Thanks Bourbon for sharing your story. Listening to all the remembering on radio & TV, I realize it is therapeutic for almost all of us to recall what happened to our lives that fateful day. I invite you to share your brief story with our bloggers. Here is mine...an e-mail I sent to my friends and posted on my blog Sept. 2, 2005.
"Never have I felt as helpless or as worthless or as useless as this past week. When the greatest disaster in the history of our city occurs, I cannot broadcast on either radio or TV or over the internet. My wife and I are safe in Dallas where I will spend the next several weeks until told by management that FOX 8 will resume broadcasting. The challenges we face are enormous. My TV station took in 4-5 feet of water making it totally inoperable. ( I lost all my broadcast history of awards, video tapes, college books/notes) Our transmitter site in Chalmette was under 10-15 feet of water. Our owners ,(back then) Emmis Broadcasting, have assured us they will get us back on the air some way. We will probably be in a temporary building and I will broadcast out of our sister station, WALA-TV 10 in Mobile. (Mr. Tom Benson now owns FOX 8)
In the coming weeks, many of you will come home to find not much of a home. We will be there for you even though we can't be there for you now. Once power and water are restored and basis services are functioning again, we will rebuild our community one neighborhood at a time. Great character comes out when the darkest clouds appear. Our city will shine again!...coming home will not be an easy experience". What's your brief story, good or bad?
20 comments:
I read the article "Washing Away" when it was published in the Time Picayune in 2002. This was the first time I really understood what would happen to New Orleans from a significant storm surge. It was hard for my mind to accept, but harder for my heart to deal with because I love my hometown so deeply. With Katrina being a Cat 5 storm in the Gulf headed for New Orleans I expected the flooding to be much worse than it was. We packed winter clothes, computers & all the basics we would need for a year.
We had a 2-part plan: We would leave a day early to drive to a friend’s house in Covington to see if the storm would merit a farther evacuation, then drive to Dallas if needed, and that's exactly what we did.
The only surprise I had was from the 1st reports after the storm that said the city survived, but all that changed when I heard the levees were breached.
I just don't understand how this article explained very clearly what would happen to New Orleans and why this information was not in every mailbox, doorstep, billboard, etc. prior to Ivan in ’04 and Katrina in ’05. I hold our public officials responsible for not only withholding this information, but apparently finding ways to ignore it.
I was a waiter at one of our city's most famous restaurants for several years prior to Katrina and would tell the story of what would happen to our city in the event of a catastrophic storm. My co-workers thought I was crazy for constantly repeating this to the many out-of-town visitors that sat at my tables. I own 3 houses in Orleans Parish and the possibility of losing all that I had worked so hard for would be lost with just one storm. I guess it was a way to relieve stress. Of those 3 houses only 1 flooded, thankfully, because I chose locations that were at high elevations.
The newer surge maps from NOAA show us that a Cat 4 or 5 surge will bring gulf water all the way to Baton Rouge and just about everything south and east of that line will be under water. That's all of Jefferson, Orleans, & St. Bernard parishes and including most of St. Tammany. Nothing below a 3-story building will survive. These charts & maps must be published to fully educate the population so that everyone can understand the risk simple enough that even a child can understand. If I'm correct Orleans parish levees are at 17.5 feet. Easy-to-read levee and elevation maps should be provided to the public as well.
I remain in New Orleans & still own my properties here. I love this city and can't imagine living anywhere else, but without wetland restoration/Cat-5 protection I can't imagine going through this as a senior citizen.
Thanks Bob, for giving us the information we crave and for loving this community as much as you do.
I read the article "Washing Away" when it was published in the Time Picayune in 2002. This was the first time I really understood what would happen to New Orleans from a significant storm surge. It was hard for my mind to accept, but harder for my heart to deal with because I love my hometown so deeply. With Katrina being a Cat 5 storm in the Gulf headed for New Orleans I expected the flooding to be much worse than it was. We packed winter clothes, computers & all the basics we would need for a year.
We had a 2-part plan: We would leave a day early to drive to a friend’s house in Covington to see if the storm would merit a farther evacuation, then drive to Dallas if needed, and that's exactly what we did.
The only surprise I had was from the 1st reports after the storm that said the city survived, but all that changed when I heard the levees were breached.
I just don't understand how this article explained very clearly what would happen to New Orleans and why this information was not in every mailbox, doorstep, billboard, etc. prior to Ivan in ’04 and Katrina in ’05. I hold our public officials responsible for not only withholding this information, but apparently finding ways to ignore it.
