# Katrina...



## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Just want to wish all the members in the path of this monster all the best of luck to them and their loved ones.


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

At noon, Aug. 26, wind gusts up to 60 already in Jackson. Trees down. Sheets of rain. Lights flickering. And me without a car because I can't find my keys. I called my dealer, and they said they would cut me a key if I came down there with the vehicle number and insurance card. Down there is 8 miles away. Taxis not running. So, off I go on my trusty bicycle  . I made it down without too much trouble, although I got totally soaked and, when the winds were boosting me up hills without me having to pedal at all, I figured it was going to be a bit more work coming back. When I arrived at the dealer, the *&^#@s had closed and I had a flat tire. Got it fixed in the lee of the building and started back into the wind. figured that as long as I stayed on route 51, which goes northeast, I would be going directly into the wind. and would not be hit by gusts coming in from the side. That proved to be true, but I had to go in gears that I normally use for the steepest hills most of the way and sometimes gusts totally stopped me. I made it back, looking like a drowned rat. It is interesting, however to experience a hurricane on a bicycle. Everybody ought to try it at least once 

I got a picture last evening of the so-called 'silver lining sunset' that is sometimes seen when a hurricane is approaching.


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## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

Sorry Paul, what a horrible experience for you! Very glad you made it back!


Fingers are crossed for all in Katrina's path. I sure hate natural disasters (actually I hate any and all disasters!)


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Wow PK, you have a lot more guts than I would. That sounds like a totally sucky predicament.
I have to say that I've never seen what a hurricane cloud looks like, so it's cool to see it from your perspective.

My thoughts are with all of you who may be/have been in the path too. I can't even imagine....


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

Wasn't too horrible. Actually, I kind of enjoyed the challenge of doing something probably stupid, but I thought I could avoid being blown over if I kept facing either away or into the wind. I was really burned, however, when the dealer had closed, but that, along with the flat tire, makes a good story.

The wind is worse, now. Katrina is abreast of Jackson and about three counties to the east. The house is shaking and water is bobbing up and down queasily in the toilet. Power has been out, but came back on. The fence on the west side of the back yard is partially blown over. One thing that is different about a hurricane that it keeps blowing and blowing, weakening trees and other things until they finally break and fall over. I am more used to thunderstorms and squall lines, where you may get some strong winds, but they only last a few minutes.

Here is another sunset-before Katrina picture.


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Paul, I'm sorry, all I could think of reading your tale was "I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog, too!"  I'm glad to hear you made it out safely.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

I hope all turns at well for you, HeyPK.

_Did you find your keys?_


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## MiamiAG (Jan 13, 2004)

Hope all's well Paul. I just got power back last night. Was without it since Thursday at 6 p.m.


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## gnome (Jan 27, 2004)

Okay, Paul... Now I'm officially worried about you. Please send word as soon as you're able to get on the 'net (they say that in the hardest-hit areas, power may be out for *weeks* :shock: ). I haven't been following the news as closely as some, but every time they mention "Mississippi" you come to mind. 

Sending good thoughts your way. Please take care.

-Naomi


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Wow, from watching the news, it sounds horrible. It kind of makes us appreciate what we have, and I guess I should never b!tch about shoveling a couple feet of snow anymore....

I hope all of our friends out there are okay.


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## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

Glad you are ok, Art, was wondering where you were. How are the fish? 

HeyPK! I hope you are ok -- please let us know as soon as you are able!


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Hey Paul, hope you're ok in your corner of MS. Seeing the news reports, the state really took a beating. I heard 80% of the state was without power. Good luck, guy, let us know when you can.


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

Power just came back. Tuesday was a strange day. The sun came out, but power out almost everywhere, roads littered with leaves, small branches and downed trees. Everybody, not wanting to stay in their rapidly overheating homes got into their SUVs and monster pickups and went in search of consumables, especially gasoline. The roads were jammed with traffic, and none of the stoplights were working except a few that were being powered by small gasoline generators---nice idea, that. Only a few gas stations had electrical power, and huge lines formed, and soon these stations got emptied out. Just in Jackson, thousands of gallons of gas got consumed by people looking for gas. Most businesses were closed, and batteries were nonexistent. Home Depot had no power, but was open, and there was a long line of people. 

I found that my bicycle light was very useful as a light source while the power was off. It has five white LEDs and runs on four AA batteries. The really great thing about it is that the batteries last for about 30 hours of use, and it puts out quite a lot of light. Everyone who may have to deal with a power outage should have one. 

The TV is showing the scenes of absolute destruction along the Gulf Coast. It looks like the path of an F4 tornado, but it stretches from New Orleans all the way to the Florida panhandle. The storm surge was worse than that of Hurricane Camille, and it went five miles inland. There is nothing but foundations and wreckage. The death toll is going to be in the hundreds. 800,000 have lost power. New Orleans is flooded and heavily damaged. There are bodies floating in the streets. If you look at the national weather map put out by Unisys Weather, no stations are reporting in from Mississippi. The entire state is blank. That is symbolic of what Katrina did to Mississippi. 

