Category 4 hurricane targets Gulf

[Lochloosa]

http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050708/NEWS01/507080322/1006

Sean Smith
@PensacolaNewsJournal.com

Hurricane Dennis is aiming for a Florida Panhandle landfall on Sunday, officials with the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Friday.

Don Shepherd, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mobile, warned of similarities with Hurricane Ivan last September.

"This far out, if you are anywhere in that cone, you need to be prepared," he said. "Wherever it goes, it will be very similar to what we had with Ivan."

Dennis is expected to make landfall between Mobile Bay and Apalachicola as a Category 3 hurricane, with sustained winds of at least 120 mph and a Gulf of Mexico storm surge of about 10 to 15 feet, said Jack Bevin, hurricane specialist with the National Hurricane Center.


I was there the day before and a couple of days after Ivan hit. This one is going to be bad. Good luck Big Bend....
:nopity:

[Shakespeare]

1. My parents evacuated this morning.

They're in p'cola, and STILL haven't been able to get all of the repairs done on their home (which were minor compared to a lot of other homes in the area).

I told my dad when we talked last night that it's NEVER a good thing when Jim Cantore shows up in your neighborhood, and he's baaaaaaaack again. Hoping this one peters out after it moves over Cuba. :-(

[Lochloosa]

2. Yeah, having Jim show up is not a good thing...now Stephanie Abrams

showing up....hell I would ride out a Cat 5 with her....:spank:

[OKNancy]

3. LBN posters, your input

Would you like to see one consolidated Hurricane thread and have all the off-shoot stories go into one master thread? ( for example: Gitmo damage)

We would do the usual, i.e. close it down when it gets too big and then start a new thread with the latest story.

[Lochloosa]

4. One thread would be a good idea...IMO

[amazona]

14. I would prefer one thread, info in one place CRUCIAL

I like to see all hurricane information in one place.

Voluntary evacuations now in Jefferson and St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana.

Orleans is hoping evacuations can be avoided because of the relatively low probability of the storm striking here. 12 to 16 percent, are the odds right now. It is still believed the storm will track through Mobile.

Be careful, ya'll. This is a big one. If I were in the Mobile area, I might leave now to get ahead of the crowds if need be.

[hootinholler]

22. Good idea(r) n/t

[Maddy McCall]

5. Hurricane lashes Cuba with 150MPH winds (Gitmo damage)

Hurricane Lashes Cuba With 150 Mph Winds

By BEN FOX

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL STATION, Cuba - Packing devastating 150 mph winds, Hurricane Dennis tore down a guard tower at the U.S. detention camp for terror suspects as it stalked Cuba's south coast and prepared Friday to strike into the heart of the largest Caribbean island.

/snip

The U.S. detention camp on Cuba's extreme southeast end that holds some 520 terror suspects was spared overnight. Heaving surf tore away a lifeguard tower at Windmill Beach and storm force winds reaching 40 mph destroyed a bus shelter. A few power lines and tree branches were knocked down and there was minor flooding.

/snip

On Thursday, troops watched from a cliff as the churning Atlantic Ocean threw up massive waves of salt spray that towered over the razor wire fence surrounding the camp at Guantanamo Bay.


Cuba evacuated more than 100,000 people from the southeast on Thursday, civil defense officials said on state television. Hundreds of tourists were taken to hotels in Havana and northern Varadero beach resort.

/snip

The largest and most populous Caribbean island with 11.2 million people, Cuba suffers few hurricane casualties because the government cautiously evacuates people en masse, sometimes forcefully.



http://www.carthagepress.com/articles/2005/07/08/apindex/headlines/d8b7aem80.txt




Hurricane Dennis crashes ashore in Cuba, on track for US coast
07.08.2005, 04:10 PM

HAVANA, (AFX) - Powerful Hurricane Dennis crashed ashore in central Cuba Friday packing winds of 240 km/h (149 mph) and unleashing pounding rains, Cuban officials said.

'It just made landfall at 1:00 pm (1700 GMT) near (the central province of) Cienfuegos,' the Cuban Meteorological Institute chief Jose Rubiera reported. 'It is a very strong Category Four, almost a Category Five' the strongest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale, he added.

Rubiera said the city of Cienfuegos would be lashed and that Cienfuegos Bay could be hit by a storm surge of five meters (15 feet).

The monster storm was expected to cross Cuba, population 11 million, over central provinces including La Habana -- where the capital of Havana is located -- Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Villa Clara and Sancti Spiritus.