I was a waiter at one of our city's most famous restaurants for several years prior to Katrina and would tell the story of what would happen to our city in the event of a catastrophic storm. My co-workers thought I was crazy for constantly repeating this to the many out-of-town visitors that sat at my tables. I own 3 houses in Orleans Parish and the possibility of losing all that I had worked so hard for would be lost with just one storm. I guess it was a way to relieve stress. Of those 3 houses only 1 flooded, thankfully, because I chose locations that were at high elevations.
The newer surge maps from NOAA show us that a Cat 4 or 5 surge will bring gulf water all the way to Baton Rouge and just about everything south and east of that line will be under water. That's all of Jefferson, Orleans, & St. Bernard parishes and including most of St. Tammany. Nothing below a 3-story building will survive. These charts & maps must be published to fully educate the population so that everyone can understand the risk simple enough that even a child can understand. If I'm correct Orleans parish levees are at 17.5 feet. Easy-to-read levee and elevation maps should be provided to the public as well.
Thanks Bob, for giving us the information we crave and for loving this community as much as you do.
I read the article "Washing Away" when it was published in the Time Picayune in 2002. This was the first time I really understood what would happen to New Orleans from a significant storm surge. It was hard for my mind to accept, but harder for my heart to deal with because I love my hometown so deeply. With Katrina being a Cat 5 storm in the Gulf headed for New Orleans I expected the flooding to be much worse than it was. We packed winter clothes, computers & all the basics we would need for a year.
I just don't understand how this article explained very clearly what would happen to New Orleans and why this information was not in every mailbox, doorstep, billboard, etc. prior to Ivan in ’04 and Katrina in ’05. I hold our public officials responsible for not only withholding this information, but apparently finding ways to ignore it.
I was a waiter at one of our city's most famous restaurants for several years prior to Katrina and would tell the story of what would happen to our city in the event of a catastrophic storm. My co-workers thought I was crazy for constantly repeating this to the many out-of-town visitors that sat at my tables. I own 3 houses in Orleans Parish and the possibility of losing all that I had worked so hard for would be lost with just one storm. I guess it was a way to relieve stress. Of those 3 houses only 1 flooded, thankfully, because I chose locations that were at high elevations.
The newer surge maps from NOAA show us that a Cat 4 or 5 surge will bring gulf water all the way to Baton Rouge and just about everything south and east of that line will be under water. That's all of Jefferson, Orleans, & St. Bernard parishes and including most of St. Tammany. Nothing below a 3-story building will survive. These charts & maps must be published to fully educate the population so that everyone can understand the risk simple enough that even a child can understand. If I'm correct Orleans parish levees are at 17.5 feet. Easy-to-read levee and elevation maps should be provided to the public as well.
Thanks Bob, for giving us the information we crave and for loving this community as much as you do.
Well Bob, you are my hero too. When Katrina hit southern Florida and then took an unexpected southwest dip across Florida you said on your weather segment that you were concerned that the further South it went the longer it would take to recurve. NWS kept saying Florida Panhandle, even VIPR was recurving it abruptly back into Florida, and you said VIPR runs weren't making any sense. I was so concerned that I made reservations for my family on Friday on the western side of Houston. Well the rest reads like most others, three family homes lost in the East. I'm in St. Charles parish now but my spiritual home is still in the East. I rely on YOUR thoughts during Hurricane Season. I try to keep away from the Weather U blogs.
My husband and I are very gratefully doing well now, but the brief version of our Katrina story is that we both separately had to be rescued from New Orleans almost a week after the storm. I was in the Superdome, and he was at our house in Gentilly. But my blog post today might actually be of interest to weather fans... these photographs were clearly not taken today! Words cannot express all my emotions on this fifth anniversary. Thanks & take care, Susanna Powers, N.O.
Hi, Bob. What do you think about this ECMWF model run that brings "Fiona" to NOLA on Wednesday, September 8?
http://www.ecmwf.int/products/forecasts/d/charts/medium/deterministic/msl_uv850_z500!Wind%20850%20and%20mslp!240!North%20America!pop!od!oper!public_plots!2010082912!!/
A remarkable record of Katrina predictions by someone called Stormtop is here:
http://net33.com/katrina/
On August 23rd, before Katrina was even a tropical depression, he wrote:
it looks like la is going to be under the gun here...a cat 5 coming in from the se bad bad news...
