I will be arriving in NOLA this Saturday, July 9th. I know how dramatic news casters can sometimes be. Can any locals down in cajun country give me some info on what is really going on? Is heading to NOLA? Is windy and crazy now? Will I be in the hotel basement my entire trip or at Pat O'Briens throwin' back a few. Any info would be GREATLY appreciated!!

Keep checking this site:
http://hurricane.terrapin.com/

click on Hurricane Dennis, and that will give you a whole lot of information. Check out the storm track forecast to see where they expect it to be by Saturday. You can follow the track as they post new headings about every 6 hours and see if it is going to veer more to the east or west. Remember that even a fifty mile difference will mean a big difference in whether you get wet or not. also check out the strike possibility as to the best guess as to where the eye will go

And if you actually manage to find a basement in New Orleans by all means do NOT go down there if there's a storm. LOL!!

No one here knows any more than you do. The hurricane is HUNDREDS of miles away and could go anywhere on the gulf coast. We, like you, will have to sit tight and watch TV or the 'net.

There really is no way of knowing. Last fall a hurricane was heading at us causing my husband & I to have an impromptu vacation in Galveston, TX. That hurricane stayed in the FL panhandle and near the AL border. I really hope that the Orange Beach/Pensacola/Gulf Shores area does not get hit again as they are just beginning to get back on their feet from last year. Bottom line: it's a hurricane, so it's a natural weather occurence which is unpredictable.

stjohn...as a former New Orleans resident...I do understand what a funny (if there's anything funny about hurricanes) that was. Yikes.

I'm chuckling at the basement joke too....if you find one anyplace in town, make sure you take a pair of stilts down there with you so you can keep your head above water...!

ahhhhhhhhh, come on people. Was the basement joke that funny??? You guys are killin' me. I think I may have watched "Twister" too many times.

Thanks for all of the info!!! (especially Aileen. The website is great!)

LKL, educate yourself a bit about hurricanes. Your comment about "windy and crazy now" was rather interesting since the storm is still south of Cuba! It's actually nice here now but we're keeping an eye on the TV sets!

Our thoughts are with the Keys who will have to endure Dennis for a few days.

I am across the lake from NO & it has started to rain a bit- just the normal summer deal. We don't know where Dennis is going exactly & are just sitting tight. The weather info at www.wwltv.com is usually the best for local info.I like their tv weather best so usually go to their online site for info too. They are saying late Sunday is when we'll start seeing definite evidence of Dennis, wherever he goes.If it goes to the AL/FL coast then we will probably get some rain but not much else.

As a side note, we had 11 people coming to see us (overseas & US visitors) right as Ivan was heading this way. They came anyway & we had great weather. It didn't even rain & NO was empty of most crowds so we had a great time in the Quarter. Now the Gulf Coast got smashed so we were sure blessed that it missed us. Let's hope our luck holds!