More than 600,000 people have been evacuated to shelters and relative safety, Cuban authorities say. But the figure is preliminary and evacuations were still under way including in the capital. Authorities are very concerned about any hurricane's potential impact on downtown Havana, where about 60 percent of all housing units are in very poor condition and potentially unable to withstand the storm's full force. More than two million people live in the crowded capital.

http://www.forbes.com/work/feeds/afx/2005/07/08/afx2130134.html

[kskiska]

6. Wouldn't it be something

if the prisoners escaped to (official) Cuban soil, and Castro refused to return them?

[Maddy McCall]

8. That would be a sticky geopolitical situation, to say the least.

[underpants]

7. Rush said that the lifguard stand got knocked over

not the one overlooking the ocean the one overlooking the pool.

Seriously, I heard that at about 1:45 on the way back from lunch.

[dkofos]

9. Not to worry

KBR will fix the damaged tower for a few million$$

[jobycom]

10. CNN has a picture of the waves

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/07/08/tropical.weather/index.html

[GoddessOfGuinness]

21. OMG...It looks like a cloud!

[u4ic]

26. Where's Fred Phelps now?

That pic is from Guantanamo Bay.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

50. Too bad the hateful bastard isn't there.

Surfing, preferably.

[Roland99]

53. Whoa!

[slackmaster]

11. Gitmo just got the fringes

Mere tropical storm force winds.

:scared:

[Chipper Chat]

12. I'm waiting for Scottie's official White House statement.

"The hurricane was actually GOOD for Gitmo because it blew away all the korans. Also it scared the crap out of the well-fed, content detainees (read: towelheads) and we're now getting more information out of themnext question-Jeff.."

[underpants]

13. Talk radio will claim that "THEY GET MINERAL BATHS!!"

See my post about what Rush actually said above

[OKNancy]

15. NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/08/national/08cnd-storm.html?ei=5094&en=592b49830ea68576&hp=&ex=1120881600&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print

New York Times article

Cuba and Florida Keys Gird for Pummeling by Hurricane
By MARIA NEWMAN
A powerful storm, Hurricane Dennis, was battering Cuba's southern coast this afternoon, as residents and tourists in the outermost Florida Keys were ordered to evacuate in anticipation of the storm's making its way north toward the United States.

It was too early for to say whether Dennis, whose sustained winds of 145 miles per hour gave it a Category 4 ranking, the second-highest, would gather force or weaken as it passed over Cuba this evening. But its projected path could put it in the United States's southern Gulf Coast shore by late Sunday.

Officials in many coastal communities, including some in Alabama, were warning tourists to leave beaches that would be vulnerable to gale-force winds and storm surges. Officials elsewhere said they would make decisions in the next few hours.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said that a hurricane warning was in effect for the lower Florida Keys, including Key West, and that thousands of residents and tourists were crowding the series of bridges and highways that provide the only link to the mainland as the winds whipped up and rain lashed the area.

------------------------
Had a hard time getting in the NOAA site
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

[DoYouEverWonder]

16. Shit

there goes scalloping season. I heard they were really good last week too. So it goes...

Seriously, this sucks. The Panhandle still hasn't recovered from Ivan. And since it's not an election year, I sure the help will be even slower in coming.

[Patty Diana]

18. Not to mention the oil disruption that's about to happen___

The Wrath of God Himself descends on red America

[OKNancy]

17. NOAA photo

[Mika]

19. Radar loop of N Cuba & S Fla

http://www.intellicast.com/WeatherImages/RadarLoop/eyw+icast.gif?CB=200507816516

http://www.intellicast.com/WeatherImages/RadarLoop/eyw+icast.gif

[Roland99]

20. "targets"? Cute.

[Blue Gardener]

23. Link to DU Weather Group

There are hurricane discussions here as well.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=328

[KittyWampus]

25. Thank You For The Link, I'll Check In

[tsuki]

24. Mandatory evacuations in south Walton County. Roads are plugged.

We have only one north/south road from south county to north county over the Choctawhatchee Bridge. Bridge closes at 40 mph. It will take 24 to 36 hours to evacuate.

[susu369]

28. Glad I'm not there

my house was on road just north of 331 Bridge - was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan. Now living in southern Alabama (which may not be a tremendous improvement). Lots of friends in area - all in my thoughts.

[QC]

29. Panama City here.

Things are getting creepy here--panic shopping and lots of plywood going up. We're under a mandatory evacuation order here, but I'm staying, along with a lot of others. Frankly, evacuation strikes me as being more dangerous than staying, given the traffic. They tell me that during Opal it took 12 hours just to get to Marianna, which is only 50 miles from here. So I figure that if I try to evacuate I'll probably end up riding out the storm in my car. That doesn't sound good at all.

