Superstorm

[KvHagedorn]

Google Barometric Pressure. What you are used to on a barometer is inches of mercury. 902 millibars (the lowest pressure recorded in the eye of this storm) is equal to 26.6 inches of mercury.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barometer

http://www.projects.ex.ac.uk/trol/scol/ccpress.htm

[SitFlyer]

Tired of watching FNC & CNN ????

Local news in the storm area.
From WLOX

direct stream URL (copy & open URL with WMP):

mms://a432.l1243132943.c12431.n.lm.akamaistream.net/D/432/12431/v0001/reflector:32943

[Dr Mordrid]

A lower internal barometric pressure is indicative of a more intense storm. Katrina's is the 4th lowest ever measured

The real killer with this storm will be the storm surge.

Perspective:

Non-landslide induced tsunami's top out at about 30 feet (~10 meters). This storm will have a storm surge, which is basically a storm-generated tsunami, of between 25 and 40 feet depending on the intensity of the winds when it makes landfall.

This is due to hit not some backwater Indonesian island but a major city of some 470,000 with about 100,000 people still in it.

Another bad aspect is that hurricane force winds extend for well over 100 miles on either side of the eye; meaning everything from east Texas to the Florida panhandle, including coastal Mississippi and Alabama, are in for it.

Worst case scenario:

Katrina hits just east of the city, in which case the storm surge will push the contents of Lake Pontchartrain into New Orleans, which sits in a natural depression. If this happens the surge will be magnified in its overall effect.

Not to mention that all burials in New Orleans are above ground because of the high water table. This will turn this "salad bowl" full of water into a corpse soup, not to mention any chemical spills etc. from the flooding. The cleanup could take months or years.

All prayers accepted....

Dr. Mordrid

[SitFlyer]

Just read this interesting piece of info:



I've never heard of "central pressure" when referring to a hurricane. Anybody want to elaborate on it?

Hurricanes are classified by central pressure, winds & surge, on the Saffir Simpson Hurricane Scale

[KvHagedorn]

Here's a scary thought.. that WLOX feed said high tide will be at about 8:20 AM.. about the time Katrina is expected to make landfall. The big disaster will be if the Louisiana Superdome fails under the 160mph winds.. the downdraft gusts could be quite a bit more as well.. there are 30,000 people seeking shelter in the dome.

[KvHagedorn]

Debate continues over Superdome as potential hurricane shelter

09:44 AM CDT on Thursday, September 23, 2004

Thanh Truong / WWLTV

More than one thousand people sought refuge in the Superdome during Hurricane Ivan. On Wednesday, Mayor Ray Nagin said the Superdome likely has the best chance of surviving hurricanes, making it a good choice for shelter in the future. Those working at the Dome are not so sure.

On the surface, the Superdome seems like the most logical choice for an emergency shelter, and city officials are leaning in the Dome’s direction for future shelter needs instead of schools.

“Anything above a category two makes them pretty much ineligible because they’re not wind resistant enough and they're in flood prone areas it looks as though we're pointing to the Superdome in being reinforced with the proper back up system as shelter of last resort,” said Nagin.

It appears a facility as large as the Dome could hold up in hurricane conditions but Bill Curl, spokesman for the Superdome, says that is yet to be tested and if there is no other choice then maybe the Dome could serve as a shelter.

“Only in dire emergencies. The Superdome is not a shelter,” said Curl.

According to Curl, the assumption that the Superdome can withstand hurricane force winds is just that: an assumption. He says more analysis is needed to determine what the Dome can actually withstand because previous wind studies have become somewhat irrelevant since they did not factor in the new high-rise buildings around the Dome.

“They create a wind tunnel effect and that needs to be tested. There were initial studies that indicated 130 miles per hour, but we don’t know,” said Curl. He adds that the Dome is not impervious to the same elements other areas would be exposed to.

“If we were to lose power, if we were to lose plumbing facilities, if a storm were to hit and create flooding in the area; the Superdome would not be a desirable place to be,” he said.

The American Red Cross admits it would not stay in town for a severe hurricane. Workers would offer supplies and training to the Dome but would then leave to ensure aid for the hurricane’s aftermath.

Kay Wilkins, spokesperson for the American Red Cross, said, “While we’re saying we’re going to move our volunteers and staff out of the risk area into areas where its safer for them to be it doesn’t mean we're not going to be here ahead of time for others.”

Mayor Nagin said the city has more than 80,000 people without transportation access, and when the next hurricane evacuation there will be thousands of people who will not, or cannot, leave, highlighting the city’s urgency of finding the most suitable place for shelter.

..

[DukeP]

The strengt of storms is usually measured in the pressure differences between the weather areas.

Air runs from high pressure area to low pressure areas. Due to the rotation of the earth (and several other factors), the air gets deflected in a circular fashion.

~~DukeP~~

[KvHagedorn]

WLOX is off the air due to roof damage.. apparently their equipment is messed up too..

Right Now: 34F (Feels like: 13F) Forecast: Hi 80 Lo 75 7-day forecast

[Dr Mordrid]

One weather station in Mississippi was only reporting esimates of wind velocity instead of direct measurements.

Why?

Because Katrina had destroyed their anerometer

Dr. Mordrid

[rylan]

New Orleans is basically destroyed. Two breaches in the levee system, so water keeps pouring into the city and rising.

Mayor Ray Nagin said 80 percent of the city was under water, which was 20 feet deep in some places.

Water from Lake Pontchartrain was pouring into the downtown area from a levee breach, rising steadily throughout the day.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported two major breaches in the levee system that protects New Orleans, much of which lies below sea level.

The Corps said it planned to bring "all assets available" into the city to plug the breaches, including rocks, gigantic sand bags and cranes.

The entire downtown area of Slidell, across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans in St. Tammany Parish, was under 15 feet of water, emergency management officials said.

I still don't think anyone knows the real extent of the damage, since the situation keeps getting worse. They're talking about months before people can go back in, and have no clue as to how long to restore the drinking water system or electricity.

[Jon P. Inghram]

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/083005cccawwlunwatering.45718845.html

Q.2. Why did the levees fail?

A.2. What failed were actually floodwalls, not levees. This was caused by overtopping which caused scouring, or an eating away of the earthen support, which then basically undermined the wall.

These walls and levees were designed to withstand a fast moving category 3 hurricane. Katrina was a strong 4 at landfall, and conditions exceeded the design.

Q.3. Why only Category 3 protection?

A.3. That is what we were authorized to do.

Real ****ing great idea, after all the walls are only protecting the city from complete disaster.

[Nowhere]

New Orleans is basically destroyed. Two breaches in the levee system, so water keeps pouring into the city and rising.



I still don't think anyone knows the real extent of the damage, since the situation keeps getting worse. They're talking about months before people can go back in, and have no clue as to how long to restore the drinking water system or electricity.

Which reminds me of one of our most recognizable reporters (now in New Orlean) on one of biggest news programmes: "the water is still rising and nobody knows why that is".
Yeah, professional journalism...

[ZokesPro]

Katrina has hit Quebec and there's a ton of rain over here, no big winds.

[Fluff]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10343643

Mostly natural disaster, partially man made (damage around missippi)

This is terrible.

Hope things get on the mend soon.

[Helevitia]

It's been one of those days. 6am this morning my dad calls me and tells me my sister is missing since 8pm last night. As I am talking to him, she walks up the driveway. Then my wife calls me at 1pm and tells me that her Grandmother died. All the while, I have been reading about the devestation in New Orleans and surrounding areas. I wish I could leave work early and just go to sleep and start over tomorrow