on my brother.
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By midafternoon the wind was still so strong that rescue teams were just starting to leave the Harrison County emergency operations center.
Note: This tallies with what I heard from my brother, which was that hurricane-force winds started in early morning hours in Jackson County and lasted until mid-afternoon, but they were still having TS winds into late afternoon. Rescuers went out as soon as possible in the late afternoon and worked throughout the night on search & rescue.
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From an eyewitness account in Mississippi City, which lies further west of Gulfport on the gulf coast:
"When everything started crumbling, I was dodging cinder-blocks," he said.
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Katrina's Surge: http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/Katrinas_surge_contents.asp
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VolusiaMike
Weather Hobbyist
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Loc: Ormond Beach, FL
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A Nationwide effort is underway to provide assistance to the strickened areas. Police, fire and rescue personnel are enroute from all over the country. In Florida, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is coordinating the response efforts. Resources are being sent in for initial 10 day rotations with additional units being set to relieve those personnel.
From the fire services side, the Florida Fire Chiefs Association is handling the logisitics of providing assistance. Four USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) teams are in the area, arriving last night. Additional strike teams are being sent and scheduled for extended periods of time, as long as needed. Reportedly, many communities have no equipment left to provide service, so equipment, as well as personnel resources are being mustered.
Large groups of equipment and personnel have been staged in the Panhandle area waiting for the weather to allow them to enter.
The main problem right now is accessing the major heavily damaged areas. Military assistance will be available (last year fire equipment was shipped into some affected areas via military landing craft).
Trying to access the area and provide assistance as a private citizen will only add to the crisis. The people being sent into the affected areas are professionals with the equipment and training they need to do the job. One of the biggest problems generally faced in the immediate aftermath is dealing with well-meaning people who clog the system by trying to be helpful. If you want to help, donate cash to the many groups who are equipped to handle such issues (Red Cross, Salvation Army, Church groups,e TC.).
If I get additional information on the resources being sent from Florida, I will post.
Michael
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VolusiaMike
Weather Hobbyist
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Loc: Ormond Beach, FL
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Just heard from the Fire Chief of my City who is handling the efforts of the Florida Fire Chiefs Association.
Currently they have 3 strikes team in the MS area (they are covering five counties in MS). With 210 USAR personnel currently activity working the area. They are currently working a collaspe in the Pascagoula MS area.
They expect to triple the number of personnel within the area by noon.
The Chief is about an hour away from the Florida EOC in Tallahassee. From there he will go to Biloxi to handle the incoming resources. Additional information will be posted when received.
Michael
Edited by VolusiaMike (Tue Aug 30 2005 03:44 PM)
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twizted sizter
Weather Guru
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The Fl Baptist Association..think I got the name right...is heading out today...they will be doing food...have capabilities to feed 20,000 daily.
My husband & I made a sizeable donation to Red Cross earmarked for this disaster...I & a neighbor also went to Wal-Mart & bought every case of water, Gator-Aid, diapers, bread,wet wipes, etc.., etc..that the store had to be sent as well.
I just don't there are words to adequately describe what we are seeing today. I hope those who are more fortunate...tv/movie stars, big business, sports figures find that special something inside of themselves & donate...imagine what could be done with the financial resources this group of people have.
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Littlebit
Weather Watcher
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Loc: Plant City, FL
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Not sure if I should post this here, but just to let you know..... TECO (Tampa Electric Company) sent 100 people and equipment up yesterday morning to stand by to assist when needed. They will possibly be sending more soon.
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Margie
Senior Storm Chaser
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Loc: Twin Cities
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Quote:
Just heard from the Fire Chief of my City who is handling the efforts of the Florida Fire Chiefs Association.
Currently they have 3 strikes team in the MS area (they are covering five counties in MS). With 210 USAR personnel currently activity working the area. They are currently working a collaspe in the Pasaqua MS area.
They expect to triple the number of personnel within the area by noon.
The Chief is about an hour away from the Florida EOC in Tallahassee. From there he will go to Biloxi to handle the incoming resources. Additional information will be posted when received.
Michael
Do you mean a collapse in the Pascagoula, MS area?
I think this likely to be one of the schools that may have been used as a shelter.
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Got this info:
Hancock and Jackson counties fared no better. A foot of water swamped the emergency operations center at the Hancock County courthouse -- which sits 30 feet above sea level. The back of the courthouse collapsed under the onslaught.
"Thirty-five people swam out of their emergency operations center with life jackets on," neighboring Harrison County emergency medical services director Christopher Cirillo said Monday. "We haven't heard from them."
Jackson County's emergency operations center also disintegrated as raged ashore. The roof was peeling off by 7:30 a.m., forcing officials to evacuate to the courthouse across the street.
My brother in Jackson County told me they started to get the 100+ mph winds at 7am, which were still going on unabated at 11am when he called.
note: Hancock is the westmost of the 3 counties that no one has heard from yet, with communities like Waveland and Bay St. Louis, that apparently were completely submerged, and which the northern eyewall of hit directly from the south.
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Also found this:
Grand Casino Biloxi washed across U.S. 90.
In Gulfport, the Copa Casino barge sat on land next to the Grand Casino parking garage.
I suspected those should have been towed away and if not would be washed ashore.
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From WAVE 3 TV blog, WLOX's sister station:
We're still receiving massive amounts of e-mails from folks looking for information on very specific locations, people, etc. We will struggle to do this because of manpower limitiations, but we will try to paint broad pictures for you.
