Katrina (1 Viewer)

[shining path]

Any confirmation to the "bodies floating in the streets" report?

 

[Proud Communist]

Any confirmation to the "bodies floating in the streets" report?

I have seen it on several sites, WWLTV mainly. Hopefully, it is just bodies from freshly dug graves that were deceased prior to the storm.

 

[simey]

Can anybody tell me the state of houses in Jefferson Parish? I have a friend from there who evacuated to Poplarville, MS. Just wondering if they still have a house, or a roof, or if there is looting in the area (Terrytown/Gretna).

Here are some recent news links on information regarding Jefferson Parish:Jefferson Parish

 

[DPRugby]

Hey guys I've been out all day, can I get a quick update without having to read the 20 pages that I missed?

How bad was the damage to the Superdome? I hear some of the fabric was ripped away, anything else?

How high did the water rise in the bowl that is New Orleans? Is there much damage to the French Quarter?

The last report I saw online was that they were calling this the most overrated storm in history, which is obviously good news, but a storm is still a storm, how bad were the damages and is it all over?

The French Quarter looks fine (maybe some wind damage and of course no power), CNN is broadcasting live from around Bourbon street.

 

[whoknew]

Hey guys I've been out all day, can I get a quick update without having to read the 20 pages that I missed? 

How bad was the damage to the Superdome?  I hear some of the fabric was ripped away, anything else?

How high did the water rise in the bowl that is New Orleans?  Is there much damage to the French Quarter?

The last report I saw online was that they were calling this the most overrated storm in history, which is obviously good news, but a storm is still a storm, how bad were the damages and is it all over?

The reports now don't seem to make this hurricane overrated. New Orleans did not get hit as bad as they thought, but it seems like East New Orleans, the eastern parishes of Louisiana, and especially Mississippi are in bad, bad shape. That's where the damage seems to be very bad. Here's hoping people are safe.

There is also now concern of tornados coming. There have been at least 15 so far.

 

[TenTimes]

Hey guys I've been out all day, can I get a quick update without having to read the 20 pages that I missed? 

How bad was the damage to the Superdome?  I hear some of the fabric was ripped away, anything else?

How high did the water rise in the bowl that is New Orleans?  Is there much damage to the French Quarter?

The last report I saw online was that they were calling this the most overrated storm in history, which is obviously good news, but a storm is still a storm, how bad were the damages and is it all over?

The French Quarter looks fine (maybe some wind damage and of course no power), CNN is broadcasting live from around Bourbon street.

Cool, this was my main concern, being able to go back to the French Quarter some time. Good news

 

[Brave Sir Robin]

QUIT YOUR WHINING. ALL OF YOU. NOW.

If I have to close/lock/delete this thread it will end poorly for MANY of you. If you really feel the need to argue over who doesn't have the right to be offended use the PM system.

I'm not taking sides. I think many of you are acting like idiots.

...I am not acting.

 

[EZD222]

The reports now don't seem to make this hurricane overrated. New Orleans did not get hit as bad as they thought, but it seems like East New Orleans, the eastern parishes of Louisiana, and especially Mississippi are in bad, bad shape.

That's where the damage seems to be very bad. Here's hoping people are safe.

There is also now concern of tornados coming. There have been at least 15 so far.

Fox news has a helicopter going over this area now. Looks very bad. Flooding everywhere.

Maybe not so overated afterall

 

[Tiger Fan]

Here's a picture of I-10 heading from New Orleans towards the airport

 

[themikus]

I'm now trying to get any info on the damage to my beloved city. In particular, the neighborhood where I currently live and where all my earthly possessions were abandoned (Jackson Ave and Magazine St area) and my old neighborhood in Carrollton  around Oak St.  BTW - yes, the Carrollton neighborhood is where tipsy's restaurant is located.  Hope it's OK, tipsy.

Amazing thing, this innernet. Ive found the answer to my own question: Uptown New Orleans Damage (edit to add: scroll down to "Driving through Uptown")According to this artice, most homes in Uptown suffered rather minor damage, although the writers did see one house that was completely destroyed. Turns out that that particular house is about 2 blocks from my apartment - uh oh.

 

[rolyaTy]

Look, having no sympathy or being pissed that someone's stealing, both of these are FAR different than wishing someone was dead (see jplvr's post).  My judgments.

