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MG TD TF 1500 - Hurricane Katrina

As you may or may not know, the central US gulf coast has been destroyed with the loss of many lives. New Orleans is flooded. This disaster will no doubt go down in US history with the great Chicago fire or San Fransico earthquake. Please keep our MG brothers and all of the residents in Louisiana, Miss., and Alabama in your thoughts and prayers. George
George Butz

I hope we will all join George in this most devastating concern. Somehow, Lucas electrics and SU fuel systems just aren't quite so important any more. - Allen
Allen Bachelder

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Board,

As a residents of a small shore-line town in NW Florida the good wife and I were once again spared all but the most incidental of damages from huricane Katrina. Being on the gulf coast our news in saturated with information from Mobile, AL and points west to New Orleans. Having had similar but minor experiences with previous but smaller huricanes I can tell you that the people of the western gulf coast are in a very bad way. What you hear on your local news for once is not a media exageration. I feel certain that in the next few days local charities, churchs, and civic groups nation wide will be organizing aid for this monumental disaster. As MG owners we pride ourselves on the warmth and friendly attitude that is part of our hobby. I personally ask that we each make an effort to assist these victims. Let put aside the next improvement to our toys and open our purses and hearts. Then pray that it never happens to you.

Unharmed and grateful,

Jim Haskins
J. M. Haskins

I am amazed and shocked by the pictures as seen on TV and a little bit bitter because I don't think that the huge surplus of the Dutch Tsunami-donations (we gave about 10 Euro's per Dutchman, the strikken countries couldn't absorb so much money..) probably won't go to the USA but will be dumped some corrupt African country.
Willem van der Veer

I remember after WWII, the metaphor used by (then) Vice-President Harry Truman to describe the energy in a single atomic bomb " ... with the energy of 1000 big storms, an entire city can be laid waste, killing and up-rooting thousands ... "

How propehetic.

As I write, the legacy of Katrina has just dumped 67mm (about 2.6 inches) of rain in less than 10 hours ...on little old Rockburn.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.

Gordon A. Clark

I join all of you in hoping the best for the people affected by the storm -- with a special rememberance for Gene Gillam, one of our regular posters, whom I believe may live in the path the storm took through Mississippi.

Dennis
D F Sexton

May I record our sympathies from this side of the pond.
It certainly does not look like the usual media hype. Do we know of any members of this BB who have been directly affected?
Our thoughts are with you.

Has.
HJ Oldham

Jim;
Have you heard any news about Gene Gillam in Saucier. How did Saucier fare with the big fiasco?
Sandy Sanders
Hudson Florida
conrad sanders

Conrad,
Unfortunately, I am not acquainted with Gene. Looking at a Yahoo map shows that Saucier is well away from the coast. Never the less I expect he had big wing and rain problems and may well be without power, phone, cables, etc.
Our club, the Panhandle British Car Club, centered in membership between Mobile, AL and Pensacola, FL has long had very close relationships with the New Orleans club. We attend each other's shows and social events. We are now out of touch with nearly 100% of our friends from the New Orleans club. I think of them with tears in my eyes.

Jim Haskins
J. M. Haskins

Jim, My mapquest search shows Saucier only 25 miles north of Gulfport, MI and the coast. This would be a very bad place to be. Based on tiny but equally powerful Hurricane Charlie here last year, it may well be totally gone. I have talked to Gene at several GOF's, he is a really nice guy. He built/restored a beautiful TC out of almost junk. George
George Butz

Have listened to the news tonight, and this tragegy seems to be the main story. What is coming over in the UK is the fact that there seems to be no, or very little, relief effort. 100's if not 1000's of people have been without food, water or electricity for up to 4 days. Armed looters have virtually taken over the cities. What is the government doing.
Henry

This is a posting from another forum member that lives near New Orleans. I found a more concise and informative report here than watching the continuous and repetitive, but ill informed, "news " coverage.



