Ten Years Ago

[CrimsonCowboy]

It's a bit hard to believe, but Saturday marks 10 years since Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf Coast. Living just outside Mobile, I don't have the horror stories that those in New Orleans and in Mississippi do. But here is my memories of the storm:

Friday August 26th:
The storm had been projected to move WNW across south Florida and turn towards the panhandle. Instead, it moved WSW. By late afternoon, the forecast had dramatically changed. I was right in the bulls-eye. The projected path moved a bit more west later that evening, but it was apparent that a major hurricane was on its way to the Gulf Coast.

Saturday August 27thn
On this day, it was the start of the preparation. Grocery store run, checking the yard, and things like that. At this point, the middle of the target moved to New Orleans and that started the media frenzy. The winds stayed around 115, but strengthening was in the forecast.

Sunday August 28th:
A little after midnight, the seriousness of the situation ramped up significantly. After some rapid strengthening, Katrina became a 145 MPH monster. Went to bed and woke up around 8:00 to get ready for church. Found out the storm became a category 5 at 165 MPH. Between services, it was learned it grew to 175 MPH. You could feel the nerves. After church, gassed up the car and headed home. Immediately checked the latest info. The National Weather Service in New Orleans had issued the strongest worded bulletin I had ever seen (I'll share it in the next post). My mother and me helped move my grandmother down to our house, which is a far safer structure. Boarded up the south facing windows and cleaned up things from the yard. After that, just waiting and watching.

Monday August 29th:
The day arrives. Katrina makes her first landfall near the Mouth of the Mississippi River around 6:00. A bit after, weather here goes downhill and power is lost. The second landfall happens around 10:00 (I think) at the Louisiana/Mississippi border. Most of the day is spent listening to battery powered radio to the reports. Hearing west end of Dauphin Island is heavily damaged and record storm surge flooding in Downtown Mobile. But, the reports from Mississippi and Louisiana were much worse.

Weather started to calm down during the middle of the day. Still had some wind, which actually helped get some air in the house. The realization of Katrina's wrath came that evening. We had a battery powered TV and had it on WKRG-TV. A reporter was in Biloxi and a man with his two grandsons wandering the street. The man's name was Hardy Jackson. Mr. Jackson told the reporter, Jennifer Mayerlie, that he was holding on to his wife as the surge was tearing their house apart. Mr. Jackson's wife told him to let her go, that she couldn't hold on anymore. Last thing she told him was to take care of the kids. And with that, they let go. Her body was never found. Jennifer could not keep from crying on camera. Will never forget that report as long as I live.

Tuesday August 30th:
After checking on my grandmother's house, and seeing no damage to it, kind of took it easy. Had no power for the day and night. I remember that evening, me and the neighbors across the street joking around, blinking flashlights at each other. Had water, but with no power, the hot water heater was of no use. I actually didn't care. Best cold shower, ever! Some neighborhoods close to us got their power back, but not us. Had a wait a bit longer.

Wednesday and Thursday:
Power returned Wednesday morning around 9:30. When you lose power for a while, you appreciate it a bit more! Cable wasn't back yet, but was able to rig the TV to watch the continuing local news coverage. Finally got a good look at what Katrina had done through the area. Cable returned Thursday. Got to see the Braves game that evening. Considering the past few days, that was a good thing. Also, saw the news coverage from the national channels.


Hard to believe it has been a decade already since Hurricane Katrina. Seems like it shouldn't be that long. There are still some scars, even 10 years later, but the progress on the Gulf Coast since August 29, 2005 has been unmistakable. Here's hoping we never see another Hurricane Katrina again.

[CrimsonCowboy]

The bulletin issued by The National Weather Service in New Orleans the morning of Sunday August 28, 2005:

URGENT – WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
1011 AM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

…DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED…

.HURRICANE KATRINA…A MOST POWERFUL HURRICANE WITH UNPRECEDENTED
STRENGTH…RIVALING THE INTENSITY OF HURRICANE CAMILLE OF 1969.

MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS…PERHAPS LONGER. AT
LEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL
FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL…LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY
DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.

THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL.
PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD
FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. CONCRETE
BLOCK LOW RISE APARTMENTS WILL SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE…INCLUDING SOME
WALL AND ROOF FAILURE.

HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY…A
FEW TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT.

AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD…AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH
AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES. SPORT UTILITY
VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED. THE BLOWN DEBRIS WILL CREATE
ADDITIONAL DESTRUCTION. PERSONS…PETS…AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE
WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK.

POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS…AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN
AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING
INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF NATIVE TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY
THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING…BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED. FEW
CROPS WILL REMAIN. LIVESTOCK LEFT EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL BE
KILLED.

AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR
HURRICANE FORCE…OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE…ARE
CERTAIN WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS.

ONCE TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ONSET…DO NOT VENTURE
OUTSIDE!

[Oklahomahawk]

Glad you lived to tell about it. Lots of people remember how bad it hit NOLA, but many forget how bad it hit the MS and AL coast.

[bravesnumberone]

Here's a terrific piece from the New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...rina.html?_r=0

[Hawk]

I was a freshman at Tulane when the storm hit. Came home for about a month and then was conditionally accepted at a University that I had been waitlisted at. Never went back.

[Runnin]

I'm glad they've been able to rebuild N.O.

[CrimsonCowboy]

I mentioned a man named Hardy Jackson in the original post. Here is a segment on a 10th anniversary special WKRG aired Monday night. I had not seen the reaction the news anchors had until this aired:

[50PoundHead]

Glad you made it through Crimson. Talk about a harrowing experience.

[CrimsonCowboy]

A lot of people tend to forget that the worst of the weather was on the Mississippi coast. They had the worst winds and the storm surge of 25 feet, and probably higher in a few places. The problem for New Orleans was the water that was built up in the Gulf got pushed into the lake, then when the storm passed by and the winds shifted from the north, that excess water got pushed into the city and messed up the levees. If the levees held, there is a good chance New Orleans doesn't have the disaster they had.