|
myrskybongarit-l [ät] ursa.fi
viestiarkisto
Tämä myrskybongarit-l [ät] ursa.fi-listan viestiarkisto. Huomaa,
että voit vastata viesteihin tältä sivulta ainoastaan, jos olet jo
liittynyt listalle.
» Listan/viestin loppuun
No niin... toivottavasti nuo off-topic UFO-löpinät ovat jo loppu niin
voidaan siirtyä asiaan.
Eli jos oikeasti haaveilette hurrikaanibongauksesta, niin lukekaapa alla
oleva,
siitä saa varsin hyviä vinkkejä, miten homma pitää hoitaa...
Erittäin hieno chase-kertomus, mun mielestä.
t: Olli
Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 13:08:58 EDT
From: Tim Marshall <TimPMarshall_ät_CS.COM>
Subject: HURRICANE KATRINA CHASE
SHORT VERSION: An incredible chase -from logistics to the event itself. Rode
out the hurricane in a 5 story, poured-in-place concrete parking garage at
the Slidell hospital with fellow chasers Roger Hill, Jim Leonard, and Casie
Crosby. Encountered wind gusts estimated 115-120 mph in the northwest
eyewall
(just like Ivan) with gusts about 100 mph in southwest eyewall. The
northwest
eyewall was a total "white-out" for 20-30 minutes. Lots of damage all
around.
Many pine trees snapped and fell onto homes. The area around the hospital
was flooded with up to two feet of water. Thus, it was difficult to get out
of
there, but with LOTS OF LUCK we made it. A 36 hour chase (no sleep), 1100
driving miles. Yes, I'm tired. I have to do a study on this event, so if
anyone
has any data, (i.e. radar, satellite, etc.) please let me know.
LONG VERSION: First of all, my thoughts and prayers to those affected by
this
major and historic disaster. I left Dallas at 10 am on Sunday with 25
gallons of extra fuel stored in containers in the back of my pick-up truck.
(Extra
fuel is a must as there were long lines at gas stations and many stations
ran
out of gas or were closed). Yes, I felt as if I was riding a bomb, so I
drove
very carefully to the target town of Slidell, LA. I avoided New Orleans and
points south, since these areas were below sea level and would easily flood.
My main goal was not to get stranded nor become a victim myself.
I encountered no problems along the way and arrived in Slidell about 8pm.
Interstates I-10 east and I-12 east were clear. However, I-10 westbound was
gridlock to Baton Rouge and heavy traffic out to Lafayette. (Glad I avoided
that) I-10 east of I-59 was closed due to contraflow out of Mississippi. I
was
LUCKY to find a gas station that was open in Hammond, LA and topped off the
gas
tank. There were no "lines of cars" since everyone with sense had fled the
area earlier in the day.
As I drove into Slidell, I immediately stumbled upon a 5 story,
poured-in-place concrete parking garage at the local hospital that was
perfect for refuge.
Although the garage was "closed", I managed to sneak by the plastic cones at
the entrance without any trouble. All city vehicles (including police)
filled
up stories 2 through 4. So, I thought this had to be a good place. But,
levels 1 and 5 were vacant for some reason. I did go into the hospital and
talked to the staff and they had no problem with me riding the storm out in
the
garage and using their facilities (as I would provide them with the latest
weather information on the storm). Call it a "weather bribe". Gee, the place
had
nice leather couches in the lobby and great rest room facilities. They also
had two generators that would provide power through the storm. Not a bad
place
to stumble upon, I'd say. I called Roger and Jim and let them know about the
place. Jim commented that is a "gentleman's chase" with all the comforts of
home. One thing I didn't like was the staff expected six to ten feet of
floodwaters in the garage. So we had our choice of getting our vehicles
flooded on
level 1 or blown off the roof on level 5, -you pick.
Jim and Roger were able to get data all night via the cell phone service. No
one could sleep due to the anticipation of this event. As the night wore on,
we had concern that the eye would slip off to the east, but radar and
satellite loops kept showing the eye to wobble back to the northwest. We
debated
about heading east. But, I felt I did my part, now it's up to mother nature
to
do her part. At 11 pm, the NHC commented that the SW eyewall had eroded
away.