Update from the new Atlantis

Posted By: Peter, Loranger, LA

Date: 9/1/05 11:52

Just so you can understand what you’re seeing on the TV, here’s the deal:

New Orleans, in general, is at or below sea level. In this case, “sea level” is a relative term, according to tidal action. Just north of the city lies Lake Ponchartrain, whose opening to the Gulf of Mexico is in its southeast quadrant. Wrapping around the other 3 sides of the city is the mighty Mississippi, which in the spring rises to as much as 20 feet above the city, as snows upriver melt.

When the protection levees were built, they started with levees along the river, about 30 feet high, and hugely wide at the base and quite wide at the top. They are essentially continuous from way up in Arkansas to well below New Orleans, in the marshes of the Delta.

Then, they built Storm Drains (separate from sewers) to carry rainwater to Pumping Stations, located throughout the city. These lift water using the world’s largest screw-pumps, into canals that empty into the Lake. In theory, the lake then empties into the Gulf. Neat system.

The doomsday scenario we have feared for a couple of generations is that a hurricane, with its counter-clockwise rotation, would come in at a trajectory that would push Gulf water into the Lake, raising the level (including wave action) above the levees. Then, the pumps have no way to pump the water out, and if the lake tops the levees and comes in, eventually the pumps themselves get flooded out, and the city becomes a bowl whose levees are holding the water IN, rather than OUT.

OK. We were supposed to be ready for this one. Hoping it wouldn’t top the levees, but ready.

This hurricane followed exactly the “big one” path that we feared, and it was of a size and fury that was the doomsday scenario to a tee.

Then, the two biggest canals that go from pumping stations to the lake, ruptured.

The 17th Street Canal, which is on the line between New Orleans and Jefferson Parish (county), the bedroom community of New Orleans, ruptured because there was a new, higher bridge being built over it, and a work barge broke loose in the storm and rammed the wall and collapsed it.

These “walls” consist of sheet piling, which if you’re not familiar with it is massive corrugated steel, half an inch thick, with interlocking edges, that are driven deep into the ground with piledrivers, then cut off and topped with a concrete cap.

Apparently the barge cracked the concrete cap, and the wall collapsed. then the water, both pumped and lake, rushed through the opening, into the streets, back to the pumping station, and totally overwhelmed the pumps. They were, in effect, pumping water into their own inlets.

As a result, after the storm was basically past, the water in the city began to RISE, rather than FALL.

Add to that the fact that the Superdome as being used as a special-needs (medical) shelter, and part of its roof blew off, and that the looters took over the city, and you have chaos.

The lake finally emptied itself into the Gulf, and its level went down to a point that the ruptures in the canals stopped pouring water back into the city, and the Corps of Engineers dropped some 50,000 pound sandbags into the ruptures with helicopters, and things are getting back to normal. Slowly.

Apparently the looters have AK-47’s, and are shooting at the rescue helicopters, so they’ve stopped trying to evacuate the Superdome.

Yes, there was loss of life and property. Big time! But it wasn’t as bad as you might have seen on TV, because not ALL of New Orleans flooded, not EVERY roof blew off, and not EVERY store was looted. My nephew pedaled a bike 15 miles along the levee yesterday (martial law - nobody allowed in or out), to our family home in Uptown, near Tulane and Loyola Universities, and he saw no water in the streets anywhere. Lots and lots of trees down - maybe most of them - but no water, no flooding, and even the phones worked.

Out here where I am, 60 miles north of the city and 25 miles north of the Lake, we had tons of wind damage. We’re 150 feet above sea level, so we have no flooding fears. The devastation to the power and telephone lines by the trees, is incredible. I’m estimating 3-4 weeks before I get electricity and/or phones back.

Meanwhile, thank DirecWay for the satellite Internet connection, or we’d have no communications at all.
Dallas Congleton

Henry,

To add to the excellent, concise description, I agree with your assessment, that, based on television coverage, there appears to be anarchy in the city with little or no relief effort other than a few military vehicles driving around and a couple of Coast Guard helicopters plucking those that were unable (or unwilling) to evacuate the city. What one must understand is that the area surrounding the city is largely swampy, low-lying land for many miles to the north and east, which were also hard hit. There is basically one way out, or in for that matter, and that is to the west. I know that we are used to seeing "tent cities", Red Cross relief, etc. set up immediately after the storm. However, there is no where very close to the city to set up those sorts of things that haven't been hit. Plus, it's very difficult to get into the city, even worse when you add the dregs of humanity shooting at relief and rescue workers.

