(no subject)

[katallison]

It's so surrealistic to be sitting here, on this beautifully calm sunny Minnesota afternoon, watching disaster bear down on New Orleans and feeling utterly *helpless.* I can't make myself turn the TV off, but I keep seeing footage of person-on-the-street interviews with residents, those who couldn't get out, and wondering how many of them will still be around tomorrow at this time. Apparently there's some concern about the Superdome's ability to withstand hurricane-force winds, and then you look at the long long lines of people trying to get in there....

I guess all that those of us in other parts of the US and world *can* do at this point is:
a) pray, if you're the praying sort; and
b) start caculating how much you can afford to donate to the Red Cross. Because even if this doesn't go worst-case-scenario, the devastation and the need are still going to be enormous.

Comments

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

Is there any indication that Katrina might veer off like Ivan did, she asked hopefully? This is all just sort of...inconceivable.

[batdina.livejournal.com]

there's a remote possibility she'll veer off and smack into Florida again ... up by the panhandle.

[katallison.livejournal.com]

While it could certainly veer (hurricanes being notoriously unpredictable), what I've been hearing is that even so N.O. will be hammered and the levees probably won't hold. (I would *love* for everyone to be wrong about this, needless to say.) And if it veers west, based on info here, it'd be just as bad for N.O. A righwards veer would spare them, but be doomsday for Biloxi and environs.

Inconceivable is what it feels like. I have a ton of work I dragged home this weekend, and I can't begin to focus on it. Just scrolling the news channels up and down, over and over.

[cathexys.livejournal.com]

plus it'd hit many of the folks who evacuated...like you i've been glued to the screen and listening to peoplewho can't make it out. the other thing are the traffic jams on I-10, though. i couldn't believe it when the weather channel guy got all upset that people hadn't evacuated earlier and not listened to their warnings...

i was in NOLA when Andrew threatened to hit and tons of folks went to Baton Rouge where it hit worse than in New Orleans itself...of course, it wasn't that bad at all...

sorry to be spamming you all day...i'm just at the edge of my nerves with nothing to do but wait and worry!!!

[evilprettykitty.livejournal.com]

On CNN they were talking about how they weren't going to let stay on the field and bottom level as they expected those areas of the superdome to flood. That is the base of the walls...wouldn't that make it unstable? It's just so scary.

[meri-oddities.livejournal.com]

Being origionally from Ft. Lauderdale, I've seen a lot of Huricanes do a lot of strange things. I'm still hoping they are wrong about this one. Unfortunately, it doesn't look that way. The trouble is that there isn't much in its way now. I'm still hoping for a reprive, though.

But man, this one scares me.

[popfantastic.livejournal.com]

I'm never one for watching News As It Unfolds on the talking box, but even I'm having problems tuning out.

I may very well have lost perspective or be showing my youth or something, but I feel like someone needs to give the world a break. And possibly a hug.

[rhi]

I was on I-40 this afternoon and I was passing Red Cross Disaster Relief crews driving what sort of look like ambulances, but aren't quite. I was in west TN; I passed crews from SC and NC (they list their home base on the doors). I've driven in from those cities; they'd already done 12 hours on the road where I passed 'em. They're headed to mid-Arkansas to wait until the storm passes over and then drive in to help, which is another 3 just to Little Rock, then 10, easy, into New Orleans. If the roads aren't wiped out.

Needless to say, I'll be donating to Red Cross.