Gustav

[Strmchsr]

Bret, you stay safe! I'll be headed your way as soon as the all clear is given, too.

Any of you coming to Birmingham to escape the storm and need advice on getting around, things to do, etc, just PM me and I'll be glad to help you out.

[DisneyOtaku]

I live in Lafayette, LA and it's pretty bad here. It took my mom an hour to find gas to fill up her car today--all the gas stations are out. Stores are running low on supplies--and my job still wants me to come in! @_@ (I *seriously* doubt people will want to see movies during the storm).

My dad commutes to Shreveport every week for his job, so my family is evacuating there. I'm praying for everyone staying though.

[trennedy]

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone in the path of Gustav. Stay strong!!

[daparish]

Hi Bret,
Just wondering what most of the people in your area doing? I know manadtory evacuation begans tomorrow. My family is coming to my house tomorrow and we will make a decision some time tomorrow if we will be leaving for Andalusia, Alabama on Sunday. I am soooooo nervous. I am more sad for my family. I can't believe they are facing loosing everything again. It is really hard not to just sit here and cry and cry but that will not solve anything. None of my neighbors have left yet. Most are saying they are staying. I am leaning towards leaving. I would rather be safe than sorry. I am really scared of 130 mph winds. Plus, the idea of being in a house with boarded windows and no electricty sounds pretty miserable. Take care and God bless.

[SgtTigger]

Hi Bret,
Just wondering what most of the people in your area doing? I know manadtory evacuation begans tomorrow.

Most are going to leave....... most have not yet....
Yes tomorrow is manadtory..... i leave tomorrow arond 9 am... I hope traffic is not to bad........ My partner left today and took him 4 hours to get to hammond........ dont want that tomorrow.....

Hi Bret,

I am leaning towards leaving. I would rather be safe than sorry. I am really scared of 130 mph winds. Plus, the idea of being in a house with boarded windows and no electricty sounds pretty miserable. Take care and God bless.

Yes it is miserable.......

When Katrina was coming I posted what I was felling so Ill do it again.... who knows it might help with how I fell........

I am at my house. Windows are boarded up not much light coming in. This is the first time I am leaving..... I have mixed emotions about that.... While I am not well enough to stay and I understand that I really don't want to leave the people I work with. 3 years ago today I was facing the biggest event in my life. I was in my office at this time as the storm was bearing down. This time I will be an hour and a half away with maybe radio communications to hear what is going on. I talked to a bunch of the guys and most want to stay. Why??? because that is what we do.... and you know what is going on when you are here.... I can say that plans are for a lot more resources to be on the ground here and ready to go. We are going to have military here with equipment to help out.
right now Sherrie and I have picked up stuff and got it up stairs. Is that a good thing???? I am not sure.... It has been a lot of work in the heat and I am exhausted. have made way to many trips up the stairs and with all the work we did today at work I am just whipped.....
We are packing clothes. I need 3 different bags. One for my moms one for work if I come back and one at the evacuation center..... Plus I have all my SWAT gear in my truck. WOW that is a lot of bags......

So tomorrow is another day and we shall see what it brings.....

I will try to type as I can not to sure when I am going to have the Internet or when I can get to it.......

till then thanks for the thoughts.... I do really enjoy hearing from you all and hope we get to say that this was just a drill and nothing has happened........

[Tinkermom]

Most are going to leave....... most have not yet....
Yes tomorrow is manadtory..... i leave tomorrow arond 9 am... I hope traffic is not to bad........ My partner left today and took him 4 hours to get to hammond........ dont want that tomorrow.....




Yes it is miserable.......

When Katrina was coming I posted what I was felling so Ill do it again.... who knows it might help with how I fell........

