Not much going on...

31 AUG - 12:30 PM

Jefferson Parish Emergency Managers have ordered a mandatory evacuation for the Eastbank of Jefferson Parish beginning today, Sunday, August 31, 2008 at noon.

Jefferson Parish law enforcement agencies and the National Guard will be patrolling throughout the parish and cities to protect the property of citizens while they are away. Law enforcement agencies will not tolerate any civil or criminal disobedience and those who do not have a reasonable explanation for their presence will go to jail.

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Persons should educate themselves on the meaning and consequences of the different evacuation levels. 

www.legis.louisiana.gov/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=498846

If you are under a Mandatory Evacuation and remain, stay on your own property.  There is a new evacuation level known as 'forced evacuation', which mean they can send men with guns into your house for no other reason than you are home.  This law passed just this year.

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50,000 guard troops are being activated.

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I have been tremendously impressed with the response of Governor Jindal and elements of the State government.  The locals, not so much.  Same rhetoric as last time.  I expect Nagin will lose his mind completely at some point, which is a shame.  The man should retire.  He's too tired to do this again.

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Top 10 latest Gustav headlines - WWL.com Reporting

1) New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin says Gustav is "The mother of all storms! You need to be scared and you need to get your butts moving out of New Orleans... this is the storm of the century." He has ordered a MANDATORY EVACUATION of the Westbank at 8am and ALL of New Orleans at noon.

2) Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard says "You cannot protect yourself against what Mother Nature is going to throw at us." He has - for the first time ever called a MANDATORY evacuation for all of Jefferson parish. Assisted evacuation ends at noon.

3) St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis is meeting with city and parish leaders across the Northshore and may expand the current evacuations order. He has announced a MANDATORY evacuation for all areas south of Interstate 12 and all areas east of Interstate 59 in St. Tammany Parish at 7am. He told Northshore residents "We're talking about 17 feet to 20 feet storm surge in St. Tammany Parish... it is extremely important to heed these warnings and evacuate." There is a voluntary evacuation for the remainder of St. Tammany Parish immediately.

4) Other Parishes in Southeast Louisiana with MANDATORY evacuations are: Lafourche - Plaquemines - St. Bernard - St. Charles - St. John - St. Mary–Terrebonne- And Tangipahoa south of Highway 22

5) Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal says "This is a very, very serious storm... this is a storm that has a potential to cause tremendous damage... we could see flooding that is worse that what we saw in Katrina." He urged everyone to get out of Gustav’s path.

6) The National Hurricane Center says Gustav is a category three storm barreling into the Gulf of Mexico with winds of 120 miles per hour.

7) Channel 4 Meteorologist Dawn Brown says "Gustav is very likely to impact the New Orleans metro area and most of Southeast Louisiana." She adds, "It is very possible it will make landfall as a category four hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour. We could expect storm surges of 15 to 20 feet."

8) More than 10,000 people have used New Orleans assisted evacuation. Officials still expect to move up to 30,000 people who can’t evacuate themselves out of town.

9) The National Hurricane Center says a hurricane warning is issued for Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. From Cameron Louisiana eastward to the Alabama-Florida border...including the city of New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area within the next 24 hours. The Hurricane Center says "preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion."

10) Contra flow began at 4am. There are still miles and miles of bumper to bumper evacuee traffic.

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It's funny, but I find myself referring to my own website to be sure that I know what to do...  All persons affected by Gustav in Louisiana should read this page:

http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/blogs/klessons/p/0072.html

and be prepared to register with  FEMA.  It is not yet time to do so.

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31 AUG - 4:40 PM

The surf is up.

My brother-in-law had a strange craving for fruit salad.  Sick. 

Fortunately, I have had the foresight to bring the emergency bacon.

The waiting is the hardest part.

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There seems to be a lot of shear on Gustav.  It lost some strength.  It might slack out as it comes in, or it might spin back back up. 

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8:22 PM

Everyone I have been able to contact is out of harm's way.  They're saying that there are less than 10,000 people left in New Orleans - and that's mostly relief personnel.  To evacuate a major US city in 48 hours is fairly amazing.  I'd like to see some other cities try that... 

Steve M. has left for good.  He and his mother are going to Virginia and not coming back.  I've heard the, "I can't do this again.", speech from a few people now. 

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Ed and I whipped up some burgers tonight - with corn on the cob. 

Chopping onions.

 

Now that's a burger...

I'd have dinner pics, but everything got devoured so fast that I missed my moment.

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Taking a quick inventory here, we're in good shape.  I brought my tools, and I always keep a hammer in the car.  You never know when you'll be invited to a hammer party.  I've got all the important stuff.  I can't think of anything of value that I left behind except for about $20 in loose change...

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Tales of the foolish:  Live hurricam from Houma:  http://www.gregledet.net/hurricam/hurricam.html

Anybody want to start a pool on these guys?

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Shane