HURRICANE KATRINA AFTERMATH LOG

1. Councilor John Lasley recommended and the NWA Council members unanimously approved donating $10,000 out of reserves to the Red Cross. President Steve Weiss directed the apportionment. A check for $10,000 was mailed to the American Red Cross Hurricane 2005 Relief on 2 September 2005 on behalf of all NWA members.

2. The NWA office e-mailed members (with e-mail addresses) in the southern areas of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana to check on them and offer help. The message included:

• For those of you in the area affected by Katrina who receive this message, please forgive the interruption, but we want to know if you and your families are OK.
• We certainly pray for you all and are contributing $10,000 out of NWA reserves to the Red Cross for Katrina relief.
• If we can help in other ways, please don't hesitate to let us know. Warmest regards,

A number of the NWA messages were returned indicating e-mail addresses were timed out, not in use or no longer correct.

Responses and other information received at the NWA office (exdir@nwas.org/) —

• All Council members, I wholeheartedly agree with this proposal (to donate funds to the Red Cross). Just to let you know - all are well here at NWS WFO Jackson MS. It has been a rather harrowing experience - but nothing like what has been experienced south and east of us. Jeff Craven (NWA Councilor) has traveled to Norman OK to evacuate his family there to wait out the duration. Most people still do not have power - I am one of the lucky ones who had power restored last night. I hope everyone understands that obviously as bad and horrific as it is at the coast, the devastation spreads well inland across southern Mississippi and western Alabama. And I do not use the word devastation lightly. I just talked to our employee in Meridian, MS, which is almost 100 miles inland, and he told me that over 200 homes in the city there are heavily damaged or destroyed and that 25% of the businesses are heavily damaged or destroyed. Ordinarily, this would be a national news item in itself - but today, you don't even hear about it. This is a catastrophe that will not be recovered from in months or maybe even years.
  Thanks to all,
  Alan Gerard, MIC NWSFO Jackson MS and NWA Councilor
  
  
• I think this contribution (to the Red Cross) is a great idea.
  The destruction on the Gulf Coast is truly incredible! What's really sobering is that I was scheduled to travel to Gulfport for a meeting with the Navy and was to arrive yesterday evening. I was booked to stay at a bed and breakfast, the Bay Town Inn in Bay St. Louis. I spoke with the owner of the B&B Saturday morning, and told her we would probably cancel. She replied that we should just call....she would be there. I said "are you sure?" She replied that unless they forced her to leave she was staying; after all, the house had survived Camille. I thought the better of it, and called back Saturday afternoon and left a voicemail strongly advising her to leave, since a 20+ foot storm surge (I used the technically incorrect term "wall of water" to underscore the danger) was likely to hit Bay St. Louis. Yesterday evening, I was watching CNN, and they interviewed a woman who owned a bed and breakfast in Bay St. Louis who described her harrowing experience as the hurricane hit. She and six guests decided to ride out the storm (since the B&B survived Camille). When the storm surge hit and the house began to break apart, they were swept to a nearby tree and clung to it for 3 hours until the water receded and they were able to get out. During that time, four of the seven lost their grip and floated away, but thankfully all were rescued later. Then they identified the owner, the very B&B owner I had spoken to on Saturday! The bad news is that she didn't heed my advice; the good news is she survived! I can't help but think that I could have been there! Kind of puts everything else in perspective. Greg Byrd, NWA Councilor
  
  
• Thanks for writing. All of the WWL staff is OK...not sure about our homes. My family and I are safe in Nashville right now with our newborn son - born Sunday at 3:20 AM. We evacuated right after he was born to Nashville. I hope to eventually get back down to Baton Rouge to help with the coverage and recovery efforts.
  Thanks again for taking the time to write everyone. I am glad to hear Paul (Trotter) and staff (at Slidell NWS Office) are OK.
  John Gumm
  Morning Meteorologist, WWL-TV
  
  
• NWA heard from National Weather Service channels that the NWS Forecast Office in Slidell, Louisiana survived and all members were accounted for (after a few days wait on one). However, many of the member's homes were badly damaged or destroyed and communications were minimal by radio. Mobile AL Forecast office is backing up the Slidell office.
  