Part of the fence between my back yard and the yard of the neighbor to the west was knocked down and the rest is leaning. I had a rain gauge nailed to the fence which had been blown off or shaken off, and when I went to pick it up I found my car keys underneath. Can't imagine how they got there! I have been living on a diet of Otis Spunkmeyer sweet rolls yesterday and today, and I want to see if I can locate a working Wendy's and eat a big bacon classic or two the way Garfield the cat would eat it.


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## gnome (Jan 27, 2004)

Ohmigosh... I am SO relieved that you're okay! I'm also pleasantly surprised that power has been restored, already. I can rest easy, now  . Hope you find some good eats. Man can not live on Otis Spunkmeyer pastries alone  ... Glad also that you found your keys :biggrin: . 

At this point, getting around town is probably *easier* by bicycle (at least during the cooler hours of the day). Good that you have one, and that you got that tire repaired. I imagine that people are promising their first-born children in exchange for gas. 

Please continue to post back with updates on the clean-up efforts and stuff. Glad you made it through in one piece! Now sending monster burger thoughts your way  ...

-Naomi


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## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

Soooo glad you are ok, HeyPK! What a relief!


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## MiamiAG (Jan 13, 2004)

Paul,

Glad you made it through alright. Terrible what it did to your State and those around you. Reminds me of Andrew. The difference is that we didn't get the storm surge or flooding that Katrina has caused.

As for New Orleans, I find it hard to understand. I'm broken up about what is happening there. The suffering I mean. However, can someone explain something to me? I may not have all the facts, but...

Here you have a major metropolitan city that is basically a bowl that is below sea level. Yes, they have levees holding back water on several sides. However, didn't anyone think that some day those levees could give way, especially if a Cat 5 hurricane (storm surge 20+ feet) came along? The city seems to have been caught off guard. The city planners and disaster relief planners have had years and years to dream up ways to deal with breaches in the levees. Why wasn't there a back up plan? It is ironic that the very levees that are intended to keep the water out are keeping the water in. 

Anyway, no sense in thinking about that now...


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## MiamiAG (Jan 13, 2004)

PG,

Thanks. Doing fine, as are the fish.


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## TWood (Dec 9, 2004)

I too find it hard to believe that 'they' didn't have a plan in mind to repair a break in those levees. We may be witnessing the transformation of New Orleans into a modern day Atlantis. At some point the bottom of the bowl is going to turn into mush. Already there are predictions of the loss of the entire water supply system. If the insurors and then the government declare a time-out on the repairs, what next?

TW


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## kimbm04r (Apr 22, 2005)

Glad to hear Art and Paul are okay. I hope everyone that is down that way fairs as well as you have. 

My aunt volunteers with the Red Cross here and she was shown on the news last night getting ready to be dispatched to Texas to help with relief efforts due to Katrina. They are sending her to Texas because she can't fly in any closer, they will have to transport her from there. If anyone sees a very tiny energetic woman named Viola from Indiana tell her Myra says Hi. She is a great person and would give her right arm to help someone. She was also dispatched with Andrew and just about any other disaster that comes about.

Everyone will be in our thoughts and prayers.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Sure glad your ok, HeyPK.

The images I see on TV are awful  . All the suffering, people hungry/thristy, no medical help. It's just horrible, too much to take. God bless them all!


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## koffee (Aug 21, 2005)

I too wish everyone down there luck... and in a way, wish simply everyone luck cause this is going to affect us all for a while.

I'm glad I don't have to deal with hurricanes in AK... just the occassional record setting quake.


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

Art wrote:


> .....However, didn't anyone think that some day those levees could give way, especially if a Cat 5 hurricane (storm surge 20+ feet) came along? The city seems to have been caught off guard. The city planners and disaster relief planners have had years and years to dream up ways to deal with breaches in the levees. Why wasn't there a back up plan? It is ironic that the very levees that are intended to keep the water out are keeping the water in.


The Army Corps of Engineers had planned a study of the effects of a category five hurricane on New Orleans in 2001, but their budget was cut, and the study was canceled. People have got to start thinking that their taxes might actually be paying for something worthwhile now and then.

Here is a quote from an article originally published on June 8, 2004 in the Times-Picayune:

For the first time in 37 years, federal budget cuts have all but stopped major work on the New Orleans area's east bank hurricane levees, a complex network of concrete walls, metal gates and giant earthen berms that won't be finished for at least another decade.

"I guess people look around and think there's a complete system in place, that we're just out here trying to put icing on the cake," said Mervin Morehiser, who manages the "Lake Pontchartrain and vicinity" levee project for the Army Corps of Engineers. "And we aren't saying that the sky is falling, but people should know that this is a work in progress, and there's more important work yet to do before there is a complete system in place."


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