I am at my house. Windows are boarded up not much light coming in. This is the first time I am leaving..... I have mixed emotions about that.... While I am not well enough to stay and I understand that I really don't want to leave the people I work with. 3 years ago today I was facing the biggest event in my life. I was in my office at this time as the storm was bearing down. This time I will be an hour and a half away with maybe radio communications to hear what is going on. I talked to a bunch of the guys and most want to stay. Why??? because that is what we do.... and you know what is going on when you are here.... I can say that plans are for a lot more resources to be on the ground here and ready to go. We are going to have military here with equipment to help out.
right now Sherrie and I have picked up stuff and got it up stairs. Is that a good thing???? I am not sure.... It has been a lot of work in the heat and I am exhausted. have made way to many trips up the stairs and with all the work we did today at work I am just whipped.....
We are packing clothes. I need 3 different bags. One for my moms one for work if I come back and one at the evacuation center..... Plus I have all my SWAT gear in my truck. WOW that is a lot of bags......

So tomorrow is another day and we shall see what it brings.....

I will try to type as I can not to sure when I am going to have the Internet or when I can get to it.......

till then thanks for the thoughts.... I do really enjoy hearing from you all and hope we get to say that this was just a drill and nothing has happened........

Bret & Sherrie and the others along the Gulf Coast,

Our thoughts and prayers are with you all! I pray that as Bret says this all turns out to be "just a drill". Please keep us updated as you can.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

It's not looking good. I looked at the high pressure systems that will push the storm away and it wasn't encouraging. The models are now focused on our areas more than before.
MississippiDisneyFreak I am not familiar with McHenry??? My parents lived in Pearlington, Ms and had moved up to Baton Rouge before the storm. Their old house had an elevation of 17 feet and had 5 feet of water on the second floor.
We lived on the Rigolets in Camille and lost our house when I was young. Once is enough for me.
I remember when Betsy went straight up the Ms. River and hit BR pretty hard too.
It all depends on who is East of the storm
I have been looking for D batteries for 2 days.
I know BR got hit hard in Andrew. I was in Slidell then.
IF anyone needs a place I'm here in BR -- we also take animals. Lori and Bret (you know Sherrie and Koda are welcome here too) the door is open.
When I was young my grandfather was a State Trooper (troop B) in New Orleans. I know how frightening it can be when your loved ones are out helping others. Bret we are with you in spirit and our prayers are with you to keep you safe.
Lori, so sorry they canceled your reservations. The holiday Inn threw us out after we lost our house in Camille. They needed room for telephone repairmen
Thanks to all the states that have already offered help. It's incredible that states have already offered help with buses to help evacuate the people of N.O., ambulance to move the sick and elderly etc.

McHenry is in Stone County, south of Hattiesburg and about 25 miles north of Gulfport....I actually work in Biloxi which is about a 30 minute drive from home....found out they will have us working through the storm four of us dispatchers and two officers will be 24 hours...we will be about 20 miles north of the coast in a little brick building with generator backup and running water...we won't flood but need pixie dust to get us through the winds. Pray for my mom and son as they leave tomorrow to evacuate to my sisters four hours north of here in Starkville

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Also forgot to ask, they have our officers staying and working through the storm as well, this is the three coastal counties of MS...a lot of people don't realize that Katrina actually hit Mississippi dead on...one of our officers worked for Waveland PD the little city that was totally leveled...he, several other officers and dispatchers were in the PD when it hit and the storm surge passed over the top of the PD....they had to swim out and cling to trees until the water subsided and I will not repeat the horrible things he said he saw...it would break your heart....another of our officers and his family rode it out in their attic on back bay when waters reached the ceiling...several more lost their entire homes and loved ones...please send pixie dust as I know this is hard for them too...We didn't think we would have a place to dispatch from as our building is still undergoing repairs...our bottom floor is still gutted...they are sending us (dispatchers and two officers) to a fish hatchery about 20 miles north of the coast to run an emergency headquarters...at least we'll have emergency power...

I saw Louisiana's governor on tv a little while ago, I think he's pretty sharp....I'm betting NO will fare a little better this time...I hope so anyway, I have a cousin who lives in the Garden District, so just pray for all of us....

[TXTigger]

My in-laws live in the NO area and my parents live in Houston. My father-in-law, who is a firefighter, is part of a team that will be the first out and the first back into the area. My thoughts and prayers are with all that live on the Gulf Coast. I hope that this won't get as bad as they are predicting.