All-in-all not a great situation. It appears as though it will be many weeks/months before it will even be possible to begin any clean up work as the levees must be repaired before the flood waters can begin to be pumped out, otherwise one would be effectively pumping the Gulf Of Mexico.

Good luck and God Bless all the relief workers.

Larry Thompson
Larry Thompson

Many thanks for those informed commentaries. Seems like a dire situation. It appears there are some areas where even the National Guard wont go. A stand off seems likely with these yobs before the situation can get any better.
Henry

Henry, Nightly news briefly shows massive relief effort going on from New Orleans airport using airport transfers tunbridge wells. Supplies, food, water, national guard troops, etc. pouring in. The huge relief efforts all over the rest of the area just isn't being shown- the news likes to show only the worst/bad stuff. Massive convoys of power company trucks from all over the country, police, water rescue craft, etc many from here in Florida
have been working 24 hours a day. Crews are chainsawing there way toward the coast. Some of the rescues in New Orleans were halted due to morons shooting at the helicopters- totally brillian on those people's part! Lastly, interesting read in today's Wall St. Journal about the Chicago fire, San Fran earthquake- guess what- thirst/hunger/looting and rioting went on a hundred years ago just like today, and things were rebuilt. George
George Butz


I just received this bit of news regarding one of our MG brethren,

Hello All!

I'm just getting in from work.

Gene got through to me at around 2:45 this afternoon. He and Anne are okay!
His house substained some minor damage as did his car garage.
I told him of the many inquiries from this site and he wants everyone to know
how much he appreciates all your thoughts and prayers.

Communication is limited to say the least. I had great difficulty hearing from his side, his fading in
and out with the constant crackle in the back ground. It was a very tearful reunion. It was so
good to hear his voice!

Terry.. He wanted you to know that they were fine and he will try to call you soon.

Bob Grunau... He wanted me to pass on that it will be a while before he can get the Axle shafts from
you and hopes you understand.

Gene told me that everything South of I-10 has been wiped out in Gulfport. The damage is indiscribable.
Just the weekend before my wife and I visited him and Anne. They took us to New Orleans and then
we drove the coast, stopping at Trapani's Rest at the Bay of St. Louis for dinner, to Biloxi, MS, seeing all the
Casinos and waterfront, the Beautiful homes and Mansions along the coast.

All that is gone.

I offered him whatever assistance they may need. He said they were fine and that if they need anything they will let me kow.
He is on generator power. His son made it to them last night with 35 Gallons of gas. And you know what Gene did?
He handed it out to his neighbors!!!!!
Gene also asks that we stay away for there is no infrastructure to maintain anyone. That's right! No food, No Water,
No Gas, No hotels, etc Not even a church was spared the damage!!

I'll let everyone know more when I hear again from Gene. He told me he was going to call me again
this evening.

Please continue your thoughts and prayers for Gene and Anne.

Bruce (Collins)
TC#2721
conrad sanders

That is great news... our thoughts up here are down there...as well as a few hundred Canadian Red Cross workers...
gordon lawson - TD 27667

Dallas,
Are you trying to tell us that CNN and the other networks don't always tell the truth?!!! What's this world coming to? I noticed they stopped showing pictures of looters. It was getting a little biased.
Kind of makes you want to stop watching everything but cartoons!
Steve


I was hoping that if i posted this information on this site( and several others) that maybe someone out there can help me. I am looking for my son's father and his family. Last sunday was the last time we have heard from him. He said he was boarding up and going to head to the panhandle of florida. His son is so worried and scared. Thier names are Richard Palmer, Brenda palmer, Kyle Palmer-13yr. Please if anyone can help us, we would be extremely grateful.. We have tried to call on cell, but no luck. This family lives in Saucier, Mississippi.

thank you
Janice

This thread was discussed between 31/08/2005 and 05/09/2005

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