We're getting lots of requests for Long Beach and Pass Christian information. Here's what I've got right now, and it's not much because there's no communication there and emergency personnel haven't been able to make their way very far into Pass Christian. Hancock County is largely unknown ground at this point.I've posted stuff from the first foray by National Guardsmen into Pass Christian.
The southern area of Diamondhead below Interstate 10 has been heavily damaged.
Total destruction from the Bay Bridge to St. Stanislaus. She also said Coleman Ave. and Nicholson Ave. suffered mass destruction.
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Katrina's Surge: http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/Katrinas_surge_contents.asp
Edited by Margie (Tue Aug 30 2005 03:27 PM)
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Brad in Miami
Storm Tracker
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Not sure if anyone posted this, but from nola.com:
T-P EVACUATING
Tuesday, 9:40 a.m.
The Times-Picayune is evacuating it's New Orleans building.
Water continues to rise around our building, as it is throughout the region. We want to evaucate our employees and families while we are still able to safely leave our building.
Our plan is to head across the Mississippi River on the Pontchartrain Expressway to the west bank of New Orleans and Jefferson Parish. From there, we'll try to head to Houma.
Our plan, obviously, is to resume providing news to our readers ASAP. Please refer back to this site for continuing information as soon as we are able to provide it.
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mojorox
Weather Watcher
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Loc: Orlando
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Venezuela offered doctors and cheap fuel yesterday but that is the only offer I have seen so far.
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OcalaKT
Weather Watcher
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OPEC is supposed to meet today about increasing their output and increasing the amount of oil they can sell to us. How generous. Don't suppose they'll lower the cost at all.
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The Force 2005
Storm Tracker
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Loc: Philadelphia
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This article was from a Canadian commentator. This article hits home.
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/7143/Diesel5.html
Please read:
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VolusiaMike
Weather Hobbyist
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Loc: Ormond Beach, FL
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Yes, sorry, Pascaguoula MS. They are having a briefing at noon, so I might obtain additional information following that. I am home today, but have to go into the office for awhile this afternoon. May be late this afternoon before I can get back to posting.
Michael
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Margie
Senior Storm Chaser
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Loc: Twin Cities
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MS EMA web site doesn't appear to be up.
Anyone with information about a web address listing either survivors or victims for MS Gulf Coast by county, please PM me the web addy.
Thanks in advance.
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Katrina's Surge: http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/Katrinas_surge_contents.asp
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Margie
Senior Storm Chaser
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Posts: 1191
Loc: Twin Cities
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Thanks so much.
Please email me directly at mkieper@yahoo.com, if you have the time, with any direct information regarding Pascagoula MS that I can pass on to my family who evacuated from there.
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Katrina's Surge: http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/Katrinas_surge_contents.asp
Edited by Margie (Tue Aug 30 2005 04:01 PM)
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WeatherNut
Weather Master
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Loc: Atlanta, GA
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Margie, I searched all your recent posts and I have been thinking of your brother all night. I was wondering if you had any word from him. As bad as it was in Atlanta last night (32 tornado warnings)....I cant even imagine the gulf coast. If you have not heard from him I pray that you will soon. I have a house guest who owns a business in the Quarter in NO and he is being told it could be a month before he can be up and running. It took him 15hrs to drive up here (usually takes 7).
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Born into Cleo (64)...been stuck on em ever since
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charlottefl
Weather Hobbyist
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I have to give a lot of credit to orginizations such as FEMA, American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, and too many others to name. They work incredibly hard in the face of such disaster and are really going to be a lifeline to the areas affected by this storm. If I could be up there with one of them I would in a heartbeat. I live in Port Charlotte and we were in the inner eyewall of hurricane and those are the people who I consider the real heroes, them and all local emergency officals. They made sure we knew what to do during the storm as well as fed us and gave us water when none was available, and it was them that stayed in the area when national news stopped covering the story. At least one of these orginizations will have my financial support in lieu of this storm.
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Steve H1
Storm Tracker
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Posts: 309
Loc: Palm Bay FL USA
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Hate to bring this up, but 91L is now NONAME on the site. Models are now shifting left on the 12Z runs. Models also are developing something near the Bahamas. Need to watch these features......the peak of the season is coming up soon.
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ralphfl
Weather Master
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with how many tornado warnings they had the other day im sure alot of the damage was due to then as well.
Its a shame that the levvey broke or NO. would not have been as bad.Many were quick to jump on the media and others for saying N.O got off easy which they did until the levvey broke so today is worse then the storm for that city.
Last night they were talking about how this was much stronger then Andrew since there was no flooding with Andrew but you cannot compare those 2 storms as the coastlines they hit were much different.The flooding is much worse in this storm but im not sure if the winds were worse.
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The Force 2005
Storm Tracker
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Loc: Philadelphia
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Now why did you have to go say that now for!!!!
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SirCane
Storm Tracker
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Posts: 249
Loc: Pensacola, FL
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In 1967 there was a Hurricane in the East Pacific. I can't believe the path it took! Unbelieveable. Check it out....
http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/e_pacific/1967/KATRINA/track.gif
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Direct Hits:
Hurricane Erin (1995) 100 mph
Hurricane Opal (1995) 115 mph
Hurricane Ivan (2004) 130 mph
Hurricane Dennis (2005) 120 mph
http://www.hardcoreweather.com
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