[offwego]

I too am hoping this storm doesn't have the impact they think it will have. To all of you in the path of it stay safe. I can't imagine how awful it must be to be doing this all over again.

[Strmchsr]

It looks like all of the timetables are moved up a tad Gustav. Tropical storm force winds are expected to reach the southern sections of Louisiana before daybreak Monday and the New Orleans area by 7 a.m. Strong tropical storm force winds will reach the coast by midmorning and move inland. Hurricane force winds should reach the coast by early afternoon and continue for several hours over parishes about 60 miles right of the track and 40 miles left of the track. Top winds should be around 120-125 mph (strong category three.) Landfall should occur around 9-10 p.m. on the coast near New Iberia. From what you guys are posting here and what I'm hearing from my EMA and FEMA friends, folks in Louisiana appear to be taking this storm very seriously. That’s good, because it is nothing to be trifled with.

This is based on the currrent NHC track. As we know…the forecast error at 60 hours is substantial, so the cone of uncertainty extends as far east at Pascagoula and as far west as Houston.

[daparish]

Just an update. My family from St. Bernard Parish is staying with us in Metairie. They were under mandatory evacuation. I have a two bedroom house (only one room is used as a bedroom and the other an office) and we have 15 people here. We also have a large den, living room and dining room so there is plenty of floor space. We plan on leaving for Alabama in the morning. Hopefully everyone can find the hotel and no one encounters any car trouble. I have one brother how may stay in St. Bernard and my brother in law will be staying in Metairie. I will probably post again once we get in Alabama.

[mickeys_princess_mom]

Just an update. My family from St. Bernard Parish is staying with us in Metairie. They were under mandatory evacuation. I have a two bedroom house (only one room is used as a bedroom and the other an office) and we have 15 people here. We also have a large den, living room and dining room so there is plenty of floor space. We plan on leaving for Alabama in the morning. Hopefully everyone can find the hotel and no one encounters any car trouble. I have one brother how may stay in St. Bernard and my brother in law will be staying in Metairie. I will probably post again once we get in Alabama.

Have a safe trip. Hope everything goes well, and you get to come home soon.

[conorsmom2000]

I too am hoping this storm doesn't have the impact they think it will have. To all of you in the path of it stay safe. I can't imagine how awful it must be to be doing this all over again.

My sentiments exactly. All those in the path of Gustav are in my thoughts and prayers. Be careful, stay safe and we'll be hoping with all our heart everything turns out okay.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Update: I 55 traffic is closed for southbound traffic....and I10 EB in Louisiana and Mississippi are extremely backed up....if you need to leave and haven't already...please go now...this storm now is a CAT 4 storm and predicted to be a CAT 5 tomorrow....our neighbors in South Central and Western Lousiana now seem the most likely to receive a direct hit....we will start working from our emergency location tomorrow. Lets hope Hanna doesn't hold together so we don't have to do this again next week....

[MsMin]

Hey all, just catching up with everyone. Today was very different w/ a big football game in town and people evacuationing. I had friends who went to the game in route to their evacuation destination. Today has been different.
Electronic bill boards across town are flashing emergency warnings. My dd's bf just came to pick up my dd and he said the interstates have cleared up here. The I-10-I-12 split is very slow but overall traffic is moving better than earlier.
My son will be staying with me along w/ his friend and his wife. The guys just left to head back to New Orleans b/c they forgot a suitcase. I'm sure it will take several hours before they return. Fortunately I was unable to talk my niece into leaving a lower parish. (Houma for those familiar). Her mom couldn't get her to leave but my dd and I convinced her and she left 4 hours ago and we still haven't heard from her. It normally takes about 90 min.
Last I heard Contra flow will begin at 4:am.
Many of the latest models show we may get the direct hit here in Baton Rouge. I'm not afraid of storm surge here, as I consider this the most dangerous threat one can plan to avoid. Our concerns will be tornadoes more than anything.
Tomorrow we will remove everything from the yard that can become a projectile in a strong wind.
I talked to Bret earlier and had a PM from Lori. I hope Angel is back home. I'm between all of them.
TV never does a great job at explaining the extent of the destruction in a storm. They tend to focus on a city or two neglecting to relay to others that even if I get hit head on w/ the storm our friends to the East will have a considerable impact w/ high tides, tornadoes and winds and our friends to the west will have the lighter side but experience high winds and possibly heavy rains. In Katrina I saw devastation that reached 150 miles across two states so these prayers and have far to travel.
MSDisneyFreak: My mom lived in Pearlington, I used to live in Slidell and my sister lived in Bay St. Louis and then Diamond Head... We may even know some of the same people... stay safe.

