The Perfect Storm ~

[Ronin]

See y'all on the other side of this badass.

~~~

Darkwind, wicked calls
I stand to meet you again
...seawall at midnight.

[Petra]

Originally Posted by Ronin

See y'all on the other side of this badass.

~~~

Darkwind, wicked calls
I stand to meet you again
...seawall at midnight.

Take care, babe.

Hope it passes soon, and with minimal damage...

[Sonnet]

Crap. Take care, man.

[livius drusus]

Be careful, Ronin, please. Seawall at midnight it is.

[viscousmemories]

Dammmmn. That thing is truly monstrous. Good luck, Ronin.

[godfry n. glad]

Originally Posted by viscousmemories

Dammmmn. That thing is truly monstrous. Good luck, Ronin.

Yup... and they just upgraded it to class 5, the most powerful and destructive of hurricanes.

You know anybody with a bomb shelter?

Just out of interest, does anyone know where they are predicting landfall now? Florida seems to have escaped a massive frontal assault with Ivan, but one never knows. If this sucker hits anywhere near N'Orleans, it just might become an underwater city.

godfry

[viscousmemories]

Hmm... well if it's a cat 5 now I don't know where that news is coming from.

Here's the latest report from the National Weather Service:

...HURRICANE WARNING ISSUED ALONG THE NORTHERN GULF COAST FOR
EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE IVAN...

AT 4 PM CDT...2100Z...A HURRICANE WARNING IS ISSUED FROM GRAND ISLE
LOUISIANA TO APALACHICOLA FLORIDA...INCLUDING THE GREATER NEW
ORLEANS AREA AND LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN. A HURRICANE WARNING
MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING
AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT
LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION THROUGHOUT THE
ENTIRE WARNING AREA.

THE HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA TO
WEST OF GRAND ISLE.

[Ex-zombie]

Be safe and take care Ronin.

[godfry n. glad]

And the WeatherUnderground map looks like this.

Looks like the upgrade to cat 5 is old news and it's back down to cat 4 after passing over the west end of Cuba.

Watch out Mobile!

The storm is running up on you!

godfry

[wildernesse]

Be safe, Ronin. I know we'll all be thinking of you (and your neighbors). Hunker down.
I just got off the phone with my mom--she's been on the phone with GEMA a lot today trying to decide whether they'll close schools on Thursday when Ivan passes thru--and they're four+ hours inland as the crow flies.

[Gawen]

Good luck to you and yours.

[Petra]

Originally Posted by wildernesse

I just got off the phone with my mom--she's been on the phone with GEMA a lot today trying to decide whether they'll close schools on Thursday when Ivan passes thru--and they're four+ hours inland as the crow flies.

Crikey, it must be huge!

I've never been in a hurricane before. We don't have them here. It is easy for me to forget how incredibly destructive they are, and how deadly they can be.

I'm worried about you now, Ronin. That thing is coming right at you. Stay safe, and stay away from that darned seawall, my friend!

[viscousmemories]

[wildernesse]

Originally Posted by lunachick

Crikey, it must be huge!

I've never been in a hurricane before. We don't have them here. It is easy for me to forget how incredibly destructive they are, and how deadly they can be.

It won't be a hurricane necessarily when it gets there--and absolutely nothing like what the coast gets--but the preceding and resulting storms/rain/winds/etc. make things dangerous even with downgrading. The forecast weather alerts for everyone west of me are for high winds, possible flooding, isolated tornados--just from the remnants of Ivan.

[Petra]

Wow. I've been roaming around reading about it. New Orleans could be in deep shit. Literally.

I sincerely hope all of you who are in the path of Ivan are safe.

<--- I'm even praying for ya, see.



I suppose you can't go anywhere, Ronin - you have to stay and work with emergency services, huh? Please, please, please take care.

[Petra]

Originally Posted by wildernesse

It won't be a hurricane necessarily when it gets there--and absolutely nothing like what the coast gets--but the preceding and resulting storms/rain/winds/etc. make things dangerous even with downgrading. The forecast weather alerts for everyone west of me are for high winds, possible flooding, isolated tornados--just from the remnants of Ivan.

