How bad will things be with the new Hurricane about to hit New Orleans?

Question

How much can one City take, was it just built in the wrong place, will this one be worse than Katrina and is the US the most Storm ravaged country around?

Answer 1

Until this morning, 08/31/08, at 4:00 A.M., they were saying it was going to be worse than Katrina. The hurricane lost a little strength through the early morning hours between 1:00 A.M. and 4:00 A.M. The storm is moving over a very hot part of the Gulf of Mexico right now. The storm will probably gain some strength in the next few hours. They are still saying it will hit the SE Louisiana coast very close to New Orleans. They really can't say exactly where the eye will make landfall until right before it hits. So for now, yes, we should have a pretty bad hit. It really depends on where the eye moves on shore.

Answer 2

seems to me if they want to rebuild, it should be at their own risk (not insurance companies) and houses should be elevated, like on stilts or piers.  

Answer 3

Not as bad as Katrina because the Worlds eys are upon us.  The Government and the residents will look stupid on top of incompetent if the Gulf is ravaged again.

The whole country has regional problems.  Earth quakes, tornadoes, Hurricanes, Blizzards, Drought, Volcanoes, forest fires, Floods. Did I miss anything like falling debris and a plague of idiotic government officials?

Answer 4

all reports indicate it is worse then katrina. ppl need to remember Rita........... Rita didnt get much coverage but it really hit Louisiana hard. it wiped out towns and beaches........... towns no one moved back to. it may not have been on national news.but to the ppl who lived there ...well it meant alot to them.

this gustav is much worse then katrina. it is stronger and is hitting areas of population that will devastate louisiana

Answer 5

This will make Katrina look like a weak sister, This will give NO the

winds from the right side, WHich are the strongest and most dangerous, You will not only have the High winds of 185 sustained but

the storm surge. Ole School Bus Ray Naggin had better have the 9th

ward cleared out, our we wil never hear the end of it again.

Answer 6

Hey NOLA guy, very interesting information.  Since you mention the media - all through Katrina, I found it stunning how the media had no trouble at all getting there immediately but the government couldn't manage to get any help in for days.

As to it being built in the "wrong place" - I think the problem is more that it wasn't built properly, and is not maintained properly, for its location.  There are other cities below sea level, for example Amsterdam, in Holland.  That city has been around a lot longer than New Orleans.  I think - and I don't have a lot of information about this but maybe someone else does - that the Dutch put the thought, time and money into the infrastructure that it takes to keep Amsterdam safe.

Answer 7

I sure hope not! I went down there after Katrina happened. I couldn't believe my eyes. I felt so bad for my family there. I live in Alabama. We get pretty NASTY storms but never EVER anything like that. So I am grateful for that. Which is why my family is slowly but surely making there way over here. I've been watching this hurricane and I'm praying it doesn't do the same damage. Otherwise, I can't see why people want to live there anymore. Had it happened to me, I would have moved already. :(

Answer 8

Oh boy, yes good luck to everyone who is in the path!! May God protect you all, Hopefully every one will listen this time and leave, and get to a safe place, This hurricane may be worse than katrina was, they are really not saying. But wow it looks huge, and another one right behind it!!!! Hanna is on the way!!! I am in California, where we are all waiting for the big Earthquake, they keep predicting!! then we have no warning. I am in the Sierra range of mtns. far away from southern california.

Answer 9

At the moment, there is no guarantee where Gustav will hit the US coastline, but due to Katrina, NOLA is not taking any chances with this one.  Gustav is going to just gain strength as he passes through the warm waters of the Gulf headed for the coast.  Until he gets closer to land, it will hard to be able to tell if its going to be worse than Katrina.  

Also, New Orleans was built on swamp land that was built up with a lot of dirt.  It is slowly sinking and that is why it so easily floods.  It is built below the water table, making it even more vulnerable.

Answer 10

The area where Gustav will make landfall is still uncertain, but it will probably be far enough to the west of New Orleans that the city will be spared the worst of the storm.  People live everywhere it might go, so our chances of completely avoiding a disaster are remote.

New Orleans is located where it is because it has to be there. It is the principal port on the Gulf of Mexico and is the first or second US port each year in tons of cargo.  NOLA's location is determined by the Mississippi River and the river can't be moved.

New Orleans is actually NOT "prone" to being struck by hurricanes. The last one to hit before Katrina (2005) was in 1965, and before that was in 1947.  Neither of those hurricanes flooded the city like Katrina, which was the strongest storm ever recorded to strike North America (size + surge).  

The amount of coverage you are seeing is due to the saturation of news media coverage in the USA, plus the relativeley recent developments of portable TV cameras, satellite communications, and 24-hour news channels. You see so much attention to events in the USA because there is always video to show on TV and the news channels need to "feed the beast".

The availability of video is critical for TV and the media has a saying:  "No video, no story". For example, there was a 1991 Cyclone that wrecked Bangladesh and killed more people than the one in Burma/Myanmar.  However, it wasn't "on the news" because there was no video from the area.

Thank you for the best wishes!

Answer 11

Hope it loses a most of it's wind force. I have family and friends their. and very concerned, But it looks like they are doing a great job getting the people out of there. God be with them.