7:00am: "The Beginning" --- New Orleans is currently receiving tropical storm force winds and rain. Gustav has not made landfall yet. I received the following photo from Steve, taken a few minutes ago. He's hunkered down at the hospital.
in Metairie, LA, taken 7am.
In Pensacola, we have tornado watches and warnings around the city, and also west of us, near Mobile, AL. On the beach, the waves look rough. From the balcony, I see some people cautiously approaching the beach. Ominous clouds, from the outer bands of Hurricane Gustav, race through the sky. We have some rain here but not as much as you would think.
Our friends are safe. They've evacuated to different cities in the South: Jackson, MS, Memphis, TN, and here on Pensacola Beach. We're all watching the news.
8:45am: "Downgrade" --- Steve reports that the hospital has been using its power generators since around 6am, indicating, they've lost power. A little while ago, Gustav was downgraded to a Category 2 storm. This is good news. A less powerful storm will hit the shores of the Louisiana coast, but the problem in New Orleans isn't the storm itself, the wind or the rain. The problem could be the levee system and the question on the minds of most New Orleanians is: Will the levees hold? Gustav will create storm surges, Gulf water that may top the barriers that surround the city. The other source of flooding could come from the Mississippi River topping the levees. There has always been the fear that if a hurricane strikes near the mouth of the Mississippi River, it may push Gulf waters north, into the mouth of the River, forcing water to backup. If this happens, the river's flow could slow, causing levels to rise, including the portion that runs right through the middle of New Orleans. On Pensacola Beach, we have waves of clouds with rain passing overhead. In between, there are splashes of sunshine. I still see curious people walking up to the edge of the ocean.
10:14am: "Will the levees hold?" --- Gustav made landfall at Cocodrie, Louisiana, southwest of New Orleans, several minutes ago. Steve texted me the following message: "Talked to Kim No damage No Power Very Windy." Kim is a neighbor who lives three houses away from us. She watches our dogs when we leave town. She stayed for the storm. I'm watching images on TV, of the storm surge topping the west side of the Industrial Canal, "the New Orleans side." The Upper Ninth Ward is on the west side, as is the French Quarter. We live farther west, outside the map below. The Lower Ninth Ward, devastated after Katrina, is east of the canal. I marked the locations of the French Quarter, the Upper and Lower Ninth Wards, and the Canal on the map below.
10:00pm: I lost contact with Steve this afternoon. When we last spoke he said that some people at the hospital were starting to lose cell phone coverage, so I imagine this is what happened. One of my text messages I sent earlier today appears to have gotten through. He responded a few hours later.
