Looking at the WWL-TV (Channel 4 in New Orleans) web site last night, the headlines were simply unimaginable. They included: “Mayor: Thousands Likely Dead”, “Grand Isle All But Vanishes”, “Thousands Of Refugees Will Be Transported To Houston Astrodome”. There more like lines from some Hollywood movie. But, this is the real deal. A human tragedy beyond belief right here only a couple of hundred miles away.
I also noticed a letter to WWL employees that read
“We are attempting to reach all WWL employees so that we can know where everyone is and do our best to communicate as much helpful information as possible. If you know of a way to reach others, please give us their contact information and forward this information to them. Our main concern is determining how to keep in contact with you. You are not expected to report to work at this time. However, if possible, please contact your manager by e-mail or phone to let them know where you are. Your manager will advise you as to current and short-term work assignments. Also, use the contact information below to let the Belo HR team keep track of you for further communications. It is impossible for your fellow employees across Belo to fully express our concern for you and your families at this time. This message is the beginning of an effort to do what we can to provide resources to help you in this time of need.”
WWL-TV and WWL radio (and other local stations) are on the air from crude, temporary facilities in the New Orleans area. But, they are providing emergency information during a crisis and are a real lifeline for local people. A reminder local broadcasters have, and always will, serve a crucial function in the U.S., and they a shining example for all of us.
Those that have predicted that local broadcasting will simply go away in coming years, in my opinion, are very wrong.
See live streaming coverage and other information from WWL-TV on their web site:
http://www.wwltv.com
Local Broadcasters Provide Critical Service
August 31, 2005, 9:15 pmAlabama Power Update
August 31, 2005, 9:03 pm
Alabama Power crews, assisted by utilities from other states, continued to work Wednesday night on restoring power to customers affected by Hurricane Katrina.
At 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, 234,809 customers remained without power, down from a peak Monday night of 636,891. The company has met its goal of restoring 99 percent of customers in the Anniston area by the end of today.
Alabama Power President and CEO Charles McCrary pledged earlier today that 99 percent of power will be restored in the Birmingham area by the end of the day Friday, with 99 percent of all Alabama Power customers back on by Sept. 7. McCrary said power will be restored to 99 percent of customers who are able to accept service according to the following schedule:
*In Anniston and surrounding areas – restored by end of the day today.
*In Birmingham and surrounding areas – restored by end of day Friday.
*In the Tuscaloosa area – restored by end of day Sunday.
*In the Mobile area – restored by end of day Wednesday, Sept. 7.
Although Hurricane Katrina was the second-worst storm in company history in terms of outages, the storm is the worst on record as far as damage to the company’s infrastructure. Despite the extensive damage, at 8:30 p.m. today the company and out-of-state crews had succeeded in restoring power to 63 percent of customers affected by the storm.
As of 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, outages by division were as follows:
• Birmingham: 45,591
• Tuscaloosa: 46,136
• Mobile: 142,782
• Anniston: 300
Crews from the following states were either on the ground Wednesday night or on their way to assist company crews in the restoration operation: Indiana, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. The availability of additional outside crews was limited, however, because of the need in hard-hit areas in Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida.
At 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, 234,809 customers remained without power, down from a peak Monday night of 636,891. The company has met its goal of restoring 99 percent of customers in the Anniston area by the end of today.
Alabama Power President and CEO Charles McCrary pledged earlier today that 99 percent of power will be restored in the Birmingham area by the end of the day Friday, with 99 percent of all Alabama Power customers back on by Sept. 7. McCrary said power will be restored to 99 percent of customers who are able to accept service according to the following schedule:
*In Anniston and surrounding areas – restored by end of the day today.
*In Birmingham and surrounding areas – restored by end of day Friday.
*In the Tuscaloosa area – restored by end of day Sunday.
*In the Mobile area – restored by end of day Wednesday, Sept. 7.
Although Hurricane Katrina was the second-worst storm in company history in terms of outages, the storm is the worst on record as far as damage to the company’s infrastructure. Despite the extensive damage, at 8:30 p.m. today the company and out-of-state crews had succeeded in restoring power to 63 percent of customers affected by the storm.
As of 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, outages by division were as follows:
• Birmingham: 45,591
• Tuscaloosa: 46,136
• Mobile: 142,782
• Anniston: 300
Crews from the following states were either on the ground Wednesday night or on their way to assist company crews in the restoration operation: Indiana, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. The availability of additional outside crews was limited, however, because of the need in hard-hit areas in Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida.
by James Spann
in General Thoughts
Alabama Power Update
August 31, 2005, 4:43 pm
Alabama Power President and CEO Charles McCrary today pledged that 99 percent of power will be restored in the Birmingham area by the end of the day Friday, with 99 percent of all Alabama Power customers back on by Sept. 7.