I knew that dry air was invading the circulation and winds would drop off
dramatically. However, I also new that the Gulf would maintain a high storm
surge as it takes longer for the water to drop in height since so much
energy had
been imparted into the water. Towns of Waveland (no pun) to Gulfport were in
trouble.
Rains began around midnight but the wind didn't begin to pick up until about
5 am. It was then that I headed up an enclosed stairwell on the northwest
side of the garage which was open only on its west side - a perfect lookout
to
view the city being protected by winds from the east-northeast. A
transformer
blew out right in front of me at 5:45 am startling me. So, we were in
darkness for about a half hour until the first light of dawn. At that time,
we knew
the east eyewall was going to pass to our east, but it was too late to
abandon
our place of refuge for some other place over in Waveland or Biloxi. The
winds were just too strong, visibility low, and flooding was already
occurring.
Winds steadily increased as each rainband passed then the northwest eyewall
hit between 9 and 10 am. We encountered white-out conditions for about 20-30
minutes. Although the stairwell shuttered, things seems relatively peaceful
to
what was going on a few feet away. We encountered northeast winds estimated
to be 115-120 mph (similar to Ivan last year). Pine trees snapped (sounded
like hand claps) and floodwaters started to enter the garage. The howling of
the wind was only punctuated by the sounds of breaking glass and banging
metal.
Interestingly, we encountered swirls at the leading edge of gusts, probably
generated from our building. Winds would suddenly shift to the northwest
then
back to the northeast upon passage of these gusts. The sights and sounds
were
incredible. My video really could not capture the moment.
After the storm passed, we had a problem on trying to get out of the garage.
Fallen tree limbs had blocked several roads, and the main road in front of
the hospital was flooded two feet deep. Local police said it may take a day
for
the floodwaters to receed, but I didn't want to spend another night in the
parking garage. I also didn't want to become stranded in Slidell by flooding
out my vehicle. So, I walked down several streets measuring the height of
the
water along the way. About, 1 pm, floodwaters had receeded to a depth of
16-18
inches deep, the height of my door/floor. With Roger Hill in my wake, we
decided to drive down the main street and fortunately we made it to I-10.
(Yes,
I realize this was a dangerous, but it was calculated risk). Humor note: I
didn't realize my tailpipe was only 13 inches above the ground, so I was
blowing
bubbles out the rear on my way down the street. Sorry Roger.
I got to I-12 then headed west. Many trees and power lines were down and
debris littered the highway, but I was able to get around all the obstacles
and
encountered NO flooding and NO flat tires. I saw tree damage all the way to
Baton Rouge (power was out there too). Had a steak dinner in Lafayette (ah,
back
in civilization) while watching caravans of power trucks heading eastbound.
A humbling experience, indeed. I arrived safely in Dallas just after 10 pm.
A 36 hour (no sleep) 1100 mile chase. Looks like I'll be assessing damage
along the Gulf Coast for years.
Lessons learned: Get to your target as soon as possible and find a parking
garage. Definitely bring more food than for one day. Bring a chain saw if
you
can. Invest in oil stocks before the storm. TIM M.
Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 23:30:20 -0500
From: Bill Tabor <bill_ät_TORNADOXTREME.COM>
Subject: Re: HURRICANE KATRINA CHASE
I bet that steak tasted good. Seems amazing you guys were able to get out
since you were in
Slidell. It seems to be a real mess around there. Especially since another
group of chasers that
were in Slidell now have their car under 12 foot of water and had to be
rescued from a second story.
Amazing you could bypass all the water, debris, and damaged roads. I guess
that's one time where
experience comes in real handy. I wonder had you waited longer if the water
would have gotten higher
and you would have been stuck?
Bill
#END
--
Myrskybongareiden sähköpostilista: myrskybongarit-l_ät_ursa.fi ***
Liittymiset ja eroamiset: http://www.ursa.fi/cgi-bin/majordomo?myrskybongarit-l&ro ***
Listan www-arkisto: http://www.ursa.fi/ursa/viestinta/listat/myrskybongarit-l/summary.html
|