Remember this is not a barrier island. New Orleans is a bowl..it fills up with water and the water has nowhere to go. So.. don't think you will get lucky with a storm surge not hitting your specific part of town.. everywhere there is a problem.

Listen to evacuation warnings. You have thought on this for years.. this is it.

If it turns sharply before landfall and you don't get a direct hit. Thank God but you will get large amounts of water and bad weather..and that would be a best case scenario. The size is massive and will affect many areas.

I really think watching the loops and radar imagery that she will more likely than not .. not make that turn until she is hitting land. I worry she will turn more NE than current models show (based on current sat imagery and a good gut feeling) and if she does take such a turn.. she will crawl across the whole Gulf Coast east of NOLA and move inland further south than currently forecast. Which would put a lot of people along the Gulf and up through Alabama and Georgia under direct effects of heavy, pounding, flooding rain and strong winds.

Hope I am wrong on that because the feeling right now is she will go further north. That trough is weak and the flow above her is going sharply left to right.

Came on over here to post this because heard from friends online Steve in Metarie has said he would stay. Asking he change his mind and IF he is staying.. do me a favor and do not talk on staying here on a website many people are reading. Don't want any copycats staying somewhere because they have read so and so has decided to ride it out. Do what you feel you must but don't give others ideas. Please.

Stay safe everyone and thanks HankFrank and Clark for excellent discussion.

Bobbi