Author Topic: Hurricane Katrina  (Read 22133 times)

Offline spacecat27

  • The Right Stuff
  • Apollo CDR
  • ****
  • Posts: 597
Hurricane Katrina
« on: August 28, 2005, 10:36:39 PM »
This thing was nothing but a little rain and some welcome breeze when it barely skirted my area of Florida on Friday.  It has been rapidly and solidly building out in the Gulf for two days- now a Cat 5 storm with sustained winds of 165- gusts to 190!  There are sixty-foot waves associated with the surge around the center.  I've looked over the sat and radar data on the web- and it's frightening.  400 miles across with a 25 mile eye diameter, this is the most organised hurricane I've seen in my 36 years in the South.  TV news just reported this is now the third most powerful storm in recorded history.

And it's headed for the New Orleans area- a city sitting below sea level, surrounded by water.
They have been evacuating all day, but the clock is running out.  Thousands are seeking refuge in the Superdome, and I wonder if that roof can hold in this?

This is not going to be nice; not going to be minor.

Offline LunarOrbit

  • Administrator
  • Moonwalker
  • *****
  • Posts: 3357
  • Gender: Male
    • TheSpaceRace.com
Re: Hurricane Katrina
« Reply #1 on: August 28, 2005, 11:02:16 PM »
Yeah, it's pretty amazing how quickly it grew... I coulda sworn it was still a Category 1 hurricane when I went to bed last night.

I hope New Orleans gets through it ok.
" We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard..."
 - John F. Kennedy

Offline spacecat27

  • The Right Stuff
  • Apollo CDR
  • ****
  • Posts: 597
Re: Hurricane Katrina
« Reply #2 on: August 29, 2005, 01:40:50 PM »
Have only caught a few web & radio updates here at work- seems the storm's little jog to the east spared New Orleans from the very worst- but things are certainly not good there.  Other news items- of course (any excuse in a storm) sharp jumps are predicted in oil prices due to shutdown & damage of offshore platforms..... and as if the Shuttle ET plant in Michaud didn't have enough problems- this may have done some damage there.   :(

Offline Ottawan

  • Administrator
  • Moonwalker
  • *****
  • Posts: 1896
  • Gender: Male
Re: Hurricane Katrina
« Reply #3 on: August 30, 2005, 01:58:56 PM »
Man must explore . . . and this is exploration at its greatest

Dave Scott, Apollo 15

Offline evancise

  • The Right Stuff
  • Apollo CDR
  • ****
  • Posts: 625
  • Gender: Male
    • http://vancise.blogspot.com/
Re: Hurricane Katrina
« Reply #4 on: August 30, 2005, 03:45:21 PM »
NASA ASSESSES HURRICANE KATRINA DAMAGE

NASA is marshaling agency resources to assist Gulf Coast-area facilities that suffered damage from Hurricane Katrina. The agency is preparing to provide help for NASA employees and contractors whose homes were damaged or destroyed.

Monday's storm hit NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, which is operated by Lockheed Martin. Both facilities are closed during recovery efforts. During the storm, hundreds of people including employees, family members and others took shelter at Stennis. A small contingency of NASA employees and contractors rode out the storm at Michoud. There are no reports of any injuries at NASA facilities.

"My heart goes out to all the people affected by this hurricane," said NASA Administrator Michael Griffin. "I will be visiting Stennis and the Michoud Assembly Facility soon to talk with our people."

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., sustained minor damage and is providing support to Stennis and Michoud. Two helicopter flights from Marshall were delivering communication equipment and other supplies to the facilities today. Initial damage assessments indicate some buildings at Stennis sustained water and roof damage, but the exact extent has not been determined.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is using the center as a staging area for local recovery efforts. The center's Space Shuttle main engine test stands do not appear to be damaged.

At Michoud, which makes the Space Shuttle's external fuel tanks, several buildings suffered window and roof damage. It appears that space flight hardware was not damaged, but a preliminary assessment has not been completed. The facility has no electrical power and communication is limited. Debris on roadways is restricting transportation around the facility.

NASA will provide new information as it becomes available. For updates, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/hurricane