Good luck Gulf Coast

[Shuie]

Good luck everyone. We are a good ways away from the coast and we are just waiting for the power to go out. Hope to see everyone back online before too long.

[bryanthompson]

Higher res pics available... Good luck everyone

[Jims5543]

This storm will make Andrew look like nothing. Please get out of the way if you are in this area. Highest sustained winds are now 175 MPH with gusts much higher. Hurricane force winds are now extending up to 75 miles from the center.

This is a monster. Having been through a 2 and 3 back to back I cannot even comprehend what the aftermath will be like there. Stuff is stuff and your lives are more important. Good luck to all of you.

[Hugh R]

We chartered a jet yesterday and flew 190 people back from New Orleans who were just starting to work on two movies we planned on filming there. Not sure what we're going to do now. It'll take months to get the place back to operational conditiion.

[dweymer]

Prayers are out to those in the path.

[johnco]

just boarded up the windows at the wine shop and secured a few of the cars. getting the inverter ready for when and if we lose power. got all the candles, flashlights and necessities ready. The only problem was the video store was closed so we couldn't rent enough movies to make it thru the storm. 1/2 gallon of vodka and several bottles of wine ought to make it okay though. This is my English girlfriend's second hurricane (first cat 5) so that should be interesting. so far she hasn't had a meltdown yet. but........ it's coming

[BRPORSCHE]

John good luck to you, you are right on the coast. Sherman I have never been through a hurricane since I have moved here 6 years ago so this will be my first one, hell of a first one to have a cat 5. Well i have to go to football pratice...even with this damn storm coming and school called off...I still have to go to football!
good luck south coast guys

[IROC]

They're telling us here in north Alabama to expect tropical storm force winds this far north...crazy.

Mike

[928ram]

This one worried me enough to go buy a generator today. I expect we'll lose power here on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay for at least a short time.

[herman maire]

Yeah seriously guys good luck.

Katrina sounds like one of the biggest in recorded history, so I hope nobody is going to stick around and try to tough it out. I would be getting to the nearest open airport
and getting the he$$ out of there.



Wierd thing is a few weeks ago I was watching a Discovery chanel program on dikes and city's below see level. They focused on New Orleans and a worst case senario and the dammage that a Cat5 storm would cause pretty unbeliveable. They gave the impression that a Cat5 storm would never happen, and now this. pretty f%^% up.

good luck southern pelacans

[RoninLB]

I caught a quick one liner on the news that said "The feds say skyscrapers will be vulnerable to collapse."

[johnco]

Traffic on Hwy 90 has been bumper to bumper since yesterday. if you left now and by the time you got out far enough from the storm, it would probably be over. people are parking in McD's, Walmart, etc. parking lots. every place to park is full. all the gas stations are out of fuel. I haven't left for a hurricane in my lifetime. I stood on my porch and watched Andrew rip the place apart. Wasn't that a cat5? I heard reports of winds over 200mph that time. well, the rain is here and the wind is picking up!

[pwd72s]

Here in Oregon, a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon...damn, my heart goes out to all down there. Question...pics I see show jammed traffic in outgoing freeway lanes, incoming lanes deserted. Why not open up some of those incoming lanes to outgoing traffic? Man, just praying everybody makes out okay...

[Shuie]

John, please check in and let us know you are okay when you can.

[jyl]

Good luck everyone. Keep your heads on.

[johnco]

sometimes they do shut down the incoming lane and make it an outgoing one but I haven't seen that happen today. they did yesterday afternoon. I feel sorry for the people stuck in traffic. no bathrooms, no gas, no where to get something to eat, no where to stay when you get where you're going. even the truck stops were out of diesel and gas today. the few stores that were open were packed.

[herman maire]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by pwd72s
[B] Why not open up some of those incoming lanes to outgoing traffic?

yeah thats pretty much what I was thinking. looks weird when you see the arial cam from the choppers.
I would probably just hop on the incoming lane with my hazzard lights on and take a chance, obviously driving slowly and safely . Im sure others would follow.
Im sure it could be done safely.

[johnco]

This is approx where I am. The hurricane is supposed to hit east of us, so hopefully it won't be too bad. we won't get the same storm surge as New Orleans. we're about 8 ft above sea level if I remember correctly, and surrounded by levees also

[Carl Bauer]

My best friend and college roomate was called back to Coast Guard duty in Baton Rouge from his vacation here in NC. It's going to be rough. He said watch gas prices rise 2-3X times what they are right now. There are some major petrochemicial processing plants towards the end of the Mississippi River. This is going to be a serious environmental disaster.

http://money.cnn.com/2005/08/28/news/economy/katrina_oil.reut/index.htm

[Instrument 41]

Live a few miles north of Baton Rouge. Feeder bands are hitting now, winds only gusting to about 35 mph. Very ominous when the local channels switch from forecast to death tolls..very chilling.Think about this also, the tidal surge will go through the swamp before it hits New Orleans. Wildlife and Fisheries Dept is now concerned about the numbers of water moccasins and gators that will be displaced into the city. This storm will be devastating. Its almost the same feeling when Dad was on his way home, after you messed up, to "dispense some discpline" and not knowing just how bad its gonna be, all the while knowing that it will be bad. Say a prayer for us down here.