Gustav back to hurricane strength

[RL3AO]

HURRICANE GUSTAV TROPICAL CYCLONE UPDATE
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL072008
315 PM EDT FRI AUG 29 2008


DATA FROM AN AIR FORCE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT
GUSTAV HAS AGAIN BECOME A HURRICANE WITH MAXIMUM WINDS NEAR 75
MPH...120 KM/HR.

$$
FORECASTER KNABB


Eye has appeared and might be entering rapid intensification.

[TZ]

1. Bad news for the gulf coast.

Sounds like a lot of people are gonna spend their holiday weekend evacuating..I hope everybody stays safe...

[Shakespeare]

2. Yup. My parents are in Pensacola, and they're heading north tomorrow.

And Hannah appears to be headed for Jacksonville, where my sister lives. Why on earth my family won't move the hell out of Florida just boggles my little mind. x(

[SacredCow]

3. There is no gasoline to be had in Baton Rouge...

People are going into panic mode and buying everything non-perishable. It's a little over the top for as far inland as we are here, but... Media hype is driving it.

I've got half a tank of gas in both cars- I guess that'll be enough. And I've got a list of people who may or may not be coming from NOLA to stay at my house (though I'll be gone to stay with an elderly relative).

[TZ]

4. I think its so much worse being right on the anniversary of Katrina

Although I would like to believe this storm CANNOT be as bad--its still so fresh in everyone's memory. Can't say I blame people for going into panic mode..Its better than not taking it seriously enough....

[SacredCow]

5. Oh, I don't blame people in NOLA for going into panic mode...

But Baton Rouge is kind of different, since it's quite a ways inland and mostly "high" ground. Andrew, in 1993, was pretty close to a direct hit for Baton Rouge (NOLA barely got any rain out of it), and I believe it was a more powerful storm than Katrina (I could be wrong- I'll have to look that up). Granted the power was out for a week or more in some areas, but that was really the worst of it. There really is no need for "panic" in Baton Rouge. Preparations, yes- but hording gas and foodstuffs is WAY over the top.

On edit: Katrina and Andrew were fairly close in intensity based on windspeed at the time of landfall- Katrina was at 125 mph and Andrew was 115.