I was gonna say -- granted, it sounds like NOLA won't experience the worst-case scenario of direct hit, category 5 storm, but it sure doesn't sound like the city will be "spared," per se.
The point I'm making is that we were all making burial arrangements for NOLA last night (in an aboveground sarcophagus, natch), but that the most dire predictions did not come off because the storm's eyewall, which would have brought 140 mph winds and the worst of the surge, passed far enough east of the city that the cataclysmic flooding and damage didn't happen.
There's still lots of damage, and there's still flooding, but NOLA will live to fight another day and will not require scuba gear to be visited. I don't see how the Saints will be playing in the Superdome on Sept. 18, though.
wdsu.com [link]
There's a little section on current weather conditions in NO. It says 80 degrees, light rain.
Huh.
I think some people decided to stay in their homes because either the line was very long to get in to the shelters, they didn't have food and water with them (which was a requirement to get into shelters), or they decided that chancing the Superdome flooding with 10,000 people inside to panic or being in their home they'd rather be in their own home.
Dylan's right, I just saw film from the Quarter. It's not submerged. It'll have some damage, but nothing it hasn't dealt with before.
I regularly don't notice that I'm covered in cat hair until I'm well out of the house.
Ha. This is me, and I often wear a lot of black or dark colors. Classy.
God, I hope all those people in New Orleans are all right.
OH, and happy birthday Jen and meara, two lovely ladies who deserve the very finest in life! And happy day-after-your-birthday to Casper, who shares a birthday with my awesome little brother. Happy times to cool people.
I just read that parts of NO are submerged under 5-6 feet of water. Some (all?) of the pumps failed.
Having been in the Superdome, I think I'd stay home too. If I couldn't leave the city.
I've given up on trying to not wear cat hair.
Man, the picture on the front page of CNN is killing me.
[link]
There's also a slide show at nytimes.com that shows Canal Street with trees torn out.
But this is still the first round, right? Weren't people (experts) more concerned with the storm surge?
