Breakfast at Tiffany's – Because I Do Not Know

God Help New Orleans

Katrina is now a Cat 5 hurricane, and her strength may very well rival Camille, considered the worst storm to ever hit the mainland United States. Camille killed 143 people when she landed centered on Biloxi, Miss. The storm report on Katrina brings chills to all of us who have loved ones in New Orleans:

... POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC HURRICANE KATRINA MENACING THE NORTHERNGULF COAST...

THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 906 MB...26.75 INCHES. COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 18 TO 22 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDELEVELS...LOCALLY AS HIGH AS 28 FEET ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUSBATTERING WAVES...CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THECENTER MAKES LANDFALL. SIGNIFICANT STORM SURGE FLOODING WILL OCCURELSEWHERE ALONG THE CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO COAST.

REPEATING THE 1 PM CDT POSITION...26.5 N... 88.6 W. MOVEMENTTOWARD...NORTHWEST NEAR 13 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...175 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 906 MB.

For those of you unfamiliar with hurricanes, the lower the minimum central pressure, the more powerful the storm becomes. You can get up to speed here. The minimum central pressure for Camille was 26.84; Katrina's is even lower.

Why is a storm of this magnitude more scary for New Orleans than, say, other parts of the Gulf Coast? Weather.com has an excellent, brief explanation:

The city lies, on average, 6 feet below sea level. It's bordered by the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain on two sides. Those bodies of water ultimately feed into the Gulf of Mexico, which lies less than 100 miles from New Orleans. Besides being surrounded by water, the city is also marbled with canals and bayous that are essential to the city's daily functions.

Lake Pontchartrain forms New Orleans' northern boundary. The lake spans 630 square miles, but it's only 25 feet deep. Many experts say the lake is the city's greatest threat during a hurricane because of its relatively shallow depth.

Yes, 6 feet below sea level. Keeping the surrounding water out of the city is a complex set of levees. As the storm comes ashore and pushes the water forward, those levees was be overwhelmed. Water will pour over them and into the city. And the pumps which typically push the water back will be flooded. A storm of this magnitude could be devastating for the Crescent City.

God help them all.

5 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 1:19 PM
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5 Comments:

I am more convinced with each news report that this hurricane should be renamed The Wrath Of God-who's with me?

Also,I keep thinking that Anne Rice is probaly holed up in her house(she lives in the French Quarter,I belive)like the wacky drama queen that she is.

By lady t, at 4:39 PM

At least it seems that it has shifted course a little bit, and New Orleans his not taken the full brunt of the storm. Half of the city is under five to six feet of water though. Those poor people! I remember how devastating it was when the floods of 93 hit the midwest. I only hope the death toll will remain low.

By Matt S., at 10:00 AM

My prayers are with these folks. I hope everyone can stay safe and sound. We deal with earthquakes but that's usually not that devastating across such a wide area. And they're not as common - knock on wood.

(And sidenote: T., I thought Anne Rice sold her house after her husband died, btw...)

By Jay Six, at 10:34 AM

They got lucky.
Real lucky.

By dAAve, at 3:34 PM

I live on fairly high ground, so I'm not worried about water. The wind and its circulation are another story.

New Orleans is lucky in a sense, but it still has some major damage. The Casino Coast in Mississippi looks bad, as does parts of Mobile, Ala.

As for Anne Rice, I know she sold her home on First Street. But I think she still lives in the NOLA 'burbs, somewhere. Christopher lived in WeHo the last I heard.

By Jake McCafferty, at 6:41 PM