Sure they are. But we have far too many people as it is. If you can clearly identify the unnecessary chaff of society, I don't feel bad about hoping they stop existing.

 

[WookieBooger]

When i heard about the looting I envisioned some ole boys from the bayou tooling through the street of NawLins in their flatbottom boats with 50 horse Mercs dragging color tvs outa second story windows. Sorry for anyones loss just a wierd thought passing through a yankees head.

It's NOT th GOOD OL BOYS from the bayou they are helping each other. It is the freakin COCKROACHES!!!YES THIS MAKE ME MAD AS HELL!! Peoples Buisnesses and homes now have to withstand the force of IGNORANCE which can be stronger than Mother Nature!

GGGGRRR!!!!!!!!

 

[MrPack]

Hey guys I've been out all day, can I get a quick update without having to read the 20 pages that I missed? 

How bad was the damage to the Superdome?  I hear some of the fabric was ripped away, anything else?

How high did the water rise in the bowl that is New Orleans?  Is there much damage to the French Quarter?

The last report I saw online was that they were calling this the most overrated storm in history, which is obviously good news, but a storm is still a storm, how bad were the damages and is it all over?

The French Quarter looks fine (maybe some wind damage and of course no power), CNN is broadcasting live from around Bourbon street.

Cool, this was my main concern, being able to go back to the French Quarter some time. Good news

Not the lives lost in Miss. LA or Ala. or the devastation in any of those cities anything important like that.

 

[jplvr]

I still stand by my earlier statement that seems to have pissed off the checkers player.No, I wasn't looking for sympathy for my friend that lost his beach house. Just reporting that the storm had the same water affect (or worse) than Ivan that hit the area directly compared to a storm 100 miles away.I am worried about my other friend's mother who rode out the storm in Biloxi because she owns a nursing management company. She lives about a block away from the back bay and some reports have the water coming up 30 feet in places. Still haven't been able to make contact or get a report out of the area.I find it funny that someone mentions the risks of living on the beach while worrying about a house in a city that should be underwater 95% of the time. :rotflmao:

 

[TenTimes]

Hey guys I've been out all day, can I get a quick update without having to read the 20 pages that I missed? 

How bad was the damage to the Superdome?  I hear some of the fabric was ripped away, anything else?

How high did the water rise in the bowl that is New Orleans?  Is there much damage to the French Quarter?

The last report I saw online was that they were calling this the most overrated storm in history, which is obviously good news, but a storm is still a storm, how bad were the damages and is it all over?

The French Quarter looks fine (maybe some wind damage and of course no power), CNN is broadcasting live from around Bourbon street.

Cool, this was my main concern, being able to go back to the French Quarter some time. Good news

Not the lives lost in Miss. LA or Ala. or the devastation in any of those cities anything important like that.

Well obviously the lives of the residents in the area come first and foremost, but for me personally I don't have any family or friends in the area and fell in love with the French Quarter a month ago so as selfish as it is that is where my interest lies.

 

[tipsy mcstagger]

I am just getting power back here in pensacola...actually at a friends in Gulf Breeze. I haven't gotten on the net until now, so i've got a few pages to check before I have any real response to things.My family is safe btw. Looks like my city is hurting, but will recover. Dying to get info on my neighborhood...all that flooding on tv ive seen so far is in the 9th ward way far away from my house in uptown. Still haven't smoked by the way.

 

[rolyaTy]

Hey guys I've been out all day, can I get a quick update without having to read the 20 pages that I missed? 

How bad was the damage to the Superdome?  I hear some of the fabric was ripped away, anything else?

How high did the water rise in the bowl that is New Orleans?  Is there much damage to the French Quarter?

The last report I saw online was that they were calling this the most overrated storm in history, which is obviously good news, but a storm is still a storm, how bad were the damages and is it all over?

The French Quarter looks fine (maybe some wind damage and of course no power), CNN is broadcasting live from around Bourbon street.

Cool, this was my main concern, being able to go back to the French Quarter some time. Good news

Not the lives lost in Miss. LA or Ala. or the devastation in any of those cities anything important like that.

Well obviously the lives of the residents in the area come first and foremost, but for me personally I don't have any family or friends in the area and fell in love with the French Quarter a month ago so as selfish as it is that is where my interest lies.