I've read that as the hurricane swept along western Cuba, it did not weaken because it didn't cross the mountains. Without it weakening as a hurricane would normally do crossing a land mass, and especially mountains, the extra strength it gathers in the warmer Gulf of Mexico will be killer.

If you live in the area, and you haven't evacuated already - GET THE HELL OUT NOW!!!

[Petra]

Whoa!

Residents streamed inland in bumper-to-bumper traffic in an agonizingly slow exodus amid dire warnings that Ivan could overwhelm New Orleans with up to 20 feet of filthy, chemical-polluted water. About three-quarters of a million more people along the coast in Florida, Mississippi and Alabama also were told to evacuate.

Walter Maestri, an emergency manager in New Orleans, America's most vulnerable metropolitan area, has 10,000 body bags ready in case a major hurricane hits.

If a strong Category 4 storm such as Ivan made a direct hit, he warned, 50,000 people could drown, and the city could cease to exist.

"I beg people on the coast: Do not ride this storm out,"

[Ronin]

I just wanted to share some "before" photos of my own little place in time as this dismal dervish nears.

My squad will be the last to leave the coastline (if we ever do) and I'll be offline until further notice.

Thank you all for your concern...it really is so appreciated.

Popps Ferry Bridge allowing all mariners safe passage into the Back Bay of Biloxi every thirty minutes



another...



..as I pass over toward the coastline...



the Biloxi water tower as I head toward Hwy 90 and into Gulfport...



some of the more intelligent citizenry heading the F out of Dodge...




The Grand Casino and Resort (sorry for the poor quality). The Hotel is on the beachside, while the casino is acutally a barge moored in Gulfport...(yeah, I'll try to catch what I can )



The Copa Casino (another moored barge) notifying everyone who has already left that they are closed...



Anyway, I'm off to finish up some last minute preparations and then await the call to return to my station.

It's really too bad
that I'm all out of haiku
...stupid hurricane.



Be good.

[Ronin]

Sometimes too much blowing sucks.

You can quote me.

emphasis mine

[Petra]

I'm so worried about you, Ronin. You head down to the seawall to face it, and I'm gonna kick yer ass. Assuming there will still be an ass to kick.

I wish you weren't involved in emergency services - I wish you could just get the hell out of there.

[Petra]

Ugh! I'm reading about Camille, a category 5 hurricane that struck the same region back in 1969.

http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/ho...le/report.html






I feel so helpless.

Please, please, please be safe. Please.

[Petra]

GRRR! Can you believe this stupid fucking bitch at CF?!

Originally Posted by freespirit2001

"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair."
---Kahil Gibran

"But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls."
Kahil Gibran

( not to really sound disrespectful for those who live on the coasts where Ivan lands---but I hope for all to have a more trusting and hopeful consciousness in the Lord---not the over-emotional or reaction-driven consciousness---- the weather forecasts can be way too much emotionalism. I grew up by the ocean myself, and have always looked to trust the Lord through these hurricane winds as I have always anticipated the Lord moving through them ...I hope and pray the Lord watches over the people and these winds of Ivan for the people of the shores where Ivan lands)

Stupid, dumbass cow.

[viscousmemories]

Originally Posted by lunachick

Stupid, dumbass cow.

That quote reminds me of the Simpsons episode where, after some kind of natural disaster, the church marquee sign said, "God welcomes his victims".

Be safe, Ronin.

[livius drusus]

He's going to be fine, luna. Come Saturday, we're going probably going to find him and Ivan in the back room playing poker and trading boot flasks.

[Petra]

Originally Posted by livius drusus

He's going to be fine, luna. Come Saturday, we're going probably going to find him and Ivan in the back room playing poker and trading boot flasks.

lol. I hope so.

Bah, I can't sleep and reading all this hurricane stuff has me so on edge - and I'm, like, 20,000kms away from it! lol.

I just hope no god-bothering dumbass needs saving when this thing is in full swing.

lol. I really do worry far too much about stuff.