To the 1st Anonymous poster, I disagree with your comments about why the information on New Orleans possibly flooding was not distributed to the masses. It has been distributed for many years. It was no surprise that New Orleans flooded. Channel 8 and other local stations have long run programs on how New Orleans could be under 20 feet of water if the right storm hit. It has long been said that our levees would protect from a fast moving Cat 3 storm at best. The ones who are responsible for not knowing the city may flood are the masses. These people have had their head in the sand.
Bob,
On that Sunday morning before the storm, when you stopped doing weather and started doing traffic reports, that clinched it for me. I told roommates and neighbors, who were on the fence about evacuating, that if Bob Breck wasn't even doing weather anymore, this was serious. We may still have evacuated, but under much worse circumstances. I don't doubt that you saved many people from much worse fortunes that day. Thank you.
Pamadee, I agree the masses were in denial and still are for the most part. However, if you knew you would be held responsible for for the lives of thousands of men, women, children & their pets and you had full knowledge of the potential loss of life due to a catastrophe what would you do to prevent the loss of life? Simply going on TV and ordering a "mandatory evacuation" is simply not enough. If I could understand this worst-case scenario in 2005 then so could our officials. They failed miserably.
When Margret Orr supposedly "overreacted" to Gustav's potential destruction folks made fun of her when it didn't come to pass, but even with Gustav being just a Cat 1 & landing so far away it topped the levee system. Do we take the risk of overreacting or can we afford to be conservative when so many lives are at stake?
I say give the public the absolute truth and don't hold back on anything. I'd rather folks leave in hysteria than fighting to stay alive in a 30 foot storm surge.
Anonymous...you are incorrect with your facts. The media & local EM officials preached for years what would happen IF the levees failed. I went up on a fire truck ladder on South Jeff. Davis Pkwy. raised up to a height of 20 feet to show how deep the water could get. We have preached for over 25-30 years, but some folks just don't get it. How can we be responsible for the irresponsible? Some need help when a storm comes. Some just don't care UNTIL it's too late.
Anonymous,
The problem here is who's responsibility is it?
Some people claim it's government's responsibility. I say no. Each and every person has a responsibility to know what reality is. The only way government and the local media was wrong, in my opinion, was with the amount of water there would be. They always claimed 20 feet. In reality it was not that high. Not that it makes a whole lot of difference. Even 3 inches of water is enough. I'm not trying to be insensitive. I lost a lot from Katrina and can still feel the scars. I just cringe every time I hear someone say 'well I never knew it could be like this.'
Yeah what's up with ECMWF model bringing an hurricane to us soon?
I just hope we never see another one like it again. Tks Bob for all the years and hope you plan on staying on air for a while longer!
The reality is some people had NO MEANS to get out. Katrina was not a black and white issue. That if you stayed, it's because you just didn't want to leave the city. Some didn't but, some people didn't have a way to leave.
Try talking to some of those people. You know, the working class poor and the poor...whites and blacks who had no means to leave, no money to spend days in a hotel room.
I love how people just assume others were in denial because they didn't leave...talk about ignorant and foolish.
Ali,
I am talking about people who claimed they never knew the city would or could flood and people who were surprised when what happened happened. People who claimed that they never knew the city would flood had their head in the sand. These people are the ignorant ones. It is your duty as a citizen to know certain things. You don't touch hot pots because you know you will get burned.
I understand some people could not leave because they didn't have the means. I also understand some people simply did not want to leave. These people should not be looked down upon. However, it is up to them to come up with a plan for the next time. Some people will always want to stay. If that is their plan, then so be it. However, if you don't have the means to leave, it is your responsibility to come up with a plan. Find someone you can evacuate with or contact the state for assistance.
You know tensions were high after Katrina. I stayed until Sept 30 whereas my sister/BIL and mom/dad had left 11-14 days prior to me going home. Dad/mom had 18 inches of water in Old Metairie and felt it was time to head home. Me and dads office had 5 inches of water in Metairie.
I stayed in Huntsville till Sept 30th for a few reasons.
1. I felt the city wasn't ready. There were limited groceries, gasoline and restaurants open. Its not like we could just pick up and go to McDonalds.
2. My 3 kids were in school in Huntsville and our school wasn't open yet.
3 We had an apartment till the end of the month.
Tensions were high for me to come back to help, with having to move the office furnishing, computers, files, etc. so the office could start being renovated...Dad questioned whether I wanted this business and couldn't understand why I wasnt back.
My brother-in-law thought I should be back to help dad with his house, then being 73 it was a lot on him, but he did have help.
Everyday I got a phone call to get my daily butt chewing and I got to the point where I didnt answer my cell phone. But I held tough stood my ground and stayed with my family. They had to realize that everybody's situation was different...