Obviously you meant that but mr pack, among others in this thread, take easy opportunities to grandstand and twist peoples comments in to things they didn't mean.

 

[tipsy mcstagger]

I am seeing a LOT of insensitive remarks in this thread.

There have been at least three reported posts.

This is not cool, guys - be nice or don't say a damn word.

My story is that a friend of mine is supposed to get married in New Orleans, where her entirte family lives, this Labor Day weekend. I was uable to attend, but I got free at the last minute and was supposed to fly down this Friday. She is, essentially, CANCELLING her wedding - 150 person wedding with 100 out of town guests - all of whom are having to cancel their plans. She left for New Orleans Saturday, and is now, essentially, evacuating with her family instead of getting married.

I pray that in 2 days we won't be seeing 4 story buildings 2 stories under water. My prayers go out to my friend, her family, and all the residents of So. La.

erie marc....this same thing happened to my best friend last year during Ivan. She got back to Atlanta (where they live now) after evacuating Pensacola. Luckily her friends up there managed to get a wedding in ATL together withing 48 hours. Its was the best wedding i've ever been too...except mine.

 

[Heavy B]

I'm calling it now:

The storm will drift N and gradually take a NNE tack and the eyewall will make landfall between NO and Biloxi.

Flooding will still be very bad all over but the huge push up the river that could turn the Big Easy into Lake New Orleans will not happen. The Big Easy will dodge another bullet - but very narrowly.

Can anything good come from such a natural disaster? Yes...I suppose. Perhaps this will bring attention to the erosion of the Louisiana coast that has been unchecked for decades. The million or so acres we've lost in the estuary would be pretty nice to have around right about now.

Just to state my affiliation: I was born in NO and lived there for 25 years. My parents, my sister and her husband and my in-laws all still live in and around the area. All have stayed in town - Sister and Mother are on the critical personnel list at an area hospital and my father stayed with them. Inlaws are just S of I-12 in Madisonville and should be OK.

BTW...here's a Link to a webcam housed in my high school alma mater. The school is located at the base of a levee that holds the Mississippi.  Literally. As in run a few hundred yards and you're heading up the levee (ahh...fond memories of football conditioning...levees with another D-Lineman on your back just to make it more interesting).

Anyway...as it's night there obviously isn't much to see but the camera may provide some interesting (as in severely disheartening) footage as the storm heads in. The cam appears to update hourly.

THIS GUY gets the official "Amazing Kreskin of the Year Award."

:Steps to podium:- Really not in the mood for an acceptance speech though it is nice to be noticed. No contact either via land line or cell phone with my parents, sister, or in-laws who are still in or around town.

GB and good luck to everyone involved w/ this storm.

 

[Tiger Fan]

Link

Click on "Watch Weather Plus"

Some amazing video of police rescuing some people

 

[tipsy mcstagger]

I just wanted to give a shout out and a prayer to all the folks from the MS. gulf coast. Cannot believe it came in all most the exact spot as Camille....god bless you and protect your families. I cannot believe the amount of wind we had & continue to have all the way over here in Pcola. We lost power at 3 am or so here & i nearly threw up thinking how bad it was to our west. I knew the storm was probably going to spare a western side of the city hit, which would have been the worst case. I still have no idea what to excpect when i get back to Nawlins, which looks like Friday at the earliest. I'm sure a couple of friends will be back before me, but we'll see. Currently have my brother in law looking for neighborhood forums.This has been such a stressful experience. I still have no clue if i will have a home, a job, or any reason to live in New Orleans again. My FIL is talking about retiring & moving soon....so why not come back home or move to Atlanta (i'd still hate the falcons btw.) wher i have friends & have lived before as well.

 

[tipsy mcstagger]

QUIT YOUR WHINING. ALL OF YOU. NOW.

If I have to close/lock/delete this thread it will end poorly for MANY of you. If you really feel the need to argue over who doesn't have the right to be offended use the PM system.

I'm not taking sides. I think many of you are acting like idiots.

...I am not acting.

thank you. i hope i don't get too p'od reading all of the posts on this when i have more time.

 

[JetsJetsJets]

MSNBC Reporting....Mississippi official says at least 50 people dead in Harrison County.(Edit to change CNN to MSNBC).

 

[tipsy mcstagger]

MSNBC Reporting....

Mississippi official says at least 50 people dead in Harrison County.

