Katrina Pics and Stuff

[LA_MERC_Yankee]

I figured I'd start this thread to try to document the storm and stuff. Here's the first couple of pics of our house boarded up and ready to stand the test of Mother Nature.

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

I'm with you Reed. Here are pics of my house before and after boarding up. Remeber folks. If going North and West are fubared then come east to my house. We're not in the direct path as of now, but being on the east side of the storm is bad so I will have shelter if needed but it may be bad here too.

[LA_MERC_Yankee]

Well, it's about 11:30 Sunday night and the wind is starting to pick up. We have about 150 people that were either stranded here or evacuated to the terminal for shelter. Not to bad really, considering for Ivan we had like 700. Here's some more pics of the airport and stuff from today.

[LA_MERC_Yankee]

[|Team Moped| Kripto]

Damn, My flight always get's cancelled!!!! Weather? I dont See any weather!!!!

I would have to admit, that hard floor does not look appealing at ALL. Are all thoes people who couldn't get out in time? or stranded travelers? I double-dog- dare you to run out onto that plane that's on the tarmac, touch the back door, and run back inside!

And in my ignorance... What do you do at the airport, and why do you get to stay?

[LA_MERC_Cowboy_From_Hell]

Thanks for checking in Reed...Glad your safe.

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

Keep in touch Reed. The worst isn't there yet.

[LA_MERC_Dirge]

Yankee is the training director, webmaster, and FIDS director. He's a department head and part of the Emergency Operating Center for the airport.

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

Ok, I'm back up. Power went down for a couple of minutes but has come alive again. I took some quick pics one through the small window above the boarded up glass front door and a back yard pic through the recessed porch window. Both of these pics were taken during a lull. I hope it doesn't get any worse. The kids are getting nervous.

[LA_MERC_Sabre]

by 'your kids' do you mean your children or the 'kids' that are attached to you body/????


I hope all goes well

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

Funny you should mention that because right now both my boys and both my boys are all attached to me right now. The kids are scared and my boys are shrinking up too. The howling is scaring the family. Every now and then I hear small pine tree debris hitting the roof and knocking as it goes by bouncing on the roof. Candace is scared becuase even though I have a peice of 1/2" plywood nailed to the front door the vacuum caused by the rushing wind is making the glass door suck in alsmost an entire inch. The reflected image in the glass is scary as it distorts. I took some film footage about 30 minutes ago during a bad gust. I've uploaded it and you can find it on the merc upload site called k1. I will try to keep you posted but the power keeps going out every 10 minutes as the sub stations try to keep up.

[LA_MERC_Dirge]

Update:

HORRIFIC news coming out of NOLA in scattered reports:
3-4 four story high-rise Hotel atriums reported SHATTERED. Reports of high-rise hotels' windows blowing out..

I just called Yankee, where he informed me that they were abandaoning his office and moving deeper into the airport. His office is the original observation deck and sist high on top of the concourse.

UPDATE:

The weather channel is reporting a breach in the MS river levee within a mile of the French Quarter. This combined with DOT reports of the pumps being down means that water could fill the bowl, to say.

[[sG] Dutchman]

wow dang, yeah this morning I heard there are roof problems with the superdome. :/ And there is flooding going on in the french area.

[LA_MERC_Dirge]

THis is starting to be Betsy all over... Reports of people trapped in their attics due to flood waters... People already on top of their roofs... localized levee topping in the city. Diesel storage tank failure in Gretna... something else in Harvey, couldn't make it out. I think it was house flooding. :(

The good news is the storm is past NOLA, but about to SLAM the MS gulf coast. But the storm has weakened to Cat 3. Bad news about the storm clearing is that we can now see the extent of the damage... :(

[|Team Moped| Kripto]

I'm at work and cant get updated info, So please keep the info coming... I hope everyone is still doing alright!

[LA_MERC_Dirge]

Picture of the Superdome...

The white is a layer of rubber laid on top of the metal roof and painted white. Evidently, the white part was stripped, and two 6' sections of the metal roof underneath were ripped off.

[LA_MERC_Onji]

found another:

[LA_MERC_LaTech]

damn...that looks bad, but not as bad as I thought when they said, "Roof of Dome ripped away"...I was thinking TOTALLY away...but still.

