life in the cone, part two: ike

[louismaistros]

The lights are coming back on all over Louisiana, and things seem to be getting back to normal in New Orleans (or whatever passes for “normal” around here). After checking the house more carefully, we seem to have some minor roof damage, a few broken shingles from a neighbor’s tree. No big deal. Also, Elly’s animal rescue efforts have taken a new

Comments

[moon_chylde]

*nods about everything you said*

Unless Nagin was willing to pay people's hotel rooms, he had no right to keep them out like that.

Pets would be the reason I couldn't or wouldn't evac either. I have eight cats and two big dogs. No way that crew will fit in my little car. And no way I could leave them to fend for themselves.

How many pets do you have?

[louismaistros]

Because Elly does all this foster/rescue stuff, we have over 30 at the moment. Most of them are not ours, just fosters. But we can't just leave them here.

[moon_chylde]

Yeah, I had gathered from an earlier post that she did animal rescue (know how that is, I used to be part of the local Animal Protective League), that's why I was curious.

[sroit]

Good articles, thank you for posting.

I will now shake my fist at Ike.

SHOO!

[louismaistros]

Keep shaking that fist! Maybe you will cause enough wind shear to disassemble Ike's center!

:)

[sroit]

*commences huffing and puffing and flailing arms about*

[louismaistros]

I think that did the trick! The most recent storm track has Ike pointed much more to the west! Excellent flailing!

[realthog]

And now it's Hurricane Ike, eh? Never rains but it . . .

Wish I hadn't started saying that.

I thought it was more likely Florida that'd bear the main brunt of Ike. Certainly our various Florida friends are getting ready for an ordeal. Of course, trajectories can change, so you're obviously right to be bracing yourselves.

[louismaistros]

The Florida Keys seem to be in big trouble unless this track changes very soon, they could conceivably be hit with a category 3 storm or better -- I hope they have a thorough evacuation plan. I'm even more concerned for Cuba, as they are looking at a category 4 storm very soon, and they already took a massive hit from Gustav.

All computer models show this thing progressing into the gulf, in our general direction. One of the models has it going to the Tex/Mex border, which is better for us, of course.

My hope is that the storm weakens considerably before it comes ashore anywhere along the coast, and it looks like it might.

My wife consulted her trusty Eight Ball fortune telling device, which informed her that the storm would weaken to the point where we won't have to leave. So there's that!

[louismaistros]

Hi C -- Funny thing about the industrial canal...

In 2005 it breached on the east side (Lower 9th Ward). They fixed the east side of the levee pretty well, and made it much taller. Good job, corps of engineers!

They forgot to do the same to the west side, which is now much lower and more vulnerable thatn the east side. This is where you saw all that overtopping during Gustav. Bad job, corps of engineers.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm glad as hell that the Lower 9th Ward has better protection (at least from the Industrial Canal, the MRGO is another story entirely), but it doesn't quite make sense to give the east side (where the population is so very low due to the 2005 devastation) so MUCH better protection than the west side (which is densley populated). I mean, they should really elevate these damn walls simultaneously, don't you think?

The good news (for us), regarding Ike, is that the latest NHC track has it pointed significantly west of New Orleans. A pretty big jump in a few hours, let's hope that's the current trend.

[louismaistros]

Ivan sure was a close call. And that evacuation was the worst ever, even worse than Gustav.

But you know, you shouldn't fret. New Orleans will always be here, no matter what. It's been here for over 300 years, it was here 100 years before there was any such place as America, and it has been a city in not one, not two, but three different countries (and that would have been four had England had its way).

Americans who write us off, or think they're better than us, don't realize that we were here first, and that without New Orleans much of what is good about America would simply not exist.

It's cool with me that many people don't get that. The truth is what it is -- whether a nation of jackasses "gets" it or not.