(Edit to change CNN to MSNBC).

just heard the same thing on wdsu.

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

MSNBC Reporting....

Mississippi official says at least 50 people dead in Harrison County.

(Edit to change CNN to MSNBC).

Wow - that's an awful lot. I'm sure that number will go up - but even at 50 that's pretty bad.

 

[jplvr]

MSNBC Reporting....

Mississippi official says at least 50 people dead in Harrison County.

(Edit to change CNN to MSNBC).

I'm assuming that's Gulfport/Biloxi. :(

 

[tipsy mcstagger]

I'm sure you'll keep us abreast of the situation and let us know if you need anything.  (Please do.)

Here's promising when you get through this, I come and run up a huge bill.

Corrected...and count me in on that too.

BSR clan in too. Do you have a kids menu?

ill be holding yall too this. and ill make some chix strips or something for the little ones.

 

[Clayton Gray]

I'm sure you'll keep us abreast of the situation and let us know if you need anything.  (Please do.)

Here's promising when you get through this, I come and run up a huge bill.

Corrected...and count me in on that too.

BSR clan in too. Do you have a kids menu?

ill be holding yall too this. and ill make some chix strips or something for the little ones.

You misspelled "chicks", but I'm not sure that's good for the children. Still, I'm in for this.

 

[Kasparov]

I'm sure you'll keep us abreast of the situation and let us know if you need anything.  (Please do.)

Here's promising when you get through this, I come and run up a huge bill.

Corrected...and count me in on that too.

BSR clan in too. Do you have a kids menu?

ill be holding yall too this. and ill make some chix strips or something for the little ones.

Can't wait! My daughter loves chicken strips so that's a good call. Glad to hear you and all your peeps are fine.

 

[Kasparov]

I still stand by my earlier statement that seems to have pissed off the checkers player.

I'm not pissed, you must be projecting.

 

[Suzy]

If you had a chance to evacuate but decided to keep your family around and ride it out and then they all die while you swim to saftey leaving the little ones to helplessly fend for themselves. Are you a murderer?

 

[Kilgore Trout]

MSNBC Reporting....

Mississippi official says at least 50 people dead in Harrison County.

(Edit to change CNN to MSNBC).

Wow - that's an awful lot. I'm sure that number will go up - but even at 50 that's pretty bad.

I'm guessing that number will rise significantly. An historical comparison is Camille that left 250 dead. We have more population in those areas now than we did in 1969. The pictures I have seen from Biloxi look horrible, and we haven't even seen what's happened in Gulfport. Plus there are thousands of homes underwater in New Orleans. I earlier stated that we wouldn't see numbers in the thousands, and I hope I can stand by that statement. I don't think that 500 or more deaths is an unreasonable prediction though :( . There's been a lot of talk in this thread about the dire predections, followed by the few people who say this thing was overhyped. Seeing the footage tonight, I don't think that under any circumstances can we call this an overreaction. Many folks will have died from this, and thousands more will not have a home or job to go back to.

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

MSNBC Reporting....

Mississippi official says at least 50 people dead in Harrison County.

(Edit to change CNN to MSNBC).

Wow - that's an awful lot. I'm sure that number will go up - but even at 50 that's pretty bad.

I'm guessing that number will rise significantly. An historical comparison is Camille that left 250 dead. We have more population in those areas now than we did in 1969. The pictures I have seen from Biloxi look horrible, and we haven't even seen what's happened in Gulfport. Plus there are thousands of homes underwater in New Orleans. I earlier stated that we wouldn't see numbers in the thousands, and I hope I can stand by that statement. I don't think that 500 or more deaths is an unreasonable prediction though :( .

Holy ####! I get that there are more people - but there's also so much more technology: radar, satellite, 24 hours news, etc to help with better and earlier warning than we had in the '60's. Hopefully the number gets nowhere near that high. That's just sickening.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Holy ####! I get that there are more people - but there's also so much more technology: radar, satellite, 24 hours news, etc to help with better and earlier warning than we had in the '60's. Hopefully the number gets nowhere near that high. That's just sickening.

That was my arguement earlier about the low death toll. Maybe its me watching too much news. I'm pretty sure we'll see over 100, and the 500 number will probably be worse case.

