20 years ago I was 57, newly remarried and at the peak of my popularity. Ch. 8 was closing in on becoming the most watched News station in New Orleans. We were branded Your Weather Authority and with that came a certain responsibility. I had to be there on-air for days doing a job for which I was very well compensated. My regret was I wasn't able to be there for my wife and had her evacuate our 2 dogs up to Folsom where our neighbor had a second house. My focus had to be on my job as the communicator of weather information that allowed people to make a choice, to stay or leave. Satellite pictures were grim and the track brought this monster right over SE LA/MS.
This would be the storm of our lifetime for most of us. How do I tell/convey to my viewers the enormous dangers of choosing to stay. I, for the first time ever, read the entire message from NWS meteorologist Robert Ricks. From my tone of voice & the look on my face, it convinced many of you to leave.
"Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks, perhaps longer". What? What a gutsy forecast that, unfortunately, turned out to be reality. Most of you didn't know that Ch. 8, at that time, was undergoing another ownership change. The old owners didn't want any of our staff to be hurt and possibly file a lawsuit for injuries that could derail the sale. So everyone was told to evacuate the station. John Snell and I were the last to leave escorted by 2 Jefferson Parish deputies to Sheriff Harry Lee's command building on the West Bank. I was off the air at a time my viewers needed me the most. I felt helpless, hopeless and depressed. But it would get worse.
We found with daylight that 3 levees totally failed allowing 80% of the city to go under water. A group of Ch. 8 staffers were allowed to return to the East Bank only to find Ch. 8 had 3 feet of water inside. My car, a Jeep Sport was submerged. Luckily, Rob Masson parked his car up on higher ground near the Jeff. Davis overpass to I-10. He and I tired to drive back to my townhome in Metairie, but found that Causeway was flooded. What happened to Brenda? Was she safe? We had no cell phones back then. Going around the western part of Lake P. on I-55, we made our way back to Rob's house in Mandeville where we spent the night without power or food. The next day we were able to make it up to Folsom in my search for Brenda. When we got to my neighbor's house, Brenda had already left for Dallas where her sister lived. Rob & I headed back to the base of the Causeway where the Causeway Police had satellite phones & FOOD!!! Ch. 8 had us drive to Mobile where we had a sister station (Ch. 10). After a while(3 days), we were able to locate Brenda in Dallas. Those were the longest days of my life not knowing if your loved one was safe. Since Ch. 8 was under water for 3 weeks and off the air for 10 days, I flew out of Mobile to Love Field in Dallas. I had no clothes (was wearing a tee shirt & shorts from Rob's son), no supplies & no money. Fortunately, St. Farm advanced me $2,000 to get clothes & supplies. This storm affected all of us, some worse than others. At least I was reunited back to the woman I loved. Many weren't.
If you've been watching the various local & national stations Hurricane Katrina anniversary specials, 3 things stay out to me. Devastation, Destruction & Resilience. We are New Orleans. We are special and our way of life might be knocked down, but it will never be knocked out. Another Hurricane like Katrina & Ida (2021) will threaten us. It is why I started my podcast this year. Today's guess was David Bernard. You can watch & hear that video IF you subscribe to my podcast at bobbreck.com
For $2/month (7 cents/day), you can archive any past podcasts including with David. Give it a try. IF or when a hurricane approaches, I'll help you make that decision to stay or leave, just like in Katrina. Fortunately, this Labor Day weekend, we have no threats locally. A deep upper East Coast trough has brought down another frontal boundary that will drift down into the
Gulf. No models develop anything on it.
With the Gulf & Caribbean quiet for now, NHC is watching the MDR for next week.
At the moment, it sure looks like we'll get well into September before we have any tropical issues. Go enjoy what many call the final weekend of summer. I may not post tomorrow if I have nothing to talk about. That's why I have guests on my Podcast. Give it a try. Stay tuned!
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