  
• My family and I are fine... the mess of branches/leaves is nothing compared to what some are/did suffering/ed. Thank you for your concern. I think for the majority of us here in the Mobile/Pensacola viewing area are doing ok. There are those around the coast/bay that received 12ft storm surge... a record by the way by 3 feet! Bayou La Batre, Ft. Morgan, Dauphin Island as well as a few other areas did not fair as well. Estimated surge on Dauphin Island was 10ft, 15ft Bayou La Batre. The shrimping industry is severely crippled (it was struggling before the hurricane). 1500-2000 residents in the Bayou La Batre area are now homeless. Mississippi and Louisiana areas don't get any better.
  
  I don't remember if you guys have a broadcast Meteorologist of the Year award, but I think there should be more than one given this year. All of the Met's involved should receive one. It is because of their warning of the storm, more weren't killed. There should also be awards given to the Hurricane Hunters, and the NHC and the local NWS offices. This has been a great team effort and everyone deserves the recognition. I hope you'll pass this on to the rest of the board members for consideration. Doug Peters of WALA-FOX10 TV
  
  
• Thanks!
  My family and I are OK (as well as the house). Please feel free to pass this along to anyone. Regards, Jeffrey Medlin, Mobile AL NWS office
  
  
• All fine in west Mobile. We had one tree lean down on the roof and knock off a few shingles. We need a new roof anyway. Alan Sealls, WKRG TV chief meteorologist
  
  
• Thank you so much for asking! My family and I are doing well. We are alive and very fortunate. We incurred no damage to property and our power was restored after only 3 days. I would like to thank the NWA for sending money. Many people only 15 mins south of where I live in West Mobile, have lost everything and need help badly. Mississippi and New Orleans are even worse.
  Thanks for your concern!
  Sytske Kimball
  Dept. of Earth Sciences
  University of South Alabama
  
  
• A lot of information is available on Web site http://www.firstgov.gov/Citizen/Topics/PublicSafety/Hurricane_Katrina_Recovery.shtml
  
  
• Also, an all-NOAA message went out that mentions a group helping Federal Employees...this is from the memo from Adm Lautenbacher: "The Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund (FEEA) also stands ready to help. Donations to the fund may be made on line at (http://www.FEEA.org) or by sending a check to: FEEA HURRICANE FUND, 8441 W. Bowles Avenue, Suite 200, Littleton, CO 80123-9501, or via credit card by calling FEEA at 1-800-323-4140. Federal employees affected by this disaster may download an Emergency Assistance application from FEEA's web site, www.FEEA.org, to apply for grants and no-interest loans to help with temporary shelter, clean-up, rebuilding, and other expenses.
  Those in need may also contact FEEA at 1-800-323-4140.
  
  
• Thanks....I am fine. I'm broadcasting wx info on the ClearChannel Biloxi stations. The only damage I had was a tree fell over in the front yard. I had a new roof put on last Christmas. That saved my house.
  Ed Ring
  Gulfport, MS
  
  
• Info on Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi MS, is available at http://www.keesler.af.mil/ and http://www.airweaassn.org/katrina/index.htm. Information for Navy Meteorology and Oceanography Command personnel and others from Stennis Space Center MS is at http://www.metoc.navy.mil/evacuation.html
  
  
• Liz Quoetone (NWA Commissioner of Committees) found a photo on a Web site showing the Isle of Capri Casino in Biloxi, MS where the NWA held its Annual Meeting in 1999. The barges were bounced around, but not floated inland like others in Biloxi were.
  