 

[Billy Bats]

Hopefully the scum that is now looting what's left of people's businesses and homes are the ones that die from toxic poisons they got from swimming thru the water to steal.

 

[psychobillies]

I didn't read this thread, just thought I'd check in. I live in Covington, a little more than 50 miles N of Lake Pontchatrain. We got nailed with what I believe was the western edge of the eyewall. Unbelievable. My house was completely wrecked. No flooding here though. I'm at my parents house now running on an 80k generator. I'd say that everything is going to be allright, but I am now running out of beer. Oh well. It's going to be a rough week. How about that for dedication. I just lost my house, All the roads are shut down, I can't contact most of the people I know, and here I am making sure I don't get behind on my Fantasy info.

 

[Mr. Vegas]

I didn't read this thread, just thought I'd check in. I live in Covington, a little more than 50 miles N of Lake Pontchatrain. We got nailed with what I believe was the western edge of the eyewall. Unbelievable. My house was completely wrecked. No flooding here though. I'm at my parents house now running on an 80k generator. I'd say that everything is going to be allright, but I am now running out of beer. Oh well. It's going to be a rough week.

How about that for dedication. I just lost my house, All the roads are shut down, I can't contact most of the people I know, and here I am making sure I don't get behind on my Fantasy info.

What happen to your House?Is it gone? Washed away?

Torn to the ground?

 

[themikus]

Holy ####! I get that there are more people - but there's also so much more technology: radar, satellite, 24 hours news, etc to help with better and earlier warning than we had in the '60's. Hopefully the number gets nowhere near that high. That's just sickening.

That was my arguement earlier about the low death toll. Maybe its me watching too much news. I'm pretty sure we'll see over 100, and the 500 number will probably be worse case.

In the case of the lower ninth ward in New Orleans, the populace is generally of very modest means - they're poor. Hence, many families have no autos for evacuation or simply don't have the funds to get out on short notice. Sadly, I'm afraid we'll find that many hundreds of people have perished in eastern New Orleans. Similarly, I think the situation in Biloxi and Gulfport will unfold slowly and badly. :( I just heard Jean Meserve reporting her experince to Aaron Brown on CNN - it was chilling. You could tell by the timbre of her voice that she was truly shaken.

 

[psychobillies]

I didn't read this thread, just thought I'd check in.  I live in Covington, a little more than 50 miles N of Lake Pontchatrain.  We got nailed with what I believe was the western edge of the eyewall.  Unbelievable.  My house was completely wrecked.  No flooding here though. I'm at my parents house now running on an 80k generator.  I'd say that everything is going to be allright, but I am now running out of beer.  Oh well.  It's going to be a rough week.

How about that for dedication.  I just lost my house, All the roads are shut down, I can't contact most of the people I know, and here I am making sure I don't get behind on my Fantasy info.

What happen to your House?Is it gone? Washed away?

Torn to the ground?

The roof vanished. I really don't know where it is. My house is up high on pilings, with a large storage area underneath. The downstairs walls were torn to shreds. Brand new too. Just moved in in March.

 

[Mr. Vegas]

I didn't read this thread, just thought I'd check in.   I live in Covington, a little more than 50 miles N of Lake Pontchatrain.  We got nailed with what I believe was the western edge of the eyewall.  Unbelievable.  My house was completely wrecked.  No flooding here though. I'm at my parents house now running on an 80k generator.  I'd say that everything is going to be allright, but I am now running out of beer.  Oh well.  It's going to be a rough week.

How about that for dedication.  I just lost my house, All the roads are shut down, I can't contact most of the people I know, and here I am making sure I don't get behind on my Fantasy info.

What happen to your House?Is it gone? Washed away?

Torn to the ground?

The roof vanished. I really don't know where it is. My house is up high on pilings, with a large storage area underneath. The downstairs walls were torn to shreds. Brand new too. Just moved in in March.

Wow,sorry to hear that.What happens now? Does the insurance company pay to have your house rebuilt?

 

[tipsy mcstagger]

If you had a chance to evacuate but decided to keep your family around and ride it out and then they all die while you swim to saftey leaving the little ones to helplessly fend for themselves. Are you a murderer?

why on earth are you asking this?

