Mandatory evacuations are underway in the New Orleans metro in anticipation of what may become a Category 5 hurricane, expected to make landfall Monday morning.
I-10 will be converted to one-way traffic only to aid evacuees.
Flights in and out of New Orleans will be affected beginning possibly tonight, surely tomorrow.
Everyone be careful out there.
Prayers are appreciated.

Yes, take this seriously, VERY seriously..ANYONE from Port Isabel to Oak Grove....Prepare, Be Ready...I cant be there to help you, but you are all, everyone of you, in our every thought and prayer...Be Safe!

Hi platzman, everyone sure has my prayers. As I have said before I don't know how the residents keep their sanity with this constant weather problem. May everyone be safe.

When in New Orleans several years ago took a tour which explained function of hurricane gates - hope they work and no harm comes to those in your wonderful city.

My thoughts and prayers are with all of you in that area.

My sister and her husband were having a long weekend away from Houston in New Orleans until I called her with the news of the storm early this a.m. I've been talking to her by phone and they are currently moving about 5 mph on I-10 trying to get out of the city along with everyone else.

I'm keeping my TV on The Weather Channel and will be sending good thoughts to those of you in the path. Be safe, and yes....take this one very seriously.

Give us an update when you can.

I have family in Metairie which is between the french quarter and the airport. They're heading to Shreveport.

I don't think there could be a worse scenario than this one. There's no way New Orleans can handle 20 inches of rain like what fell on S. Miami. This could be very bad.

Gail
What are the hurricane gates? I too hope they work, but have never heard of them.

We lived in Metairie too TG, then on the Westbank later. Our worst fear during hurricane season was that one would come in from such an angle that it would drive water into Pontchartrain then over the city..most of it sitting below sea level. We had a few near misses there, Camille being one of them. Keeping fingers crossed that this one will hit a less populated and vulnerable area. I'm not familiar with hurricane gates either...is it something recent??

I will be hoping that this does not cause the damage it could, that no one is harmed and that everyone stays safe!!

Godspeed, everyone!!

Oh Joy... Oh Joy...

The good thing for me is: I no longer live there! I live in Lafayette, which is West of NO and where people evacuate TO, so hopefully we are good here. Still, there was no water for my normal Saturday shopping. Hate Hurricanes.

I'm happy Jim Cantore is in Biloxi. For those who follow hurricanes on the Weather Channel, you know it usually hits where he is.

I may end up with a full house by tomorrow as I have many friends in Grand Isle & Lafouche Parish and family in Morgan City and Terrebonne Parish. You'll hear those names if you're watching. I hope they leave before it's too late. We all fall into the "It's not coming here" routine.

I leave Wednesday for Prague. As long as I can get into & out of NO by then, we're good. If not, I'll be driving to catch my flight in Dallas! The stress of packing, finishing up work to be out for a while, selling a house and now this. Boy, do I need this trip!

Hope everyone gets out of NO safely.

Good luck!

PS - It is only 95 today - not the 100 that was predicted, but the heat index is 103 at 5pm. I CANNOT IMAGINE losing electricity in the next few days. UGH.

I've been checking out the real-time internet traffic cams in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Traffic on I-10 looks light.
All I can say is WOW!
Mandatory evacuations for the last couple of storms were fiascos.
My hats off to the folks who came up with this "Contra-flow" traffic plan.

This is really a scarey one. And don't ignore the damage it did in the Miami area. I just heard from my niece who managed to fly back to Ohio this afternoon. She and my great niece arrived in the hurricane about 6 on Thursday evening driving over from Naples. The power went off about an hour later. As of noon today they still have none. They have been unable to call as there is no telephone service, and neither could get signals with their cells -- and then they ran out of power anyway. She lives in North Miami near Biscayne Blvd. Nearly all of Homestead is completely flooded and most of the Andrew victims who have rebuilt just lost all their furniture and possessions again-- fortunately minimal damage otherwise to homes. Miami is a mess right now. I liked the comment by one newscaster that they should ban the use of the term "minimal hurricane".

There is a website I learned about on this board called WeatherUnderground.com that is very informative on hurricanes. It has all the computer models and a couple of blogs by meterologists who explain what's going on so that it is easy to understand the science behind the storm.

We are in the Brickell area of Miami, right downtown. I thought that the storm was hitting Broward Co. The cable was out,so that was the last that I heard. I have learned my lesson! Keep a radio on. We are lucky we didn't lose power. I hope everyone in New Orleans will get out and keep safe.
MsMolly

Went to dinner and just getting back. I'm afraid to turn on the Weather Channel...

Damn... I'm selling a rental house on Monday. Or WAS selling... ... I made sure last week mid-week that the buyer got his insurance in place earlier b/c insurance companies won't write policies when there is a storm in the Gulf (things most people wouldn't think of), but assumed that it would go somewhere else & I could still close before my trip (I leave Wednesday for Europe). Doesn't look like that will happen. Now, we've both got coverage at least!

Nothing new. I'll be waking up all night to check it.

GET OUT!!! A category 1 is scary enough. I can't even imagine a Cat 5. Living without power for a week in heat is not fun.

My thoughts and prayers are with you. I hope Katrina somehow misses New Orleans. On a city tour we did while vistiting, we were told how horrible a hurricane can be for the city.
New Orleans is one of my favorite cities. I fell in love with her while I was there. Let's pray for the best.

I lived in Houma for a year when I first came to the US and so that entire area has a special place in my heart. The pictures I saw last night on CNN showed I-10W jammed and moving very slowly. Now that the evacuation is mandatory, all the lanes are going away from New Orleans and I hope everyone who can go is going. Unfortunately, New Orleans has many, many poor residents who do not have cars and cannot get out. Also, there are many, many seniors who are similarly stuck.

They're talking about the storm surge being 15-20 feet, plus many inches of rain.

Please be smart. This isn't a storm you can gamble with.