"See, I told you Katrina was no big deal..."

[OrlandoGator]

Everyone posting "I told you so" about this storm are simply failing to understand the unique situation New Orleans is in. The city is extremely fortunate that Katrina weakened and turned east. Had a Cat5 storm hit NO head-on, the doomsday scenario would have ensued. This is simply fact.

Now is not the time for petty smugness. We're looking at thousands homeless and our economy getting slapped for months to come.

[Egalitariat]

1. The doomsday scenario is as likely to happen as that of any other city

Anytime a number of people start betting on the "doomsday scenario", the naysayers will be right all of the time.

Doomsday scenarios are for selling magazines and advertising time.

What New Orleans is experiencing and will experience is horrendous indeed, but nothing like what sold all of the newspapers on Sunday.

[Stephanie]

2. .

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4490806

WWUS74 KLIX 282139
NPWLIX

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
413 PM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE KATRINA CONTINUES TO APPROACH THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA...
...DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED...

MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS...PERHAPS LONGER. AT
LEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL
FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL...LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY
DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.

THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL.
PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD
FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. CONCRETE
BLOCK LOW RISE APARTMENTS WILL SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE...INCLUDING SOME
WALL AND ROOF FAILURE.

HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY...A
FEW TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT.

AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD...AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH
AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES. SPORT UTILITY
VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED. THE BLOWN DEBRIS WILL CREATE
ADDITIONAL DESTRUCTION. PERSONS...PETS...AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE
WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK.

POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS...AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN
AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING
INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF NATIVE TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY
THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING...BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED. FEW
CROPS WILL REMAIN. LIVESTOCK LEFT EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL BE
KILLED.

AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WATCH IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR
HURRICANE FORCE...OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE...ARE
POSSIBLE WITHIN THE NEXT 24 TO 36 HOURS.

LAZ038-040-050-056>070-MSZ080>082-290300-
ASSUMPTION-HANCOCK-HARRISON-JACKSON-LIVINGSTON-LOWER JEFFERSON-
LOWER LAFOURCHE-LOWER PLAQUEMINES-LOWER ST. BERNARD-LOWER TERREBONNE-
ORLEANS-ST. CHARLES-ST. JAMES-ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST-ST. TAMMANY-
TANGIPAHOA-UPPER JEFFERSON-UPPER LAFOURCHE-UPPER PLAQUEMINES-
UPPER ST. BERNARD-UPPER TERREBONNE-
413 PM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

...INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT...

HURRICANE KATRINA CONTINUES TO APPROACH THE AREA. TROPICAL STORM
FORCE WINDS ARE CURRENTLY MOVING INTO THE COASTAL MARSHES AND WILL
PERSIST FOR THE NEXT 26 TO 28 HOURS. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WILL
ONSET AROUND MIDNIGHT NEAR THE COAST AND BY 3 AM CLOSER TO THE NEW
ORLEANS METRO AREA AND PERSIST FOR 9 TO 15 HOURS. MAXIMUM WIND GUSTS
AROUND 175 MPH ARE LIKELY IN THE WARNED AREA BY DAYBREAK MONDAY.

DO NOT VENTURE OUTDOORS ONCE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ONSET!

$$

LAZ034>037-039-046>049-MSZ068>071-077-290300-
AMITE-ASCENSION-EAST BATON ROUGE-EAST FELICIANA-IBERVILLE-
PEARL RIVER-PIKE-POINTE COUPEE-ST. HELENA-WALTHALL-WASHINGTON-
WEST BATON ROUGE-WEST FELICIANA-WILKINSON-
413 PM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

...INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT...

HURRICANE KATRINA CONTINUES TO APPROACH THE AREA. TROPICAL STORM
FORCE WINDS ARE CURRENTLY MOVING INTO THE COASTAL MARSHES AND WILL
SREAD NORTHWESTWARD INTO THE GREATER BATON ROUGE AREA AND
SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI LATER THIS EVENING. TROPICAL STORM FORCE
WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO ONSET AROUND 9 PM TONIGHT AND PERSIST
FOR 22 TO 26 HOURS. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WILL ONSET AROUND
DAYBREAK AND PERSIST FOR ABOUT 5 TO 10 HOURS. MAXIMUM WIND
GUSTS OF 80 TO 90 MPH ARE POSSIBLE IN EAST-CENTRAL LOUISIANA
AND SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI.

DO NOT VENTURE OUTDOORS ONCE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ONSET

http://weather.noaa.gov/pub/data/raw/ww/wwus74.klix.npw.lix.txt

[Modem Butterfly]

3. I wouldn't be so quick to blow off that doomsday scenario

I wouldn't be so quick to blow off that doomsday scenario until folks can get into the gulf and find out just how many people were effected and just how badly.

[jsamuel]

4. The 9th ward is flooded above the 2nd floor... people are in danger NOW

so stop saying "I told you so"

[Jacobin]

5. Barely dodged the bullet. It's very torn up and undoubtedly

many dead.

We'll find out once search and rescue can get out there

[Shakespeare]

6. Not a big deal?! Mississippi has unprecedented storm surge....

...levies are being breached around New Orleans--AND THE STORM IS STILL GOING ON.

Jesus, folks....it's a little premature to play the smug skeptic. The numbers of impoverished who will be devastated by this storm are going to be huge.

[expatriot]

7. some people like to think they are "above" getting excited/scared

about things. To them, everything is over-hyped, over-rated, over-sensationalized and over-done. They are just laid-back, cool-cats who put everything in perspective for us irrational hysteria-victims.

but i secretly think they are asses and pricks.

[steve2470]

10. Amen. Your stature just went up in my eyes nt

[expatriot]

13. thanks... (i think) mind if i ask you one question...

how low was it before? :)

[steve2470]

15. it was at the usual default, no reflection on you :-) nt

[Lorien]

12. We're equipped with adrenaline so that we may escape harm

it's not simply for riding roller coasters or watching thrillers at the AMC.If the storm had been downgraded yet again it would still have been cause for alarm and action. Those "cool-cats" are in denial; real life emergencies don't always resemble Bruce Willis movies, and people DO become injured and die in ways that are usually not as spectacular as scenarios dreamed up by Industrial Light and Magic.

[expatriot]

14. except, of course, for ACTUAL cats

who are very cool indeed. They only show emotion in the most critical of times. Most notably when they are hungry.

[KoKo]

8. There will be terrible loss of life and environmental disaster. This

isn't like Florida where folks thought it was just some "poor folks in trailor parks," and moved on.

We haven't seen a storm like this in our lifetimes hit an area that's as populated. Camille was terrible but the Gulf Coast then was not what it is now.

Many folks are used to the Media's one day focus and then move along. This Hurricane is still moving right up the middle of the country. We haven't seen the worst of it with the aftermath being what will bring it home. The media could cover up Florida and North Carolina with the last hurricanes but it isn't going to be able to do it with this one.

[formernaderite]

9. quite sick actually....

it is pretty bad...almost sounds like they wanted utter destruction.

[demo dutch]

11. It's not just the hurricane, it's the aftermath that's so devastating

In So. FL in '92, people lost everything and were homeless for months and months. Especially the children were traumatized.
I take it that you're playing devils advocate!

[OrlandoGator]

16. Kick.

n/t

[redqueen]

17. I agree. Those people need to take a break for a couple of days.

Or maybe not. Maybe some of us might enjoy shoving those words in their faces after the total losses are known.

Jerks.