 

[Billy Bats]

I didn't read this thread, just thought I'd check in. I live in Covington, a little more than 50 miles N of Lake Pontchatrain. We got nailed with what I believe was the western edge of the eyewall. Unbelievable. My house was completely wrecked. No flooding here though. I'm at my parents house now running on an 80k generator. I'd say that everything is going to be allright, but I am now running out of beer. Oh well. It's going to be a rough week.

How about that for dedication. I just lost my house, All the roads are shut down, I can't contact most of the people I know, and here I am making sure I don't get behind on my Fantasy info.

Unbelievable man, GB you and yours. Hopefully the only thing lost is your house, that can be replaced, loved ones can't, will be keeping you and all of those affected in my prayers. Best wishes.

 

[tipsy mcstagger]

This is bad & happening right now (nola.com)

Levee breach floods Lakeview, Mid-City, Carrollton, Gentilly, City ParkBy Doug MacCashand James O’ByrneStaff writersA large section of the vital 17th Street Canal levee, where it connects to the brand new ‘hurricane proof’ Old Hammond Highway bridge, gave way late Monday morning in Bucktown after Katrina’s fiercest winds were well north. The breach sent a churning sea of water coursing across Lakeview and into Mid-City, Carrollton, Gentilly, City Park and neighborhoods farther south and east.As night fell on a devastated region, the water was still rising in the city, and nobody was willing to predict when it would stop. After the destruction already apparent in the wake of Katrina, the American Red Cross was mobilizing for what regional officials were calling the largest recovery operation in the organization’s history. Police, firefighters and private citizens, hampered by a lack of even rudimentary communication capabilities, continued a desperate and impromptu boat-borne rescue operation across Lakeview well after dark. Coast Guard choppers with search lights criss-crossed the skies.Officers working on the scene said virtually every home and business between the 17th Street Canal and the Marconi Canal, and between Robert E. Lee Boulevard and City Park Avenue, had water in it. Nobody had confirmed any fatalities as a result of the levee breach, but they conceded that hundreds of homes had not been checked.As the sun set over a still-churning Lake Pontchartrain, the smoldering ruins of the Southern Yacht Club were still burning, and smoke streamed out over the lake. Nobody knew the cause of the fire because nobody could get anywhere near it to find out what happened. Dozens of residents evacuated to the dry land of the Filmore Street bridge over the Marconi Canal were stranded between the flooded neighborhood on their right, and the flooded City Park on their left, hours after they had been plucked from rooftops or second-story windows.Firefighters who saved them tried to request an RTA bus to come for the refugees, but said there was no working communications to do so.Ed Gruber, who lives in the 6300 block of Canal Boulevard, said he became desperate when the rising water chased he, his wife, Helen, and their neighbor Mildred K. Harrison to the second floor of their home. When Gruber saw a boat pass by, he flagged it down with a light, and the three of them escaped from a second-story window.On the lakefront, pleasure boats were stacked on top of each other like cordwood in the municipal marina and yacht harbor. The Robert E. Lee shopping center was under 7 feet of water. Plantation Coffeehouse on Canal Boulevard was the same. Hines Elementary School had 8 feet of water inside.Indeed, the entire business district along Harrison Avenue had water to the rooflines in many places. Joshua Bruce, 19, was watching the tide rise from his home on Pontalba Street when he heard a woman crying for help. The woman had apparently tried to wade the surging waters on Canal Boulevard when she was swept beneath the railroad trestle just south of Interstate 610. Bruce said he plunged into the water to pull her to safety. He and friends Gregory Sontag and Joey LaFrance found dry clothes for the near-victim and she went on her way in search of a second-story refuge further downtown.The effect of the breach was instantly devastating to residents who had survived the fiercest of Katrina’s winds and storm surge intact, only to be taken by surprise by the sudden deluge. And it added a vast swath of central New Orleans to those already flooded in eastern New Orleans, the Lower Ninth Ward and St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes. Beginning at midday, Lakeview residents watched in horror as the water began to rise, pushed through the levee breach by still-strong residual winds from Katrina.They struggled to elevate furniture and eventually found themselves forced to the refuge of second floors or, just when most in the neighborhood thought they had been spared. “It would have been fine,” said refugee Pat O’Brien. “The eye passed over.” But his relief was short lived, O’Brien said. “It’s like what you see on TV and never thought would happen to us. We lost everything, cars, art, furniture, everything.” Scott Radish, his wife Kyle and neighbor Brandon Gioe stood forlornly on their Mound Street porch, where they had ridden out Katrina, only to face a second more insidious threat.“The hurricane was scary,” Scott said. “All the tree branches fell, but the building stood. I thought I was doing good. Then I noticed my Jeep was under water.”The water had risen knee-deep during the storm, but despite the clearing skies, it had continued to rise one brick every 20 minutes, according to Kyle, continuing its ascent well into the night. “We were good until the Canal busted,” said Sontag. “First there was water on the street, then the sidewalk, then water in the house.”Officials of the Army Corps of Engineers have contingencies for levee breaches such as the one that happened Monday, but it will take time and effort to get the heavy equipment into place to make the repair. Breach repair is part of the Corps’ planning for recovery from catastrophic storms, but nobody Monday was able to say how long it would take to plug the hole, or how much water would get through it before that happened.In Lakeview, the scene was surreal. A woman hollered to reporters from a rooftop, asking them to call her father and tell him she was OK – although fleeing to the roof of a two-story home hardly seemed to qualify. At around 5 p.m., almost as if on cue, the battery power of all the house alarms in the neighborhood seemed to reach a critical level all at once, and they all went off, making it sound as if the area was under an air-raid warning. Two men surviving on generator power in the Lake Terrace neighborhood near the Lake Pontchartrain levee still had a dry house, but they were eyeing the rising water in the yard nervously. They were planning to head back out to the levee to retrieve a vast stash of beer, champagne and hard liquor they found washed onto the levee. As night fell, the sirens of house alarms were finally silent, and the air filled with a different, deafening and unfamiliar sound: the extraordinary din of thousands of croaking frogs.Still wondering if he would spend the night on the Filmore Street bridge over the Marconi Canal, Gruber tried to be philosophical.“I never thought I would see any devastation like this, and I’ve lived here more than 30 years,” Gruber said. “But at least we have our lives. And that’s something.”

