Lest We Forget

"Matt Nichelson" (whoismatt) 08/29/2016 at 09:50 • Filed to: Katrina

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On Monday, August 29th, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Gulf Coast. I lived about an hour north of the MS coast at the time and can remember that day well, though it was a day most of us down here would love to forget. Below is the haunting and most well known weather bulletin issued by the Slidell, LA weather forecast office the day before. It still sends shivers to this day and is a reminder of how dire the situation was for so many people.

000 WWUS74 KLIX 281550 !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! URGENT — WEATHER MESSAGE !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! 1011 AM !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! SUN AUG 28, 2005 ...DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED... HURRICANE KATRINA...A !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! STRENGTH... RIVALING THE INTENSITY OF !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! OF 1969. MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS...PERHAPS LONGER. AT LEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL FAILURE. ALL !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ROOFS WILL FAIL...LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL. PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. CONCRETE BLOCK LOW RISE APARTMENTS WILL SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE...INCLUDING SOME WALL AND ROOF FAILURE. HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY...A FEW TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT. AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD...AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH AS !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! AND !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! WILL BE MOVED. THE BLOWN DEBRIS WILL CREATE ADDITIONAL DESTRUCTION. PERSONS...PETS...AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK. POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS...AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS. THE VAST MAJORITY OF NATIVE TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING...BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED. FEW CROPS WILL REMAIN. LIVESTOCK LEFT EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL BE KILLED. AN !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR HURRICANE FORCE...OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE...ARE CERTAIN WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS. ONCE TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ONSET...DO NOT VENTURE OUTSIDE!

jkm7680 > Matt Nichelson 08/29/2016 at 10:29

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I moved to Virginia from a few months before Katrina. I’ll never forget watching it on the news and seeing the damage with my own eyes.

Most of my area wasn’t as hard as others. But still, when I went back a year after the storm, a lot of what I remembered from my childhood was gone. Just completely gone. Nothing left at all.

I’ve had this ruler for years. It serves as a reminder of how quickly shit can hit the fan.

Considering Pass Christian was almost completely destroyed by Katrina, what the ruler says on it is a bit ironic.

Matt Nichelson > jkm7680 08/29/2016 at 11:03

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Thankfully you got out when you did. It was bad enough seeing it on tv. It was worse seeing it in person.

It was about a week before I actually got to see the damage on the coast on tv since the power was out everywhere. I remember making the drive from my parent’s house in Purvis up to the Delta where my then girlfriend was at college. Several times I thought I would run out of gas before I finally found a station that had some.

When I finally got to her apartment and had a moment to watch the tv coverage, I just sat there and cried. The coast I knew and loved was no more. I knew New Orleans had it bad, but Mississippi is my home.

About a month or so later a friend of mine and I rode down to get some video of the cleanup and it was so depressing seeing the devastation in person. I remember riding by the President Casino (the one that endes up sitting on Hwy 90) and thought about my 21st birthday when I went there for the first time to gamble. It just didn’t seem real seeing it.

Your ruler is indeed ironic. I would definitely hold on to it.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Matt Nichelson 08/29/2016 at 11:05

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With that in mind, the most recent storm dumped more water into the Baton Rouge area than Katrina did. The storm didn’t come with a lot of wind to knock things down. It just dumped two feet of rain in a few days. The damage isn’t the same, but the end result is just as bad.

Matt Nichelson > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/29/2016 at 11:22

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Indeed. I heard several people mention how much rain yall got. Just so tragic to see all of that. Glad yall are ok, though. Makes me really hope that TD in the gulf doesn’t end up changing course from what the general consensus currently is and coming this direction.

jkm7680 > Matt Nichelson 08/29/2016 at 11:24

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Watching it on TV was horrible. I remember seeing the Biloxi Bridge. Just collapsed in pieces.

I was born in New Orleans, but Mississippi was my first home. I’d love to move back to Ocean Springs one day. I haven’t been back since around 2006.

X37.9XXS > Matt Nichelson 08/29/2016 at 11:37

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,

TheRealBicycleBuck > Matt Nichelson 08/29/2016 at 12:12

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You can bet we are on edge about it. We have had rain almost every day since the big storm. I was looking at the numbers last night. The average depth from each shower since then has been 1/2". If you average it over the “dry” days too, it works out to be 1/3" ever day since the storm. Even though my lawn has significant slopes in both front and back, walking across it is like walking on a wet sponge.

BIGBLOCK472 - wide and bizarre > Matt Nichelson 08/29/2016 at 12:38

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I lived in a one room cabin on a small lake in North Mississippi when Katrina devastated the coast. Even though I’m about 340 miles from the coast, for five days straight we had insane winds and the hardest, most unyielding rain I have ever experienced. Our cabin never flooded, but the lake rose from its end-of-summer low point about 3 feet. Our porch was flooded and needed an additional inch of water before the water made its way inside. Our septic tank flooded so we had to drive 21 miles to town to use the bathroom and we were lucky to be able to. I will never forget that time.

Matt Nichelson > jkm7680 08/29/2016 at 13:02

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It looks a lot different than it did in ‘06 for sure. There are still empty lots along the beach, but it’s a lot better than it was.

Matt Nichelson > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/29/2016 at 13:04

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I can imagine. It’s the last thing yall need right now. Unfortunately it’s just hurry up and wait right now. All the models have it going to Florida right now, so we shall see.

Matt Nichelson > BIGBLOCK472 - wide and bizarre 08/29/2016 at 13:07

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Yeah people tend to forget what all it caused further inland. The NW part of the state didn’t get it quite as bad, but because of where it tracked once it moved ashore, the NE part got hit with nasty weather and wind. Just goes to show you how powerful that storm really was.

jkm7680 > Matt Nichelson 08/29/2016 at 13:56

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Yup, I looked on street view earlier.

For sure looks better than it did...

NJAnon > Matt Nichelson 08/29/2016 at 18:09

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Well that year prior Hurricane Ivan came around there. Just because one hurricane comes through one time doesn’t mean another one isn’t right behind it! Thats what a Category 5 hurricane will do: completely obliterate stuff, ALWAYS. It was pretty crazy how some of those people in charge of organizing help were being so nonchalant.

Matt Nichelson > NJAnon 08/29/2016 at 19:20

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Watching that video is just mind boggling. What’s more is it didn’t include Delta, Epsilon, and Zeta. I really hope we don’t see another year that active in our lifetime but there’s always the potential.