Moving out of the FEMA trailer in time for the next hurricane

by philg

Was chatting with a gal today about Hurricane Gustav. She said “One of my relatives is still living in a FEMA trailer.” Three years after Katrina? “He’s a drunk. He’s milking the system.”

Here’s the terminal forecast for New Orleans

KMSY 312036Z 312118 06010G17KT P6SM VCTS SCT025 BKN050CB OVC200
TEMPO 2124 VRB15G25KT 2SM TSRA BKN035CB
FM0500 05020G30KT P6SM VCSH OVC015
FM1000 05040G60KT 1SM +RA OVC015
FM1400 07055G70KT 1SM +RA OVC015

Note that it gets ugly around 6 am Eastern time, with winds from 050 at 40 knots, gusting 60, 1 mile of visibility in heavy rain, overcast clouds at 1500′. The peak winds are forecast starting at 10 am, gusting up to 70 knots.

2 thoughts on “Moving out of the FEMA trailer in time for the next hurricane”

  1. New Orleans NAS, a few miles to the southeast, has a slightly nastier picture:

    KNBG 010303 04020G30KT 8000 SHRA BR VCTS BKN012 OVC025CB 540009 540909 541809 542709 543609 QNH2965INS
    TEMPO 0306 VRB30G45KT 0800 +TSRA FG BKN005 OVC012CB
    BECMG 0608 05035G55KT 4800 RA BR VCTS SCT005 OVC015CB 580009 580909 541809 542709 543606 QNH2960INS
    TEMPO 0612 05050G80KT 0200 +TSRA FG OVC005CB
    BECMG 1214 07065G95KT 0800 +RA FG VCTS OVC002CB 590009 590909 591809 592709 593606 QNH2950INS
    TEMPO 1218 09075G105KT 0200 +TSRA FG VV001
    BECMG 1820 12050G80KT QNH2948INS
    TEMPO 1800 12060G85KT 0400 +TSRA FG VV001
    TEMPO 0003 12045G60KT 1600 +TSRA FG OVC005 AUTOMATED SENSOR METWATCH 0103 TIL 0212 T23/12Z T33/21Z

    Interesting to note, apparently 3-digit wind speeds can be encoded in TAFs, as well as altimeter settings and turbulence levels (those number groups starting with “59”).

  2. In Baton Rouge, Gustav produced sustained winds of 55-60 MPH and gusts of 91 MPH (although some weather geeks measured gusts in the triple digits). The entire parish of East Baton Rouge and several others were without electricity for several days. Some areas of the city are projected to be without power for 3-4 weeks. The primary reasons for the major power outages are wind, we love our trees down here, and we string our electricity lines on poles. Last week was pretty hot and dark, but civil unrest never escalated to a newsworthy item for the major media. New Orleans fared extremely well compared to the rest of the state.

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