 

[themikus]

This is bad & happening right now (nola.com)

Levee breach floods Lakeview, Mid-City, Carrollton, Gentilly, City Park

By Doug MacCash

and James O’Byrne

Staff writers

A large section of the vital 17th Street Canal levee, where it connects to the brand new ‘hurricane proof’ Old Hammond Highway bridge, gave way late Monday morning in Bucktown after Katrina’s fiercest winds were well north. The breach sent a churning sea of water coursing across Lakeview and into Mid-City, Carrollton, Gentilly, City Park and neighborhoods farther south and east.

As night fell on a devastated region, the water was still rising in the city, and nobody was willing to predict when it would stop. After the destruction already apparent in the wake of Katrina, the American Red Cross was mobilizing for what regional officials were calling the largest recovery operation in the organization’s history.

Police, firefighters and private citizens, hampered by a lack of even rudimentary communication capabilities, continued a desperate and impromptu boat-borne rescue operation across Lakeview well after dark. Coast Guard choppers with search lights criss-crossed the skies.

Officers working on the scene said virtually every home and business between the 17th Street Canal and the Marconi Canal, and between Robert E. Lee Boulevard and City Park Avenue, had water in it. Nobody had confirmed any fatalities as a result of the levee breach, but they conceded that hundreds of homes had not been checked.

As the sun set over a still-churning Lake Pontchartrain, the smoldering ruins of the Southern Yacht Club were still burning, and smoke streamed out over the lake. Nobody knew the cause of the fire because nobody could get anywhere near it to find out what happened.

Dozens of residents evacuated to the dry land of the Filmore Street bridge over the Marconi Canal were stranded between the flooded neighborhood on their right, and the flooded City Park on their left, hours after they had been plucked from rooftops or second-story windows.

Firefighters who saved them tried to request an RTA bus to come for the refugees, but said there was no working communications to do so.

Ed Gruber, who lives in the 6300 block of Canal Boulevard, said he became desperate when the rising water chased he, his wife, Helen, and their neighbor Mildred K. Harrison to the second floor of their home. When Gruber saw a boat pass by, he flagged it down with a light, and the three of them escaped from a second-story window.

On the lakefront, pleasure boats were stacked on top of each other like cordwood in the municipal marina and yacht harbor. The Robert E. Lee shopping center was under 7 feet of water. Plantation Coffeehouse on Canal Boulevard was the same. Hines Elementary School had 8 feet of water inside.