[LA_MERC_Onji]

For those stuck at work, I found a live feed:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8004316 (requires IE)

[LA_MERC_Onji]

CNN man gets upset:

<a href="http://www.lamerc.com/users/onji/cnn.mov">cnn.mov</a>

[LA_MERC_Yankee]

Didn't want to post all the pictures twice so here's a link to the Gallery page we have up for the airport. http://www.flymsy.com/images/Katrina/Gallery.htm Enjoy. All is well here at the airport relatively speaking. I'll try to get a whole story together and post it soon.

[LA_MERC_Yankee]

Here's some of the videos of Katrina from the parking garage.

http://www.lamerc.com/uploads/MOV00537.MPG

http://www.lamerc.com/uploads/MOV00538.MPG

http://www.lamerc.com/uploads/MOV00543.MPG

[LA_MERC_Shadow]

Hey Reed, Yall found out anything about the northshore? I didn't have to stay so I'm trying to find out if my apt is still there and when I need to come home.

[LA_MERC_Skitsvelvet]

Yeah I am trying to find out about the Slidell, Pearl River area. Anyone hear anything yet?

[LA_MERC_Yankee]

This is about all we've been hearing on the T.V.

Slidell suffers extensive flood damage; Mandeville, Covington wind damage, power loss

09:45 PM CDT on Monday, August 29, 2005


WWLTV.com



Northshore Bureau Chief Mike Ross says information from the Northshore has been sparse because there is no communication available from that side of the Lake.


He emphasized that no residents are being allowed back in to St. Tammany and anyone attempting to return is being stopped by law enforcement.


He said a handful of angry residents were seen at most exits – unhappy that they couldn’t go home.


St. Tammany Parish officials asked those reading about the situation on the Internet to warn relatives not to return at this time and no certain time has been set at which they would be allowed back.


The visual inspections of Ross and his photographer Mike Bland showed that Slidell has probably endured massive storm surge damage.


He said Lake Pontchartrain overflowed its banks and had chest-deep water from the Lake to the Old Spanish trail exit.


“You can’t tell where the Lake ends and Slidell begins,” he said.


St. Tammany Parish officials plan to send boats into the area Tuesday to assess the damage and look for survivors.


In Covington and Mandeville, there was extensive wind and tree damage and power was out to every place he went.


Mike Ross said more information would be available Tuesday.

[LA_MERC_Onji]

97 aftermath pics
http://news.yahoo.com/photos/ss/events/ts/080304tropicalweathe/im:/050830/ids_photos_ts/r3053890077.jpg;_ylt=AphH9hioDe6LJY75gerAGWIFO7gF; _ylu=X3oDMTA5bGcyMWMzBHNlYwNzc25hdg--

[cd]

Any of yall have any information on Gautier, MS? The only info I can get about MS is about Gulfport and Biloxi. Whole casino's were just ripped apart from what I've heard.

[LA_MERC_LaTech]

Roy Williams of the New Orleans Intnl Airport was on CNN just now. Apparently, they have at least one runway cleared for humanitarian relief only. They are taking the people from the superdome to the Astrodome.

Did I hear correctly? Forced evacuation of New Orleans?

[cd]

Yep, they have 500 buses making the trip.

[LA_MERC_Dirge]

yes it is not safe there. I was there, but BellSouth ordered us back out and I was glad to go. THe looters running around are VERY unsettling. Never did I think I would have to have a loaded shotgun to feel somewhat safe driving around my neighborhood. I will tell you that we had to sit and wait for some looters of a grocery store to finish pushing their grocery carts full of anything they could get their hands on (more than food and water). before we could continue down the street. The whol time them yelling at us and threatening? us.

[LA_MERC_LaTech]

http://www.digitalglobe.com/katrina_gallery.html

Check out the before and after pics of new orleans...this will give you a good idea of the flooding

[cd]

wow.. those pictures... just wow, The people who live in the bottom right part of NO(in the pic) appear to be amazingly lucky.

[LA_MERC_LaTech]

That's the french quarter, I think, and is actually the highest part in NO...if I'm wrong, sorry.

[LA_MERC_Dirge]

You're right, it is the highest part.

Check it out, high-res sat images of *mosy* of the affected areas...
http://ngs.woc.noaa.gov/katrina/KATRINA0000.HTM

[LA_MERC_Drax]

Those pics are really high res, it looks like the kenner area isn't in that bad of shape, doesn't appear to be that much water in that area. Been to James' house, but sheesh, its hard for me to find my way around on that map.... From the looks of it to me, it looks like it could be ok.

[cd]

it took me a while, but I checked on everyone I know's house. Great find Robby, appreciate it.