First, Governor Blanco of Louisiana practically told everyone that everything was going to be okay today at this afternoon's news conference. I believe she actually used the word "positive" to describe this experience. For whatever reason she's been VERY loathe to do anything like call for a mandatory evacuation and now it looks like FEMA is going to pre-emptively step in.
Meanwhile the crazy story at this hour is that New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin is consulting with his lawyers before he decides to call for a mandatory evac. Seems that the mayor is worried about the criminal elements looting and ransacking the town after most of the people start to leave. I've also heard that the city government would be financially liable for injuries/deaths that happen if nobody can be evacuated after such an order is given (is this right? I've heard from two sources that this is indeed the case). His office has taken the step of announcing that the Super Dome will open tomorrow morning to shelter evacuees in its higher levels but nobody is sure just how much pummeling the stadium can take. There's some hesitation to do even that 'cuz during Ivan last year a lot of refugees stole various items from the place.
What this all means is that a real evacuation order might not come down until tomorrow and then it'll be WAY too late to move everyone onto the interstates headed out of town... all because the local politicians are playing themselves some CYA.
And there's not nearly enough National Guard in Louisiana to be called up for assistance because a lot of them are away in Iraq.
And at least one radio station tonight is reporting that animals like turtles, snakes, birds, etc. are fleeing the coastal area and heading further inland. We're talking whole gangs and flocks of them. Animals don't usually act like that unless they know something's up, like the tsunami last Christmas in Asia: whole herds of elephants fled the coastlands many hours before the wave actually hit, and the stories about animals leaving before an earthquake.
Man, the way things might converge with this hurricane, it's almost like the perfect storm about to happen. This might be real history we're about to witness.
3 comments:
My grandparents have left New Orleans. Everyone south of I-12 is evacuating, and the Superdome is opened. The entire water system of NO is shut down.
This could be the big one that washes over the levee and puts New Orleans under 15 feet of water-until it is all pumped out.
AHHH!
I don't know if I'm going to sleep at all tonight. This has all the makings of the very worst kind of history about to happen.
Praying for your grandparents here William. Send 'em our best from North Carolina :-)
Christopher, we can now officially call you a prophet.
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