Gustav: Updates From Louisiana

I just spoke with my parents in Alexandria and a few friends who say all is well there for now. The rain and wind increase hourly. They have been without power for about an hour. They are expecting to get the worst tonight around 6:00 Central Standard Time and then Gustav will supposedly stall over the area for a while dumping gallons of rain. But, with Gustav weakening a bit, it shouldn't get too bad!

Ed in Leesville is keeping a great Video Blog as Gustav creeps closer to them. I’ve been in contact with him and I’ll post his videos as they come in. It’s really starting to come down in Vernon Parish, but nothing too bad at this point.

There is also another update from New Orleans Metblogs. They have an interesting take on the media coverage of the weather in New Orleans. Keep in mind, the writers are still in the city and are watching it all unfold. They seem to feel the storm is being misrepresented.

Richard at New Orleans Metblogs says,

I really wish CNN would stop running the headline “FLOODWATERS OVERTOP INDUSTRIAL CANAL LEVEE IN NEW ORLEANS”. The water is very high in the canal, and some water is blowing over the top, so maybe it’s semantic, but “overtop” sounds a little more dire and hysteria-inducing than necessary at the moment. Attention, CNN: we are already hysterical enough,
thankyouverymuch. Also, CNN: I am within five blocks of your offices right now. Do not make me come down there.

And more…

Fellow Gustav-watchers: if you haven’t already done so, may I suggest ditching Anderson Cooper for a while (we’ll be back, sweetie!) and getting your news from WWL TV instead? Dennis and Angela are smart, sanguine, and storm-savvy. Also, they know full well how to pronounce “New Orleans”, which you’d have thought everyone on Planet Earth learned a couple of years ago, but
apparently not.

My college bud and former ABC26 co-worker, Joni, is working for WWL now. Good work Jones!

That’s it for now. It’s been a super busy day at work and we're starting to move into Hurricane Hanna mode. I’ll have more when I get home.

Hello Hanna

When it rains…

As you can tell by my blogs, I’ve immersed myself in Hurricane Gustav for the last few days. While I was watching Gustav, Hanna snuck up behind me.

Our meteorologist, Joey Sovine, started off our morning meeting with the news. Hanna is possibly headed to the Lowcountry and could make landfall as a Cat 1 or 2 storm. Isn’t that peachy?

When I lived in Louisiana, I always packed a hurricane work kit on the first day of hurricane season. I’ve gotten a little lazy since moving here to Charleston. I have no previsions set aside yet. We always do stories telling people to make sure they have survival kits and I’m willing to bet that 90% of us in the newsroom don’t have one.

I told our morning show anchor that I’ll shift my focus from Gustav to Hanna Wednesday. Until then, I’ve got to see what happens with Gustav. Especially when it slows down and parks over Central and Western Louisiana later tonight for about 12 hours. That’s where the parents are and that’s a lot of rain and wind. I’m very worried about tornadoes.

We’ll start our Hanna coverage tonight and get deeper into it as we move closer to a possible Friday landfall.

Here’s a look at the current projected path of Hanna. It puts Charleston right there in the mix.

Gustav: Update From Louisiana

I'm about to leave for work, but I wanted to give you guys a quick update from Louisiana.

I got an e-mail late last night at around 12:30 that the first feeder band was causing a bit of rain and the power had already started flickering in Downtown New Orleans. Looks to be the same case with Craig over at News Orleans Metblogs who is riding it out there.

I talked to my parents up in Alexandria and they are just getting a slight rain right now. My parents, being my parents, were more worried about me and less about the monster storm headed their way. They wanted to make sure that I was prepared for Tropical Storm Hanna which is inching toward the East Coast.

In the world of blogs, New Orleans Metblogs is the place for updates -- while they are able to keep updating. Here is the latest update that Craig filed a couple of hours ago.

Here is Tommy K.'s Weathercast from yesterday.

Gustav: Not Evacuating?

Ever wonder why people in New Orleans stay and ride out a hurricane? Here is an interesting blog from a Big Easy restaurant owner who will stay and ride out Gustav.

Even after Hurricane Katrina, there are people who are willing to face Gustav head-on. In the media, we are forced to stick around when everyone else is seeking shelter. One reason we don’t’ leave is that people who stay around need to remain informed and that’s what we do. You see reporters getting blown around in the wind, but beyond that spectacle, we also give vital information to those who remain in the viewing area.

I know you are wondering about that mandatory evacuation. How can they stay if there is a mandatory evac? Well, that simply means that it is no longer a voluntary evacuation. You are ordered and strongly encouraged to leave, but technically they can’t force you to leave your own property.

Craig explains:

This “mandatory” thing means, essentially, you’re on your own if you stay. No one is going to come drag you out of your house at gunpoint and throw you on a bus to Boise. What it means is, in the most serious parental tones, “don’t come crying to us when your walls collapse, your roof flies off to Alexandria and you’re climbing a phone pole to get away from the rapidly rising Gulf of Mexico. We warned you, you freaking idiot.” Some officials also back this up by telling people to leave the names of their next of kin with police so they can be contacted.

