Thanks x and CHEERS!! to you as well. Unfortunately that's 6 DAYS instead of 6 HOURS. I don't know statistics for 6 days, but it's gotta be 700 miles if at all in 6 days.(?) But I'd love to see some early tropical action. Often in the transitional months of June and October, low pressure in the Gulf latitudes can be very slow moving even if not classified as tropical.

New Orleans and Jefferson Parish are pretty well prepared for a Cat-1, Cat-2 or fast moving Cat-3. But the one thing we can't handle is torrential rainfall often found in tropical storms and depressions (Frances (97 or 98) was the most recent flood event). If it deluges early, we get swamped.

I think the city's got the drainage pretty close to 1.5-2" in the first hour then almost an inch per hour thereafter (it used to be 1", .5"). Jefferson Parish (East Bank) has improved and is pretty close to New Orleans. As everyone knows, we're in a bowl that goes down to -5' sea level. So when the water starts filling up, you have to electronically pump it out. And if the Lake Pontchartrain is high at that particular time, the city becomes a giant wading pool.

My house is on the Metairie Ridge, so the property is about 3' above sea level. It is also raised about another 3.5', so I don't mind the streets flooding if I've got some cold beer to watch it.

2002 just might be the most interesting season in years. Talk to me Colleen

Peace,

Steve