  
  
• The Air Force Weather Agency posted DMSP images before and after Hurricane Katrina showing the change in nighttime lights. See Web site: https://afweather.afwa.af.mil/news/news_archive/2005/katrina.htm
  
  
• Tuesday, September 6, 2005
  The Gonzales, Louisiana area had some minor damage but my electricity stayed on for all but for 3 hours. Buying gasoline is the real problem now as most stations are running very low and long lines are the norm. Also buying food at the local Wal-Mart was a challenge over the past weekend as hundreds of shoppers cleared most of the shelves. I am looking forward to getting back to the New Orleans International Airport sometime within the next 7 to 14 days. My prayers are with everyone affected by this storm. God be with you all !!
  Eric McLin, meteorologist/ weather observer, New Orleans Intl. Airport
  
  
• Thank you for thinking of us! Needless to say it has been pretty crazy here in Baton Rouge. We have been covering this situation 24/7 with news and weather. We actually have teamed up with WGNO the ABC affiliate out of New Orleans since they had to evacuate their station. Together, we have been covering the storm, and this combination of 2 stations has proven to be a success. The evacuees here were thrilled to see the meteorologists and anchors they grew to trust. Plus having us too, made them feel more at home - if that is possible. We are currently the largest city in Louisiana. Our population has more or less doubled and it is likely that it will remain that way. We had winds sustained around 50 mph with an occasional gust near 75.  Over 200,000 were without power here, but of course that is nothing compared to New Orleans.which is only 60 miles SE of here. Baton Rouge has become the headquarters for Louisiana relief. I am sure you have seen it all on the news. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers. It is going to take months for SE Louisiana to recover, but they will and then we will have a new, New Orleans. — Dave Nussbaum, Meteorologist, WBRZ-TV Baton Rouge, La
  
  
• From the NWS forecast discussion regarding forecasts for the Baton Rouge/New Orleans county warning area — COMMUNICATIONS REMAIN LIMITED AT NWS FORECAST OFFICE IN NEW ORLEANS. ALL WATCH...WARNING AND FORECAST INFORMATION FOR THE NWS NEW ORLEANS AREA IS BEING GENERATED AND SENT FROM THE NWS FORECAST OFFICE IN MOBILE ALABAMA UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
  
  
• The Lake Charles area is in Southwest Louisiana, so everything is okay on this side of the state. The Lake Charles area has opened several shelters to take in those from the affected areas. - Joe Rua, Senior Forecaster NWS WFO Lake Charles
  
  
• I'm ok! I'll be flying the all nighter into Nate Wed night as it treks towards Bermuda.
  Alan Gerard was mentioning to me yesterday about a possible special session on Katrina at the NWA conference. I told him I would be more than glad to show some reconnaissance data and pictures if there is interest.
  
  I had 2 flights into Katrina, 2nd one was quite turbulent.
  
  See you in STL at the Annual Meeting
  
  John Gordon, MIC at Nashville NWS Forecast Office and Weather Officer with the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters
  
  
• I have put more comparative before/after images online here: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/misc/carbin/katrina/
  
  It is very difficult to comprehend the enormity of the destruction. — Greg Carbin
  
  

September 13, 2005

• G. Alan Johnson, charter NWA member, recently retired from NWS Slidell LA office called in from Austin, Texas where he is residing with family members. He and family are OK. They evacuated from their home in Slidell before Katrina hit. They went back after the hurricane and found their house and property did fairly well except for some trees down. Alan said parts of Slidell look like battle zones. He's waiting now for the power and water to be restored before going back and cleaning up.
  
  
• Todd Adams e-mailed in after power was restored and he said, "Please know my family and I are okay. We consider ourselves to be very fortunate to not have any loss of life or property, except for a few trees. We did ride out the storm here in Gautier, Mississippi which is between Mobile, Al and Biloxi, MS. That is something my wife says we will never do again and at this point I would have to agree. I have stayed for hurricanes Camille, Frederick, Elena, Georges, and Katrina... been there, done that... time to start evacuating. Thanks for checking on us."
  
  Todd Adams also said, "I spent five years as Director of a County Emergency Management here on the coast, and one of the most difficult tasks was interesting the public (and public officials) in emergency preparedness and response. Convincing the public to evacuate or even knowing the height of their home and what storm surge zone they live in waslike "spinning your wheels." It was very discouraging. I just read the Katrina summary on the NHC webpage. It said Katrina was a 4 at Louisiana landfall and a 3 at Mississippi/Louisiana landfall. This will likely confuse the public even more, since I am sure they all think a cat 5 hit them and maybe it will be re-classified later. In the short term, officials won't have a problem convincing people to evacuate... but just like all storms and to some extent the 9/11 terrorist attacks, memories fade and we let our guard down. In total contrast, the Biloxi Mayor made a very profound statement. He said -- Hurricane Camille is responsible for many of the deaths this time. He was referring to people whose homes withstood the so-called "greatest storm of all time" or did not get water in 1969, so they did not evacuate and became victims of Katrina. I'm sure Katrina will be investigated from every angle of emergency management; mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Let's pray people will learn to evacuate and the governing authorities will find a way to help evacuate people with no means to get out."
  