[daparish]

It's 3:00 am and we are getting ready to leave. I can not began to express how I feel. Have you ever felt so helpless that it is hard to breath? Twice is my life I have felt this horrible. The first was watching my brother die and not being able to do anything in the world to change things and for Katrina. It is not looking good. Brett and Sherrie I am so sorry. I am hearing horrible reports of what will be happening in your parish if it stays on this track. My brother is still in the parish and he was told by a policeman that they are expecting worse flooding than Katrina. My brother is leaving at day break. Beth - please, please, please be careful. You are going to get 100+ winds. I will text you to check on you because as with Katrina phones will be out but texting will probably work. Angel - please be safe if you are staying. We still are so unsure of the exact track. Everyone, please, please pray for those in Gustav's path. The mayor of New Orleans held a press conference last night and he said this is the mother of all storms and NO will see worse flooding than Katrina. He said, "If you are staying be sure to have an ax in your attick". I am not sure when I will be able to post agan but God bless us all.

[d_m_n_n]

All those who will be/are feeling the effects of Gustav are in my thoughts and prayers.

Continued prayers and for everyone in the path of this storm.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

MsMin and DParish and all Louisiana Intercotees, god bless I will be praying for you along with the MS Coast.... They are doing a mandatory evacuation of everyone south of I10 in Hancock County over here I'm thinking because the path shifted slightly back east towards Houma... I was at our temp location this morning and we are officially set up at the emergency location...I am getting to come home do some laundry, eat and take a nap and then I will be packing my overnight bag and heading up there....everyone post when its over to let us know how you fared.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Hey all, just catching up with everyone. Today was very different w/ a big football game in town and people evacuationing. I had friends who went to the game in route to their evacuation destination. Today has been different.
Electronic bill boards across town are flashing emergency warnings. My dd's bf just came to pick up my dd and he said the interstates have cleared up here. The I-10-I-12 split is very slow but overall traffic is moving better than earlier.
My son will be staying with me along w/ his friend and his wife. The guys just left to head back to New Orleans b/c they forgot a suitcase. I'm sure it will take several hours before they return. Fortunately I was unable to talk my niece into leaving a lower parish. (Houma for those familiar). Her mom couldn't get her to leave but my dd and I convinced her and she left 4 hours ago and we still haven't heard from her. It normally takes about 90 min.
Last I heard Contra flow will begin at 4:am.
Many of the latest models show we may get the direct hit here in Baton Rouge. I'm not afraid of storm surge here, as I consider this the most dangerous threat one can plan to avoid. Our concerns will be tornadoes more than anything.
Tomorrow we will remove everything from the yard that can become a projectile in a strong wind.
I talked to Bret earlier and had a PM from Lori. I hope Angel is back home. I'm between all of them.
TV never does a great job at explaining the extent of the destruction in a storm. They tend to focus on a city or two neglecting to relay to others that even if I get hit head on w/ the storm our friends to the East will have a considerable impact w/ high tides, tornadoes and winds and our friends to the west will have the lighter side but experience high winds and possibly heavy rains. In Katrina I saw devastation that reached 150 miles across two states so these prayers and have far to travel.
MSDisneyFreak: My mom lived in Pearlington, I used to live in Slidell and my sister lived in Bay St. Louis and then Diamond Head... We may even know some of the same people... stay safe.

I'm willing to bet your mom knows my boss, Rusty, who used to live in Pearlington and now lives in Diamondhead....