[Stuckinthebush]

30. I don't know...

You have 36 hours before it hits, right? I'd give it a shot to get over the bridge and into south Alabama. If you can get to 231, and then on up to Montgomery, you should be fine. Hell, if you can get to Birmingham, you can stay with me.

Be safe.

[QC]

32. Well, I'm on the inland side of the bridge,

which helps a lot--Panama City, rather than Panama City Beach. I rode out Ivan fine here, but have a feeling this one will be worse. It's probably too late to get out anyway--they say 231 is now a parking lot.

I really appreciate the offer--I'm from Decatur and have a lot of friends in Birmingham, so I would have a place to go if I got out of here, but frankly I'm afraid I would just end up riding out the storm in my car if I tried to evacuate. So I'll just hunker down here.

[Stuckinthebush]

38. I understand....

Good luck and hunker down.

You always have a bed in Bham if you need it!

[susu369]

31. Man, bummer

we stayed in our house during Hurricane Opal. Before the storm, we could see highway 331 from our house and the traffic was gridlock so we figured (like you) we would stay. The most horrible experience - when the storm came through in the dead of the night we were climbing on top of counters watching the waters rise around us. So, after that experience, when Hurricane Ivan was approaching, we left. Glad we did. Our house was totally devastated.

You may want to rethink your decision (based on your circumstances).
My son still lives in the Seagrove Beach area and is leaving this evening.

May angels watch over you....

[QC]

33. Where did you live?

Were you out at the beach? I'm in town--we didn't flood during Opal or Eloise, so I think we should be OK here. I have to admit, though, that this one worries me a lot more than Ivan did.

[susu369]

34. We lived on road right off Highway 331 bridge -

over the bridge to the north, first road to left, we were directly on Choctawhatchee Bay (real close - like 50 feet). When Mother Nature was good, she was very good....our own private little beach. When Mother Nature is bad, she is very, very, very bad....

[ezekiel333]

36. I'm with ya in PC...

I'm in a green zone, Cedar Grove, no mandatory evac, but even if I wasn't I would be staying. Too many panic freaks on the road and really no where to go. Odds are better at home.

[QC]

39. There's a mandatatory evac order here in St Andrews,

but everyone on my block is digging in and staying. Good luck!

[ezekiel333]

40. Good luck to you too!

We have to run out and close down our store on the beach in the am, then home to hurricane party. Well, I am, the wife is a nurse and has to go in for the duration. See ya on the other side...

[QC]

49. See ya there!

I think we're going to make it fine here!

[tsuki]

35. Thanks, susu369. We are hunkered down. Everything will be

alright.

[susu369]

37. Keep us posted

:thumbsup:

[OKNancy]

27. Hurricane Dennis kills 10 in Cuba, 22 in Haiti

HAVANA (Reuters) - Hurricane Dennis roared through the Caribbean on Friday, leaving 10 dead in Cuba and 22 in Haiti before aiming for Havana on a course toward the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, where oil rigs and vulnerable coastal areas were evacuated.

The storm weakened slightly as it crossed Cuba but the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Cuban meteorologists had reported a 149-mph (240 kph) gust that caused extensive damage in the city of Cienfuegos.

<snip>

Most of the victims died in collapsed houses in Granma province, Castro said on state television. An 18-day-old baby was among those who died.

On Friday, the storm's sustained winds of 135-mph (215 kph) ripped up trees and downed electricity lines in Cienfuegos and U.S. forecasters said Dennis was threatening the capital Havana, where many live in decrepit colonial buildings.

The U.S. Hurricane Center said the eye of Dennis would head into the eastern Gulf on Friday evening and skirt the Florida Keys on Saturday before taking aim at the U.S. Gulf Coast.

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-07-08T235814Z_01_KNE875021_RTRUKOC_0_WEATHER-DENNIS.xml

[Up2Late]

41. Hurricane Dennis kills 10 in Cuba (BBC News)

Friday, 8 July, 2005, 23:29 GMT 00:29 UK

Hurricane Dennis kills 10 in Cuba

A hurricane racing across the Caribbean has killed at least 10 people in Cuba, President Fidel Castro says.

Hurricane Dennis made landfall in the south-east of the country on Friday, bringing torrential rains and winds of up to 240km/h (150mph). The storm is expected to pass east of the capital, Havana, travelling into the Gulf of Mexico before hitting southern Florida at the weekend.

It killed at least five people in Haiti and caused heavy flooding in Jamaica.Hurricane Dennis has "arrived, with all its diabolical force", President Castro said on Cuban TV. He said eight people had died in Granma province and two in Santiago.