  
• From a Weathermatrix member — I was in Hattiesburg, MS in 1969 for Camille and the wind was higher. However, Camille was through the area in just a few hours. Katrina, for which I was in Hattiesburg for as well, had lesser sustained winds and gusts, but lasted for hours and hours. The result is more damage from Katrina. I was in Bay St Louis yesterday and spoke with a NOAA official taking storm surge readings and he recorded a 31' surge at the back of the bay. I also have some awesome video from the storm in Hattiesburg. Maybe I can get it online soon. I just got power today (10 Sept) so first things first. PS The travesty here is what your homeowners insurance does not cover. I have at least $10,000 in debris and tree removal from the storm that is not covered by any insurance. Check you policies people. They may leave you in a bind.
  
  

3. The NWA Remote Sensing Committee has assembled a collection of Web links to satellite and radar imagery of Hurricane Katrina, as well as aerial photos of the catastrophic damage that resulted in Louisiana.

• GOES satellite image loops of storm landfall (NWA - NESDIS):
  http://www.nwas.org/committees/rs/Katrina_IR2.avi (2-day IR/ 27-29 Aug)
  http://www.nwas.org/committees/rs/Katrina_vis.avi (8-hour visible/ 28 Aug)
  
  
• NWS long-period radar animations for landfalls in Florida and Louisiana (Brian McNoldy, CSU-Ft. Collins):
  http://einstein.atmos.colostate.edu/~mcnoldy/tropics/katrina/
  
  
• Composite microwave and GOES imagery (Naval Research Lab-Monterey):
  
  
• Miscellaneous satellite images from NASA (Quikscat, TRMM, MISR, GOES, etc):
  http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/h2005_katrina.html
  
  
• Collection of images from ENVISAT (European Space Agency)
  http://earth.esa.int/ew/cyclones/Katrina_Hurricane-aug05/
  
  
• Aerial photos in the eye from a NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft:
  http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2005/s2496.htm
  
  
• Satellite altimetry observations in the Gulf of Mexico (NOAA-AOML):
  http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/phod/altimetry/katrina_v2.pdf
  
  
• Aerial photos of storm damage (from NOAA):
  http://ngs.woc.noaa.gov/katrina/KATRINA0000.HTM
  
  
• Radarsat images showing flooded areas (MDA Geospatial Services):
  http://www.rsi.ca/news/press/2005/current_event_katrina_sep05.asp
  
  
• Storm and post-storm imagery from numerous satellites (LSU Earth Scan Laboratory)
  http://www.esl.lsu.edu/quicklinks/hurricanes/2005/KATRINA/
  
  

September 15, 2005

• Thanks for checking on us. My childhood home in the New Orleans area suffered quite a bit of water damage, but fortunately all family are safe and accounted for. Thanks to the NWA and everyone else for their donations of money, supplies, and time. It's going to be a long road to recovery for SE Louisiana and the MS Coast.
  Steve Caparotta
  WAFB-TV, Baton Rouge
  
  
• It's good to hear from NWA...sorry it took so long to get back. Only minor damage here, power out for a week, no phone...and we're all okay. I'm spending a lot of time at work. My wife and kids been doing hurricane cleanup and we've all been volunteering at the food bank and assorted shelter/distribution centers. School started back last week.
  
  We were fortunate; just inconvenienced. Major flooding in downtown Mobile, about 3 miles from our house. Real devastation starts 15-20 miles away. Lots of folks still looking to shelters, the Red Cross, and FEMA for the basics here and in SE Mississippi...but the process of rebuilding is under way.
  
  Thanks for thinking of us, and for the NWA's generous contribution to the Red Cross.
  John Nodar
  WKRG TV, Mobile AL