tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72516312630298383672011-04-21T13:14:31.592-05:00A blow-by-blow liveblog of Gustav, from Mid-City New Orleans.Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03324859682798141721noreply@blogger.comBlogger201100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7251631263029838367.post-48770310517162975552008-09-07T02:24:00.005-05:002008-09-07T20:16:09.230-05:00

Just a few observations post Gustav...It is easy to overlook the small things, and a few small things can make riding out a storm much more pleasant. I had all the big bases covered - water, food, shelter. What I missed when the power was down was a quick and easy way to make a cup of coffee. I don't even LIKE coffee, but somehow, someway, having a hot cuppa cafe mocha while you're sitting in a

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03324859682798141721noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7251631263029838367.post-24485286991597367372008-09-03T20:26:00.002-05:002008-09-03T20:29:08.453-05:00

Everything newsworthy has happened.I'll post two or three more posts in the next few days, assuming we get power. Topics will include some tips I discovered for getting through things like this, and some thoughts on why a few crazy people stay here with a Gustav bearing down.Thanks for listening.

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03324859682798141721noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7251631263029838367.post-41898297922514130402008-09-03T20:02:00.004-05:002008-09-14T23:50:48.792-05:00

(DON'T scroll down if you don't like the sight of blood)So, good deed done, we decide to take off again down St. Charles to proceed further uptown.I'm minding my own business, riding along the sidewalk, and decide to head into the street. I see a nice short curb onto the strret. Chris is a few feet behind me.Later, he said he knew something was wrong when my front wheel disappeared.There was this

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03324859682798141721noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7251631263029838367.post-71348021105548872672008-09-03T19:15:00.012-05:002008-09-03T20:02:36.769-05:00

I went out to see how the city was faring yesterday morning. The wind was blustery, still gusting 40-50 mph from time to time, which made for what Charles Johnson would call a really fascist headwind.We saw a few large trees down, oaks taken in their prime...Down on Decatur, by Cafe du Monde, a pelican decided that fighting the wind was just too much hard work, and was taking a break under the

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03324859682798141721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7251631263029838367.post-81136542781173955422008-09-03T18:12:00.002-05:002008-09-03T18:19:29.971-05:00

Well, Gustav ended up hammering the coastal parishes and Baton Rouge a lot harder than it did New Orleans.Power is a big problem. The regional electric Monopoly says it has never been hit harder - to include Katrina. It makes a bit of sense, as Gustav was much more of a wind storm than a surge or rain-bringer. 13 of the 14 main transmission lines bringing power to the city went down. They're

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03324859682798141721noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7251631263029838367.post-52657916765713522302008-09-01T06:07:00.003-05:002008-09-01T06:13:01.918-05:00

Shutting down to conserve UPS . Will try to update hourly as long as power lasts.

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03324859682798141721noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7251631263029838367.post-41406357471959077212008-09-01T03:53:00.002-05:002008-09-01T04:05:14.412-05:00

Looks like the Guest of Honor has deigned to grace us with his presence.This is the part that scares me. I'll tell you why. When the moist air of the storm mixes with the dry air over the land, THAT is when tornados form. After Gustav is well and truly here, that chance goes away.It's all ears on deck to hear that tell-tale sound of a twister. Only warning I'll get. It's a sound I know. I grew

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03324859682798141721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7251631263029838367.post-90441114044401249142008-09-01T01:00:00.006-05:002008-09-01T03:00:56.184-05:00

Contrary to what you might think...Liveblogging a death-threatening storm is NOT a way to meet pretty bisexual girls that will come kidnap your sexy ass. Otherwise Geraldo would be bonking a Bourbon Street stripper at this very moment rather than torturing SheepDogs with questions that a grade school newspaper intern would not voluntarily acknowledge as his own creation.Kimberly and I are

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03324859682798141721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7251631263029838367.post-34178208319229034692008-08-31T22:38:00.003-05:002008-09-01T02:59:57.189-05:00

So, Fox, in their grok of the Dramatic Verities, brings you ....GERALDO!!No people on the streets, no wind, no rain... Whatever shall we talk about?Me, I'd put on Firefly reruns. Failing that, I'd send Geraldo and his crew down to Johnny White's and have them get loaded toasting FEMA and Jindal, and the NG and the cops and the bus drivers and so on... do a viewer call in for suggestions for the

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03324859682798141721noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7251631263029838367.post-21577388281227837842008-08-31T19:10:00.000-05:002008-08-31T20:06:58.048-05:00

The first squall just hit, a steady rain, some gusts, and it got dark in a hurry.Too dark for decent outdoor pics, but that never stopped me. :-) I had to jack the gamma into lower earth orbit, but those aren't stars you're seeing, but raindrops.Then, as swiftly as it hit, it was gone.

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03324859682798141721noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7251631263029838367.post-17513012928766988332008-08-31T17:19:00.000-05:002008-08-31T17:22:04.448-05:00

My Yahoo IM handle is mliviusii.

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03324859682798141721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7251631263029838367.post-51685524977967225092008-08-31T15:53:00.001-05:002008-08-31T16:51:44.775-05:00

Some folks have been curious about exactly where in New Orleans I'm sheltering.It's very near to here.I'm not going to be more specific for obvious reasons. :-)Some emails and comments imply that I have some sort of death wish, or that I'm a thrillseekin' idjit.Puhleeze.I am in a well built multi-story home. This home took 4-5 ft. of water during Katrina. A 30 ft. storm surge would not flood the

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03324859682798141721noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7251631263029838367.post-66796911895796184102008-08-31T13:02:00.000-05:002008-08-31T13:19:08.291-05:00

I never thought I'd be able to take my very own picture of the St. Louis Cathedral in daylight hours without having a gaggle of tourists clogging up the picture.

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03324859682798141721noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7251631263029838367.post-79658682996212066542008-08-31T11:29:00.000-05:002008-08-31T12:35:14.501-05:00

There will always be those folks that are just too stubborn, or, some would say, too stupid, to evacuate.Johnny White's is famous in the Big Easy as the bar that NEVER closes. Open 24/7/365, it somehow stayed open during Katrina and the aftermath. So, of course, this tiny little locals bar, popular with the late night service industry crowd, has no plans to close for Gustav, either.I popped in to

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03324859682798141721noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7251631263029838367.post-76313461993933364992008-08-31T11:03:00.000-05:002008-08-31T11:29:08.476-05:00

I'm happy to report that the Powers That Be, no doubt singed by their Katrina experience, seem to be on top of things. Both the NG and NOPD are all over the Quarter, and I'm told the rest of the city. Nagin has been all over the tube warning looters that they will go to jail, directly to jail, in this case, Angola, the state prison.The National Guard on BourbonTroops of the 141stI talked with

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03324859682798141721noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7251631263029838367.post-5186944074897671292008-08-31T10:13:00.000-05:002008-08-31T11:28:07.117-05:00

It seems unreal - popped onto to bike and took the short ride to The Quarter, which is, predictably, deserted. The weather seems normal - that is, hot, humid, a smattering of clouds.Decatur Street @ the French Market is normally full of vendors and shoppersLooking Down Bourbon to CanalThere are more media than locals on the streets. Invariably, the first question locals asked after seeing me with

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03324859682798141721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7251631263029838367.post-1024432295337856182008-08-31T02:52:00.000-05:002008-08-31T03:06:39.078-05:00

Mandatory evacuations have been issued for the entire city, and the coastal regions of, from what I can tell, the entire state. Curfews are being issued at dusk.Non-buggin' diehards like me have been told not to expect any emergency services, they're not going to endanger emergency personnel, so don't even bother to call.Nagin's exact words, well, a paraphrase, were, "you're gonna be chopping

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03324859682798141721noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7251631263029838367.post-45250278072011251362008-08-30T23:48:00.000-05:002008-08-31T00:01:17.221-05:00

The St. Bernard Parish firefighters are leaving, as they don't think that their trucks are gonna survive if they stay. They're going to redeploy, and return as soon as possible afterward.For you people that aren't familiar with LA, "parishes" are what you call counties. St. Bernard parish is the eastern part of New Orleans, one of the lower lying parts of the city, and one of the hardest hit by

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03324859682798141721noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7251631263029838367.post-42255040081046606652008-08-30T23:37:00.000-05:002008-08-30T23:45:10.677-05:00

Nagin had a press conference in which he stated the dilemma for West Bank residents in the direst tones. He says that the West Bank levees are incomplete, and at best eight feet high. While Gustav is predicted to generate a storm surge of twice that height.Unless something radically changes in the predicted track, the West Bank is about to pull an Atlantis.I personally don't have high hopes for

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03324859682798141721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7251631263029838367.post-25501669059311296932008-08-30T20:22:00.000-05:002008-08-30T20:43:47.367-05:00

Good Question.First, I'm prepared. I've got food and water for weeks, batteries, and all the stuff you need.Second, I'm in a good place, though in a bad location. Well-built multi-story house, cinder block ground level, (for twisters) three stories plus an attic, (for floods). The house took about five feet of water during Katrina. It'd take a 30 ft. flood, minimum, to drown me.Third, I've

Marcushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03324859682798141721noreply@blogger.com1