forgive me for asking, but...

[waider]

From BBC coverage:

Biloxi
The majority of the more than 50 deaths reported so far happened here where 30 people were killed in a beachfront apartment complex.

WTF? There's a 175MPH wind coming in with up to 75MPH winds extending 120 miles up and down from the point of impact, and people are camping out in a beachfront apartment complex? I can understand people being caught unawares by floodwater in New Orleans, but I can't figure this one. I guess maybe I just don't understand hurricanes, having not ever had to deal with one.

For the rest of y'all, stay safe. candice, check in when you can.

Comments

[merde.livejournal.com]

There's a 175MPH wind coming in with up to 75MPH winds extending 120 miles up and down from the point of impact, and people are camping out in a beachfront apartment complex?

by the time people knew it was that bad, it was too late to get out; the roads were already so jammed with people who paid attention to the evacuation orders, and there was nowhere to stay anyway -- every hotel room in Louisiana is full; i expect it's much the same in Mississippi and Alabama.

the thing is, this hurricane was only a cat 1 when it went through Miami. no one expected it to get bigger and make landfall again. also, you can't predict exactly where a hurricane will go -- the reason you see a wedge-shaped projected path on maps is because it could go anywhere in that wedge.

the hurricane was moving 16mph when it made its 2nd and 3rd landfalls. the traffic on the highways wasn't going anywhere near that fast.

anyway, there are always hardasses who refuse to evacuate, convinced that the storm won't really hit them. and a lot of the time, they're right. this time they weren't. as to the choice of the apartment complex, it may have been the only heavy concrete structure available.

but yeah, that was pretty damned stupid. my sympathy is with the people who lived in the poor neighborhoods that are now underwater, who had no cars to evacuate in, or couldn't afford a place to stay elsewhere. these are the ones being rescued from rooftops and attics now. they didn't have much before, and now they have nothing.

have you seen the clip of the man who lost his wife () in the floodwaters?

[waider.livejournal.com]

I have been purposefully avoiding that clip. Because, you know, this is exactly the sort of footage that the news media will be playing over and over and over again, and I'm sure at some point I'm going to see it by accident and feel disgusted (again) at the car-wreck-watching nature of news media. I figure broadcasting it around the area might conceivably help him relocate her, but broadcasting it around the globe isn't going to help anyone.

[merde.livejournal.com]

if it makes you feel any better, the reporter sounds nearly as upset as the man does. you can tell she's trying not to cry. in all seriousness, i think the news people in New Orleans are pretty damn traumatized themselves. some of them are still stranded there today. the news crews evacuating this morning took as many of the people stranded in downtown hotels with them as they could.

admittedly i've been mostly watching CNN and the Weather Channel, but i have to say that for the most part the reporting has been remarkably restrained and non-sensationalist. then again, there's not much need for sensationalism in a situation like this.

[dossy.livejournal.com]

Apparently, candice has checked in and she's alright, according to this post (http://www.livejournal.com/users/linus52/197038.html) by linus52.

Didn't realize you had her on your friends list, before. Small world. :-)

[waider.livejournal.com]

Yeah, one of a fairly small number of lj-friends I've collected solely through lj (i.e. not via teedotbee or other acquaintance) Good to know she's ok; last contact I had from her was on Google Talk about two days ago to say that they had no power.

[zadcat.livejournal.com]

It's been pointed out that if you live in a city that's below sea level in a tropical storm zone, sooner or later you've got to expect trouble. Around here, the equivalent is people who insist on constructing houses near rivers that routinely flood during spring thaw, and then expect government assistance to pay for the resulting damage. At some point, you've got to expect people to take some responsibility for the consequences of their choices.

[merde.livejournal.com]

yes, well, when the next ice age hits Montreal, don't say i didn't warn you.