Indeed, the entire business district along Harrison Avenue had water to the rooflines in many places.

Joshua Bruce, 19, was watching the tide rise from his home on Pontalba Street when he heard a woman crying for help. The woman had apparently tried to wade the surging waters on Canal Boulevard when she was swept beneath the railroad trestle just south of Interstate 610. Bruce said he plunged into the water to pull her to safety. He and friends Gregory Sontag and Joey LaFrance found dry clothes for the near-victim and she went on her way in search of a second-story refuge further downtown.

The effect of the breach was instantly devastating to residents who had survived the fiercest of Katrina’s winds and storm surge intact, only to be taken by surprise by the sudden deluge. And it added a vast swath of central New Orleans to those already flooded in eastern New Orleans, the Lower Ninth Ward and St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes.

Beginning at midday, Lakeview residents watched in horror as the water began to rise, pushed through the levee breach by still-strong residual winds from Katrina.

They struggled to elevate furniture and eventually found themselves forced to the refuge of second floors or, just when most in the neighborhood thought they had been spared.

“It would have been fine,” said refugee Pat O’Brien. “The eye passed over.”

But his relief was short lived, O’Brien said. “It’s like what you see on TV and never thought would happen to us. We lost everything, cars, art, furniture, everything.”

Scott Radish, his wife Kyle and neighbor Brandon Gioe stood forlornly on their Mound Street porch, where they had ridden out Katrina, only to face a second more insidious threat.

“The hurricane was scary,” Scott said. “All the tree branches fell, but the building stood. I thought I was doing good. Then I noticed my Jeep was under water.”

The water had risen knee-deep during the storm, but despite the clearing skies, it had continued to rise one brick every 20 minutes, according to Kyle, continuing its ascent well into the night.

“We were good until the Canal busted,” said Sontag. “First there was water on the street, then the sidewalk, then water in the house.”

Officials of the Army Corps of Engineers have contingencies for levee breaches such as the one that happened Monday, but it will take time and effort to get the heavy equipment into place to make the repair. Breach repair is part of the Corps’ planning for recovery from catastrophic storms, but nobody Monday was able to say how long it would take to plug the hole, or how much water would get through it before that happened.

In Lakeview, the scene was surreal. A woman hollered to reporters from a rooftop, asking them to call her father and tell him she was OK – although fleeing to the roof of a two-story home hardly seemed to qualify.

At around 5 p.m., almost as if on cue, the battery power of all the house alarms in the neighborhood seemed to reach a critical level all at once, and they all went off, making it sound as if the area was under an air-raid warning.

Two men surviving on generator power in the Lake Terrace neighborhood near the Lake Pontchartrain levee still had a dry house, but they were eyeing the rising water in the yard nervously. They were planning to head back out to the levee to retrieve a vast stash of beer, champagne and hard liquor they found washed onto the levee.

As night fell, the sirens of house alarms were finally silent, and the air filled with a different, deafening and unfamiliar sound: the extraordinary din of thousands of croaking frogs.

Still wondering if he would spend the night on the Filmore Street bridge over the Marconi Canal, Gruber tried to be philosophical.

“I never thought I would see any devastation like this, and I’ve lived here more than 30 years,” Gruber said. “But at least we have our lives. And that’s something.”

Oh God - this is bad, bad, bad. Is this breach in the area by Sid Mar's ?

 

[tipsy mcstagger]

the breach is allegedly 2 blocks wide & the entire lake is trying to pour in. this should be on cnn first thing tomorrow if not tonight. could be really bad

 

[Futility]

the breach is allegedly 2 blocks wide & the entire lake is trying to pour in.

this should be on cnn first thing tomorrow if not tonight. could be really bad

OMG

 

[tipsy mcstagger]

just saw a note on CNN about it. we can't figure out how to turn up the volume for our friends tv. this could flood all of mid city and possibly a good part of uptown.this sucks.

 

[seahawk 17]

the breach is allegedly 2 blocks wide & the entire lake is trying to pour in.

this should be on cnn first thing tomorrow if not tonight. could be really bad

They are talking about it now, going to evacuate 2 hospitals.

 

[tipsy mcstagger]

boggs & which other one....im sure boggs is one

 

[seahawk 17]

boggs & which other one....im sure boggs is one

One is downtown(didn't catch the name) and Tulane U.