<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4659163.stm>
(more at link above)

[efhmc]

42. I heard that it is a biggie. Where is it headed?

[Up2Late]

44. It heading to FLORIDA! or Alabama...

Here's a great website for tracking Hurricanes and Tropical Storms.

<http://forecast.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/shadow/>

Lot's of stuff to click on, make sure you click on "Wind Field," and check out the Water Vapor picture (which can be animated).

[Massacure]

46. Pensacola Beach furthest East, New Orleans furthest West.

The National Weather Service cannot really accurately forecast Dennis until it passes Cuba. We'll find out tommorow afternoon I guess.

[Selteri]

43. Wonder how many people in Gitmo are hit? NT

[Up2Late]

45. It mostly missed GTMO

I think they got the winds about 30 MPH or less.

Maybe the next one will hit it and wipe it out (after it's evacuated)

[Auntie Bush]

56. Hope it's evacuated ito the sea. Would solve a lot of problems.

Maybe those uneducated Muslims will think Allah is punishing them for their terrorist activities and get the word out to all the others.

[Up2Late]

47. The Weather Channel graphic just said 22 Dead in Haiti...

...and I saw nothing in the U.S. News.:cry: :grouphug:

[OKNancy]

48. Loop map

reposting down-thread ( this updates automatically)


http://www.intellicast.com/WeatherImages/RadarLoop/eyw+icast.gif

[OKNancy]

51. Dennis' Outer Bands Roll Into Central Fla.

Dennis' Outer Bands Roll Into Central Fla.
Storm On Path For Gulf Coast Sunday

POSTED: 7:50 am EDT July 9, 2005
UPDATED: 9:33 am EDT July 9, 2005

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Computer models showing the predicted path of Hurricane Dennis continue to push the storm into the Gulf Coast, making landfall anywhere from Pensacola, Fla., to Mobile, Ala., according to Local 6 meteorologist Larry Mowry.


Local 6's exclusive VIPIR forecast radar has Hurricane Dennis continuing a path toward the Gulf Coast and arriving in the Panhandle Sunday.

http://www.local6.com/hurricanes/4702461/detail.html

[Stuckinthebush]

52. It has died down

This is good news. Since it spent so much time over Cuba, it has weakened. It will pick up speed as it crosses the warm Gulf, but I wonder if it really will get to 4 status when it hits the coast. I am hoping that it will be a weak 3.

[funkybutt]

54. I've decided to stay put

for now anyway. New Orleans city officials seem to be pretty cautiously optimistic. I'm trying to take care of having a dying tree cut back so that it doesn't damage a neighbors home.

SO for now..I'm packed up, car full of gas and relatives in Baton Rouge, Monroe, and Shreveport. I can go to any of those locations if I do end up having to leave. I sure hope not though.

[WillyT]

55. Hurricane Dennis Leaves Cuba Leaving 32 Dead - (Reuters)

<snip>

HAVANA (Reuters) - Deadly Hurricane Dennis left behind a battered Cuba with shattered houses, shredded power lines and debris-littered streets on Saturday and reintensified over the warm Gulf of Mexico after a Caribbean rampage that killed at least 32 people.

Dennis weakened as it crossed Cuba from a ferocious 150 mph_(240 kph) hurricane to a 90 mph (144 kph) storm, but immediately regained some of its lost strength when it hit open water and skirted Key West, the popular tourist island at the end of the Florida Keys chain.

The storm headed on a northwest track that threatened key oil and natural gas fields in the Gulf of Mexico, where a quarter of U.S. production comes from, and was expected to hit the U.S. mainland between the Florida panhandle and Mississippi on Sunday.

Roaring winds with gusts of up to 100 mph (165 kph) and driving rain pounded blacked-out Havana all night. Authorities cut off power to avoid accidents from fallen cables. A weakened Dennis ploughed through the countryside just east of the capital city of 2 million, knocking down trees and power lines, but causing relatively minor damage.

<snip>

Link: http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-07-09T133900Z_01_KNE875021_RTRUKOC_0_WEATHER-DENNIS.xml



Be careful everyone!!!

:grouphug:

[WillyT]

57. GODDAMIT !!! - Man Accidentally Runs Over Son While Preparing To Evacuate!

<snip>

DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) -- The Florida Highway Patrol says a man accidentally ran over his three-year-old son while the family prepared to evacuate in the Panhandle ahead of Hurricane Dennis.

Highway patrol says 32-year-old Gerald Miller was either trying to park the family's van or back up to a trailer in the driveway of his DeFuniak Springs home.

Miller's two sons, three-year-old Christopher and eight-year-old Brandin, were in the van as he put it in reverse with the right sliding door open.

<snip>

Link: http://www1.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MIA3023/

Christ...

:wtf: