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Katrina Numbers & Holiday Weekend Forecast

Hello there!
I am back from my "weekend" off! I am working for Gary tonight... he took the day off to catch-up... he has been really busy lately!

During the time I was off... I was pretty much addicted to tracking Katrina. And now I can't stop watching the coverage on all the networks. It is truely amazing--the power of Mother Nature!

The people of costal communities know they are always at risk for hurricane/tropical storm activity. But all the preparation in the world cannot get you ready for when your world is wiped away.

It is interesting... our News Director was actually on vacation IN New Orleans last Friday and Saturday. She was supposed to stay there until Sunday... but on Saturday afternoon, she overheard that they were going to CLOSE the airport. The situation quickly became serious. If they closed the airport... how would she get out of there? Many other tourists found themselves in the same spot. They looked into rental cars... there were NONE left. She was very lucky to get out on one of the last flights from New Orleans... but others were not so lucky. I saw video of tourists today, walking around... dragging their luggage... with no place to go. They said they couldn't even find a police officer to ask for help! I cannot even imagine what it must be like for them and all the other people stranded there.

With hurricanes (unlike tornadoes) we have DAYS of warning before the storm strikes. I am sure you saw the video of the traffic, as residents were feeling their homes. That was the right thing to do in this situation!! Some of the people decided to ride out the storm... not such a good idea, as we have seen. But then there were those that had no means to leave the city. The poor... those that can't afford a cab ride out of town, let alone a hotel room for the next several weeks. These people felt like they had no other choice but to stay. And today... they suspect that "thousands" are dead.

Anyway, I know you can read more about this online... but if you would like to make a contribution to help... the Red Cross is a great starting point. Click HERE FOR THE RED CROSS WEBSITE.

Also, NBC is putting on a live, televised concert to help raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina. "A Concert for Hurricane Relief" will air Friday night at 7 p.m. on your NBC Action News station.

That said, the remnants of Katrina did not stop at the Gulf Coast. The storm continued up the Eastern part of the country... dumping rain on more than 20 STATES. Here is a list of some of the rainfall amounts:

...MAINE...
MILLINOCKET 1.41...THROUGH 2PM EDT
EAST MACHIAS 1.04

...ARKANSAS...
BLYTHEVILLE 2.56
JONESBORO 1.97

As for OUR forecast... well, our cold front that is pushing through didn't do much to create thunderstorms! We had a few spotty showers, maybe a rumble of thunder in some of our northern communities... but that is about it! Now we have a quiet weather pattern through the holiday weekend. Here is why:

Click to enlarge

I drew in a big "H" to point out the upper level ridge that will build in over the next several days. This will continue to provide us with plenty of sunshine... and warming temperatures.

Enjoy the weekend... Gary is back tomorrow!
Jamie

Posted by at August 31, 2005 7:58 PM

Comments

Posted by: Tom at September 1, 2005 11:42 AM

Posted by: mike trainor at September 1, 2005 12:08 PM

Posted by: hotel Almunecar at September 12, 2005 11:57 AM