Hurricane Gustav

This blog post will be contantly updated as Hurricane Gustav approaches the Gulf Coast. Shelters and other pertinent information will be posted as radio coverage continues on WHJT 93.5 FM in the Jackson, Miss., area. Comments regarding conditions in the affected areas are welcome, and much appreciated as we try to provide information both online and on-air.

Sunday, 8/31/08 – 8:05pm

Today, I spoke to one of my good friends. She lives in Algiers, one of the Westbank communities that was spared the wrath of Katrina. She is in Houston tonight, praying for her home and her friends still in harm’s way. The phone conversation was emotion-filled. She said she wasn’t so much concerned about losing her property, she has most of her important items with her. She was concerned that Gustav would destroy New Orleans again… and for good. How many people would return to a city devestated twice in the past three years? Not many, she believes. Her family, her friends, her life is New Orleans. The thought of those people being dispersed all over the country, never to return to the city they once all called home… it is a lot to bear.

The future of one of America’s greatest cities will be decided tomorrow. For anyone who doesn’t call New Orleans home, you can’t grasp the magnitude. For me, New Orleans is Mardi Gras, gumbo, beignets, the most confusing streets in the world, music, and family. I can’t imagine somewhere so vast becoming a deserted ruin. Now, think of how the people who live there feel. Or, as of tomorrow, perhaps it will be, lived there. Home, gone. Again. The rebuilding, the rejuvination of the spirit that is New Orleans, battered by another deadly hurricane. How could it ever return?

As I reported all day on the air, I believe Gustav will restrengthen overnight. Strong hurricanes fluctuate in intensity, and the symmetry of the storm combined with ripe conditions means a upward trend. Katrina fluctuated downward, weakening upon landfall. Due to Gustav’s increased speed, this intensification I am predicting may be the last fluctuation before it hits the Gulf Coast. The path continues to show landfall near Houma, Louisiana, meaning the northeastern quadrant would strike New Orleans.

Here in Jackson, the forecast is for 40-60mph sustained winds, 3-5″ rain with locally heavier totals, and a high risk of tornadoes, again, due to being in the northeastern quadrant of the storm. The worst weather in Jackson should hold off until Monday night into Tuesday, and the severity will largely depend on how far west the storm travels.

Now, I’m about to pack my bags, preparing to call Clinton home for at least the next two days. That’s it for today. On-air coverage and live blogging resumes tomorrow morning.

Sunday, 8/31/08 – 1:56pm

Emergency Contacts

Mississippi Disaster Hotline (or to volunteer) – 211
Red Cross – 800-RED-CROSS
MDOT Evacuation Information – 866-521-6368

News

- President Bush has declared State of Emergency for Mississippi
- Contraflow in effect on I-55 to Brookhaven; I-59 to Poplarville
- President Bush and VP Cheney to skip Republican National Convention

NWS Watches/Warnings

- HURRICANE WARNING: Greater NOLA, including Slidell, Mandeville; Harrison, Hancock, Jackson Cos.; greater Mobile, Ala.

- INLAND HURRICANE WARNING: McComb, S Natchez

- INLAND TROPICAL STORM WATCH: Central MS, Jackson, Vicksburg

Shelters

- Mississippi Coliseum (State Buses Only)

- FBC Jackson, Downtown Campus

- Morrison Heights Baptist Church, Clinton

- Richland High School

- First Pentecostal Church, Jackson

- Broadmoor Baptist Church, Madison

- Highland Baptist Church, Crystal Springs

- Antioch MBC, Hazlehurst

- FBC Hazlehurst

- FBC Star

Special Needs Shelters

- FBC Jackson – Madison Campus

- Hudspeth Regional Center in Whitfield

- Hinds Community College, Raymond

Pet Friendly Shelters

- FBC Batesville

- Ridgeland High School

Supplies

- Home Depot in Clinton open 24 hours

Sunday, 8/31/08 – 1:29am

This story on www.wdsu.com, New Orleans’ Hearst affiliate, offers some quotes from New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin as he faces the second deadly hurricane of his tenure. Highlights follow:

http://www.wdsu.com/news/17348786/detail.html

Nagin: “You need to be scared. You need to be concerned. You need to get your butts moving out of New Orleans right now. This is the storm of the century. [...] Riding it out would be the biggest mistake you could make in your life.”

“Nagin warned that no emergency services will be available to residents who choose not to leave. He told residents who want to stay to make sure they have an ax, as they will be cutting through their roofs to get out of their flooded homes.”

“On Saturday, Gustav stretched 900 miles and continued to grow. In contrast, the footprint of Katrina was about 400 miles in diameter when it hit.”

Sunday, 8/31/08 – 12:59am

Three years ago, almost on the dot, I hopped between Pearl and Clinton, blogging about the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast. I guess I thought more time would pass before I’d be doing it again. Tonight, the images of 2005 returned. As I drove home from a great night with friends, I saw I-20 westbound toward Clinton and Vicksburg filled with cars, trucks, and trailers leaving their homes. A midnight rush hour that is likely only to get worse until landfall.

Hurricane Gustav has returned to the open waters, after cutting across the western end of Cuba as a strong Category 4 storm with winds of 150mph. It is now slightly weaker, with maximum sustained winds of 135mph, but should re-intensify over the warm Gulf of Mexico waters. Hurricane Watches are up from just east of Houston, Texas, to the Alabama/Florida line. Landfall is predicted to occur in the late afternoon or early evening on Monday.

Evacuations are underway along the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts. Mandantory evacuations kick in as the sun rises Sunday. Contraflow on the interstates will also begin at that time.

Tomorrow after church, I will be at Star 93.5 along with Traci Lee for special coverage of Hurricane Gustav. We will be tracking the storm path, and passing along pertinent information to evacuees looking for shelter. This blog will be updated throughout the day tomorrow as we continue to track the storm. Check back in frequently for updates. Just as with my Hurricane Katrina coverage in 2005, I encourage comments from people in the cities being affected to report on conditions. Of course, anyone is welcome to add to the discussion, whether in the path of the storm or not.

Here we go again. We can only pray for a better outcome this time around.