That last week was the longest week of my life...waiting to come home. Every minute of every day just seem to drag on.
It took a year to renovate our office. When we were told November, we never thought November 2006.
I have seen this storm age many people, especially my parents. Poor mom died in 2009. But it aged us too, it was a very stressful time back then. I never in my (then 43 years) of life, I never knew life to be so difficult and hard. And today I think we are stronger people for it.
Like Betsy and Camile, lets hope Katrina is that 40 or 100 year storm that most of us will never see again.
Amen
You know tensions were high after Katrina. I stayed until Sept 30 whereas my sister/BIL and mom/dad had left 11-14 days prior to me going home. Dad/mom had 18 inches of water in Old Metairie and felt it was time to head home. Me and dads office had 5 inches of water in Metairie.
I stayed in Huntsville till Sept 30th for a few reasons.
1. I felt the city wasn't ready. There were limited groceries, gasoline and restaurants open. Its not like we could just pick up and go to McDonalds.
2. My 3 kids were in school in Huntsville and our school wasn't open yet.
3 We had an apartment till the end of the month.
Tensions were high for me to come back to help, with having to move the office furnishing, computers, files, etc. so the office could start being renovated...Dad questioned whether I wanted this business and couldn't understand why I wasnt back.
My brother-in-law thought I should be back to help dad with his house, then being 73 it was a lot on him, but he did have help.
Everyday I got a phone call to get my daily butt chewing and I got to the point where I didnt answer my cell phone. But I held tough stood my ground and stayed with my family. They had to realize that everybody's situation was different...
That last week was the longest week of my life...waiting to come home. Every minute of every day just seem to drag on.
It took a year to renovate our office. When we were told November, we never thought November 2006.
I have seen this storm age many people, especially my parents. Poor mom died in 2009. But it aged us too, it was a very stressful time back then. I never in my (then 43 years) of life, I never knew life to be so difficult and hard. And today I think we are stronger people for it.
Like Betsy and Camile, lets hope Katrina is that 40 or 100 year storm that most of us will never see again.
Amen
You know tensions were high after Katrina. I stayed until Sept 30 whereas my sister/BIL and mom/dad had left 11-14 days prior to me going home. Dad/mom had 18 inches of water in Old Metairie and felt it was time to head home. Me and dads office had 5 inches of water in Metairie.
I stayed in Huntsville till Sept 30th for a few reasons.
1. I felt the city wasn't ready. There were limited groceries, gasoline and restaurants open. Its not like we could just pick up and go to McDonalds.
2. My 3 kids were in school in Huntsville and our school wasn't open yet.
3 We had an apartment till the end of the month.
Tensions were high for me to come back to help, with having to move the office furnishing, computers, files, etc. so the office could start being renovated...Dad questioned whether I wanted this business and couldn't understand why I wasnt back.
My brother-in-law thought I should be back to help dad with his house, then being 73 it was a lot on him, but he did have help.
Everyday I got a phone call to get my daily butt chewing and I got to the point where I didnt answer my cell phone. But I held tough stood my ground and stayed with my family. They had to realize that everybody's situation was different...
That last week was the longest week of my life...waiting to come home. Every minute of every day just seem to drag on.
It took a year to renovate our office. When we were told November, we never thought November 2006.
I have seen this storm age many people, especially my parents. Poor mom died in 2009. But it aged us too, it was a very stressful time back then. I never in my (then 43 years) of life, I never knew life to be so difficult and hard. And today I think we are stronger people for it.
Like Betsy and Camile, lets hope Katrina is that 40 or 100 year storm that most of us will never see again.
Amen
I just want to say New Orleans isn't the only one. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, most people are aware that a devastating earthquake will hit at some point. I have seen countless TV shows that predict the destruction and illustrate exactly what could potentially happen. Each one making it a point to say that it could happen in fifty years, but it could happen tomorrow. We are overdue for a large earthquake that much is certain.
But what do people do about it? Not a thing. Officials sort of try to encourage the public to take basic precautionary measures (such as having earthquake kits) to prevent disaster, but nobody does it. Nobody cares if their high rise apartment building is safe, or if their house is on a fault line, or if they should remove the heavy painting that is hanging over their child's bed.
Everyone walks around with the knowledge in the back of their minds, but very few people are truly prepared for it, which seems ridiculous considering earthquakes come without warning.
The point is, when the big one hits, I'd bet money that New Orleans won't be the only city that was unprepared for a disaster they knew was coming.
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