I'm getting better (and more encouraging) info off the blogs in New Orleans than the official new sources. (Not entirely surprising.) From this morning:

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While Mayor Nagin has said in press conferences that St. Charles Avenue would be under 9 feet of water after all is said and done, this is simply not the case. He might be saying that to scare folks into leaving, which is fine, but for all the people who own property in the uptown area it's simply not true. St. Charles Ave is at sea level, NOT six feet below as Nagin had said. So with waters 3 feet above sea level, there will be 3 feet of water on St. Charles Ave, which seems to be the case in some places. People closer to the river, especially between Magazine and Tchoupitoulas, will face minimal flooding. The same may be true for the Bywater area between St. Claude and the river. That is high ground, it is a natural levee and several feet above sea level.

I live in Mid City and my elevation is about 1.5 feet below sea level, meaning 4-5 feet of water over there, most likely. Bad, yes. But maybe the possessions that I put up on high closet shelves before leaving will still be dry.

Fox News is saying the entire city will be covered in 15 feet of water. That is simply bullshit. Close to the lake that will be the case, but not anywhere else. If you're uptown, downtown, bywater, warehouse district.. don't write off your possessions just yet. It's still going to suck, bad, but don't listen to the sensationalist reports of 12 feet of water over the entire city.

Update: Just heard from a stalwart who rode it out in his Bywater house, on Dauphine St. between Clouet & Louisa. There is NO water on Dauphine right now. Just read an article saying the water might actually rise higher than the 3 feet above sea level originally predicted, due to the Pearl River cresting.

I think that Sue's right. My habits haven't changed. I only haven't gone on a few longer trips, but my ordinary life hasn't changed. I mean, I COULD take public tranport to work, but it takes an hour, whereas driving takes half an hour. Do I suck it up? no. Do I bitch that it takes damn near $40 to fill my gas tank? I most certainly do.

That blogger also has an extremely useful map showing elevations in New Orleans and the areas which are above sea level. Basically, the closer to the river / furthest from the lake areas (The Quarter, The Marigny, Warehouse District) are better off.

I'm with Sue and Vortex. Most of my driving is what gets me paid, anyway. It just takes money away from other things. The gas tank will get filled regardless.

From the blog. How the water damage works...

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I think it was Nightline that had an expert on last night talking about secondary flood damage. He said that after about 24 hours standing in water, a wooden structure's walls, roof, and insulation become completely soaked due to the wicking action of wood. That can cause the building to quickly become structurally unsound.

Like msbelle said, I am just so happy that I don't have to own a car.

me too. Well, we own one, but drive it sparingly and could go without if necessary.

Anyway, has this been posted? [link]

As the Associated Press reported last year, the suicide bombing was a "phenomenon unknown" in Iraq until after the U.S. invasion. The first recorded suicide bombing in Iraq came nine days after the war started. By the end of the first year of the war, at least 660 people had died in suicide bomb attacks.

There wasn't a suicide bombing in Baghdad today, at least as far as we know, but there didn't have to be. Fear of such an attack is so ingrained in Iraqis now that a rumor about a suicide bombing led to panic in a Shiite religious procession. The panic led to a stampede across a bridge. At least 648 Iraqis are confirmed dead, and the Iraqi Health Ministry says the death toll may climb to 1,000.

My god.

While Mayor Nagin has said in press conferences that St. Charles Avenue would be under 9 feet of water after all is said and done, this is simply not the case.

What apparently happened is that the mayor said "Water to 3 feet above MSL or 9 feet in 12 to 15 hours," but it got munged into "12 to 15 feet of water" when it was released. The mayor's office corrected the statement about an hour later, but "12 to 15 feet" is what stuck, and it hasn't been corrected in the print media.

I am just so happy that I don't have to own a car.

Me too.

I like to think I am conservation-minded, but I know that I do what's convenient for me to do, and damn the rest.

An interesting poll: Most in poll want creationism taught. [link]

Ack. I'm not against the idea of a comparative religion class in school, but I don't think creationism should be taught as science.