Sobering news in NOLA

The Weather Underground’s resident blogger, Jeff Masters, is saying that Katrina is now the fourth strongest hurricane ever. He puts the odds of the city being submerged at 70%! How many people are in the city right now? 50,000? 75,000? 100,000? Jeff writes: “This scenario, which has been discussed extensively in literature I have read, could result in a death toll in the thousands, since many people will be unable or unwilling to get out of the city. I recommend that if you are trapped in New Orleans tomorrow, that you wear a life jacket and a helmet if you have them. High rise buildings may offer good refuge, but Katrina has the potential to knock down a high-rise building. A 25 foot storm surge and 30 - 40 foot high battering waves on top of that may be able to bring down a steel-reinforced high rise building.”

August 29th, 2005