So why stay in the first place? Who knows really. I guess every individual has their own personal reasons. For some, what they encountered during and after Katrina is reason enough I guess.

Just ask Craig:

We have put too much into what we have (personally, professionally, physically) to simply sit in a motel room someplace and watch it all get washed away again. We wouldn’t be “in our own home.” I agree that to stay is a type of madness. But it’s preferable to the madness we felt in our Being Away the last time.

Gustav: Bourbon Street Pictures

Here are a few new pictures from a soon-to-be deserted Bourbon Street. If you have ever been to New Orleans, you know that Bourbon is a 24/7 party. There are always people on it and most times it's packed. It's a sight to behold when it's empty.

The pictures are from a blogger that I know who was visiting New Orleans for a festival and was forced to evacuate with no car, flight or hotel. He found one of the last rental cars in the city and drove to Biloxi, Mississippi where he hopped a flight back home to Boston. My barber was in New Orleans this weekend too... I'm not sure if he was able to find a flight out just yet. He has my cell phone number and I'm sure he will call if he needs some suggestions.

Gustav Updates From Louisiana

Hurricane Gustav is the real deal and as Mayor Ray Nagin says, it’s "the mother of all storms.” I am very fearful that this will be ugly.

The blogs from across the Bayou State are doing a great job keeping up with everything going on and they must be commended.

Some of my readers are friends from back home who now live elsewhere and I wanted to keep you all up to date with what’s going on. I’ll post some online news clips from one of my old stations, KALB, and from around the state. I hope that makes it a little easier to find information in the days to come. If you’re like me, and I know you guys are, it’s beyond frustrating to watch this all unfold hundreds of miles away.

Mayor Jacques Roy stopped by the station to talk about how Alexandria is preparing. I’m glad Michele addressed the issues with water outages. This was a major problem during Hurricane Rita and it looks like they may have a proactive plan in place this time. But, I still reminded my parents to have lots of bottled water just in case.

Here’s Nick Mickulas’ weather report from last night.

I found these videos from a fleeing Louisiana resident who is sending video updates to his family via the Internet. He puts things into great perspective.

I got a heartbreaking e-mail from a friend who will be staying in the Greater New Orleans area for Hurricane coverage. She just purchased her first house with her fiancée and she’s afraid that it will be gone when she finally gets to leave work after this is all over. Unfortunately, that is not an unfounded fear. My heart is with them!

My friends from across the country… please pray for the people of Louisiana.

Schadenfreude

Schadenfreude is a German word that means "pleasure at the misfortune of others." You know, finding enjoyment when your rival team's quarterback gets injured or your ex gets dumped -- or apparently when a monster hurricane threatens thousands of lives. It's a laugh riot -- right?

Friday, I interviewed a group of women going to the GOP Convention in Minnesota. After we wrapped up, I asked them what they thought about Hurricane Gustav making landfall and postponing the convention. They said quickly that it wouldn't happen and then went on to laugh and joke about how people in Louisiana are a bunch of whiners. They kept going on and on about how Tropical Storm Fay hit Florida four times and Florida citizens didn't whine like people in New Orleans. They actually called them whiners. My photographer looked at me and shook his head. I swallowed my pride and remained professional and respectful.

They had no idea that I'm from Louisiana -- with friends who lost their homes to Katrina. But, that should make absolutely no difference. The one-two punch of Katrina and Rita is a little different than a tropical storm hitting four times. But, I chose to let that go.

Then today a video surfaces with former Democratic party chair Don Fowler and who the poster of the video identifies as Congressman John Spratt from here in South Carolina. They're sitting on a plane coming back from the DNC in Denver and Fowler starts joking about Hurricane Gustav forcing the postponement of the Republican Convention.

Schadenfreude?

A lot of people, including myself, are reliving a nightmare. I just got off the phone with a friend from home who is now living in Tennessee and, like me, he can't stand not being there. We are worried about our families and our home-state. We covered Katrina together and Gustav has filled us both with a sense of dread. He's watching The Weather Channel non-stop. I can't bring myself to watch it just yet. But, that will change the closer Gustav gets.

Mayor Ray Nagin just ordered the 100% mandatory evacuation of my old neighborhood, Algiers, in New Orleans. All I can think is "here we go again."

Here is just a taste of the messages my friends in Louisiana are leaving on their Facebook accounts.

"Joni N. has on her gameface. Ready for Gustav coverage."

"Lance W.: Gustav has got to go...somewhere else!"

"Alisa M. is hoping and praying Gustav weakens and heads another direction."

"Catherine K. is evacuating today. Please pray for New Orleans."

Those are neither funny nor whining.