Overnight Katrina intensified to a 175 mph Cat 5 storm and seemed to head straight for New Orleans. Mayor Nagin
ordered the first ever mandatory evacuation of New
Orleans. Nagin warned that Katrina's expected storm surge -- which
could top 28 feet -- would likely topple levees.
"We are facing a storm that most of us have feared," Nagin said.
"I don't want to create panic, but I do want the citizens to understand
that this is very serious, and it is of the highest nature."
Nagin said the city's shelters should be used as a last resort and said
that people who use them should bring enough food, water and supplies
to last for several days. He said that the Superdome, the city's
shelter of last resort, "is not going to be a very comfortable place at
some point in
time."
"The shelters will end up probably without electricity or with minimum
electricity from generators in the end," Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco
said. "There may be intense flooding that will be not in our control
which would be ultimately the most dangerous situation that many of our
people could face." Blanco said that New Orleans could expect a
complete loss of electricity and water services as well as intense
flooding.
Residents who had delayed their departure jammed Interstate 10 westbound, prompting Blanco to urge evacuees to go north.
Between 20,000 and 25,000 others who remained in the city lined up to
take shelter in the Louisiana Superdome, lining up for what authorities
warned would be an unpleasant day and a half at minimum. Another
100,000 hunkered down at home, praying that the storm would veer away.
Federal Emergency Management Agency teams and other emergency teams
were already in place to move in as soon as the storm was over, FEMA
Under Secretary Michael Brown said. "There's about 36 hours for folks to get ready. Beyond that, it's just too
late." Its hard to understand what he meant as the storm was less that 24 hours away.
NOAA issued the most terrifying advisory I have ever seen:
Offical NOAA advisory
000
WWUS74 KLIX 281550
NPWLIX
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
1011 AM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005
...DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED...
.HURRICANE KATRINA...A MOST POWERFUL HURRICANE WITH UNPRECEDENTED
STRENGTH...RIVALING THE INTENSITY OF HURRICANE CAMILLE OF 1969.
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 WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR
HURRICANE FORCE...OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE...ARE
CERTAIN WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS.
ONCE TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ONSET...DO NOT VENTURE
OUTSIDE!