TROPICAL NEWS - Thread 4 [Graphics added]

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Current News - Homefront Preparations : One Thread

WWL TV

HURRICANE LILI MOVES INTO THE GULF

Hurricane Lili is now a Category Two and is now in the Gulf of Mexico. Lili hammered the Isle of Youth Tuesday morning and is bearing down on western Cuba. Forecasters say Lili could become a category three storm by the end of this week, making landfall in Louisiana.

"There's no question that we're going to feel the impact of the storm. Whether it makes a direct hit or not has yet to be seen." Jefferson Parish Emergency Management Director Walter Maestri says they are concerned that Lili's projected path keeps changing.

A hurricane watch is in effect for the northern Gulf Coast from Texas to the mouth of the Mississippi River. At 4 PM CDT, a tropical storm watch is in effect east of the river to Pascagoula, MS. That does include metro New Orleans.

The 4 pm coordinates for Lili are 22.7 north, 85.0 west, and moving west-northwest at 15 miles an hour. Maximum sustained winds are at 105 miles an hour.

Meteorologist David Bernard in the channel 4 weather center has the current forecast track. "The official track puts Lili as a Category three hurricane coming between New Iberia and Lake Charles, Louisiana."

GOVERNOR FOSTER DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY

(New Orleans-AP) Governor Mike Foster declared a state of emergency and coastal Louisiana is now under a hurricane watch as Hurricane Lili takes aim for the Gulf Coast.

South Louisiana residents faced their second evacuation in a week as the National Weather Service said hurricane conditions could begin affecting the area by Thursday morning. The watch stretched from San Louis Pass, Texas, to the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Foster's emergency proclamation allows the mobilization of national guard troops and state Office of Emergency Preparedness personnel to prepare for the storm.

EVACUATIONS BEGIN

Jefferson Parish officials are calling for the mandatory evacuation of Grand Isle. Residents are asked to be out by nine am Wednesday. Lafourche Parish officials say Highway One, the only road on or off the island, will be closed at noon Wednesday.

JP officials are also recommending an evacuation of Lafitte.

FEMA HELPING ISIDORE VICTIMS

Federal emergency officials say the number of requests for help following Isidore are sky-rocketing in southeast Louisiana. "As of this time, we have 14,201 registrants for disaster assistance."

Spokesman Win Henderson says residents wanting help can contact FEMA by phone. He says, "Everything starts with a phone call at 1-800-621-3362." Henderson says three emergency centers are open, in Orleans, Terrebonne, and St. Tammany parishes.

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2002

Answers

Response to TROPICAL NEWS - Thread 4 [Evacs begun in lower LA, state of emergency declared]

I'm glad I'm not near the gulf right now.

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2002

Response to TROPICAL NEWS - Thread 4 [Evacs begun in lower LA, state of emergency declared]

Hurricane Lili Nears U.S.

By ANITA SNOW : Associated Press Writer Oct 2, 2002 : 12:07 am ET

HAVANA (AP) -- Hurricane Lili strengthened as it roared across western Cuba and into the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, forcing thousands from their homes on the island before taking aim at the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Residents in South Louisiana faced their second evacuation in a week as Lili steadily gained strength and speed. "We're probably going to be evacuating" Wednesday morning, said Ray Santiny, city councilman from the barrier island of Grand Isle, south of New Orleans.

NASA postponed Wednesday's shuttle launch because of the storm. The space agency said it did not want to take a chance of launching Atlantis from Cape Canaveral, Fla., only to have the hurricane bear down on Houston, home to Mission Control. NASA said Thursday would be the earliest the launch could occur.

Lili was upgraded to a Category 2 hurricane when its winds increased to nearly 100 mph as it whipped across Cuba on Tuesday afternoon. No casualties were reported in Cuba, but the storm earlier killed seven people in Jamaica and St. Vincent.

A hurricane watch was declared for the U.S. Gulf Coast from northern Texas to the mouth of the Mississippi River, meaning hurricane conditions were possible within 36 hours. A tropical storm watch was in effect from the Mississippi River to Pascagoula, Miss.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said some squalls with gusts to tropical storm force could occur over the lower Florida Keys overnight.

"By the time the storm gets to the United States, it will be stronger and it will pack a bigger storm surge," said Martin Nelson, lead forecaster at the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

At 11 p.m., the eye of the storm was pulling away from Cuban territory into the Gulf of Mexico, and was about 135 miles northeast of the tip of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, and about 520 miles southeast of New Orleans. The storm was moving northwest at about 16 mph with winds of about 105 mph.

It could strike the Gulf Coast areas of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi by Thursday or Friday, forecasters said.

Cuban President Fidel Castro traveled to the western province of Pinar del Rio on Tuesday to check on civil defense plans as the hurricane roared across the island's southern end. There were reports of flooding, downed trees and roofs ripped off homes, but no other word of major damage.

Cuba's state television Tuesday afternoon showed images of high winds whipping the leaves of towering palms on the small Isle of Youth, south of the main island.

Late Tuesday, rains were still heavy in the western port city of Batabano, about 30 miles south of Havana. Aleida Castel, 39, protected her family's three horses from the downpour on front porch of her home.

Cuban officials said nearly 30,000 people fled to government shelters and more than 100,000 took refuge with friends and family members in safer areas.

In New Orleans, authorities discussed possible evacuation plans while coastal residents boarded up and sandbagged homes, cleaned up debris and stocked up on food and storm supplies.

Some companies were already evacuating employees in the Gulf of Mexico, which was battered last week by a Tropical Storm Isidore.

The Houston-based Apache Corp., an energy producer, said it was evacuating its oil and natural gas producing platforms in Galveston, Texas, and High Island and moving to the east. The company has about 160 workers in the area.

Isidore forced energy companies to pull offshore workers and shut in almost 25 billion cubic feet of natural gas and about 4.5 million barrels of oil. The Gulf of Mexico provides about 25 percent of U.S. energy production.

Mexicans along the northeastern Yucatan coast also were abandoning homes. The area is still mopping up after Isidore damaged 95,000 homes there last week.

Lili grew into a hurricane on Monday and its eye tore across the Cayman Islands, uprooting trees and utility poles, knocking out power and tearing roofs from apartment complexes in Cayman Brac.

In Jamaica, where three people were swept away by flood waters Sunday, up to 40 homes were destroyed, 120 were flooded and 750 Jamaicans sought refuge in emergency shelters. Blue skies returned Tuesday and workers began clearing debris from blocked roads.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Kyle remained stationary about 270 miles southwest of Bermuda, with winds of about 50 mph.



-- Anonymous, October 02, 2002


Response to TROPICAL NEWS - Thread 4 [Evacs begun in lower LA, state of emergency declared]

From another report:

Mayor Ben Morris of Slidell, northeast of New Orleans near Lake Pontchartrain's north shore, called for an emergency cleanup of debris from Isidore so the city will be ready for Lili.

"I can't order anything right now, like evacuations," he said. "But, use common sense. If it looks like it's coming, go visit a relative in Houston or Nashville or somewhere, but get the hell out of here."

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2002


Response to TROPICAL NEWS - Thread 4 [Evacs begun in lower LA, state of emergency declared]

(You may need to hit refresh/reload to get the latest graphic. I used the small pics to avoid a long load time.)

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2002


Moderation questions? read the FAQ