McCrary said power will be restored to 99 percent of customers who are able to accept service according to the following schedule:
*In Anniston and surrounding areas – restored by end of day today
*In Birmingham and surrounding areas – restored by end of day Friday
*In the Tuscaloosa area – restored by end of day Sunday
*In the Mobile area – restored by end of day Wednesday, Sept. 7.
The second-worst storm in company history in term of outages, Hurricane Katrina left a total of 636,891 Alabama Power customers without power at its peak. As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, 295,701 customers remained without power, with power restored to 53 percent of customers statewide.
As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, outages by division are as follows:
• Birmingham: 67,505
• Tuscaloosa: 57,780
• Mobile: 168,363
• Anniston: 2,053
Crews from utilities as far away as New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio and Oklahoma are joining Alabama Power in restoration efforts. Additional outside crews are limited however, as help is also needed in hard hit areas in Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida.
With the goals announced today, Alabama Power expects to have 99 percent of outages resulting from Katrina restored within nine days. In comparison, it took eight days to restore power following Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and 21 days to restore power following Hurricane Frederic in 1979.
McCrary said power will be restored to 99 percent of customers who are able to accept service according to the following schedule:
*In Anniston and surrounding areas – restored by end of day today
*In Birmingham and surrounding areas – restored by end of day Friday
*In the Tuscaloosa area – restored by end of day Sunday
*In the Mobile area – restored by end of day Wednesday, Sept. 7.
The second-worst storm in company history in term of outages, Hurricane Katrina left a total of 636,891 Alabama Power customers without power at its peak. As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, 295,701 customers remained without power, with power restored to 53 percent of customers statewide.
As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, outages by division are as follows:
• Birmingham: 67,505
• Tuscaloosa: 57,780
• Mobile: 168,363
• Anniston: 2,053
Crews from utilities as far away as New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio and Oklahoma are joining Alabama Power in restoration efforts. Additional outside crews are limited however, as help is also needed in hard hit areas in Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida.
With the goals announced today, Alabama Power expects to have 99 percent of outages resulting from Katrina restored within nine days. In comparison, it took eight days to restore power following Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and 21 days to restore power following Hurricane Frederic in 1979.
by James Spann
in General Thoughts
Check This Out at Sunset
August 31, 2005, 4:00 pm
Reminder: When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look west. Do you see a pair of lights beaming through the rosy glow of sunset? That would be Venus and Jupiter: the two bright planets are converging for a beautiful close encounter. They'll be side-by-side for the next few days.
Visit http://Spaceweather.com for sky maps and pictures from around the world--including the South Pole where the sun is just coming up after a long dark winter, but the sky is still dark enough to see Venus and Jupiter.
Visit http://Spaceweather.com for sky maps and pictures from around the world--including the South Pole where the sun is just coming up after a long dark winter, but the sky is still dark enough to see Venus and Jupiter.
by J.B. Elliott
in General Thoughts
No Rain For A While
August 31, 2005, 3:08 pm
The Wednesday afternoon map discussion video is on the server:
http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/video.hrb
Pretty simple package for Alabama for the next five to seven days... dry air means no chance of rain for the next five to seven days. Those rogue showers early this morning are long gone and the air will only get drier in the days ahead.
Looks like cooler air will begin to drain in here from the northeast late this weekend and early next week, which should drop highs into the 85 to 88 degree range, and lows in the 60 to 63 degree range. Maybe even some upper 50s by early next week in the cooler valleys; that will sure feel nice. And, it is that time of the year; September begins tomorrow.
TROPICS: Tropical depression 13 has regenerated; NHC track takes it north-northeast over the open Atlantic. We do note the BAM models want to loop that thing around... we will keep an eye on it.
A strong wave around 25 west shows signs of developing.... models take it west/northwest over the next few days. Too early to tell if this one will recurve or head toward the Caribbean.
Nothing threatening the Gulf of Mexico for the next five days. Upwelling from Katrina has cooler sea surface temperatures over the central and eastern Gulf a few degrees (F).
President Bush will speak at 4:00 local time....
http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/video.hrb
Pretty simple package for Alabama for the next five to seven days... dry air means no chance of rain for the next five to seven days. Those rogue showers early this morning are long gone and the air will only get drier in the days ahead.
Looks like cooler air will begin to drain in here from the northeast late this weekend and early next week, which should drop highs into the 85 to 88 degree range, and lows in the 60 to 63 degree range. Maybe even some upper 50s by early next week in the cooler valleys; that will sure feel nice. And, it is that time of the year; September begins tomorrow.
TROPICS: Tropical depression 13 has regenerated; NHC track takes it north-northeast over the open Atlantic. We do note the BAM models want to loop that thing around... we will keep an eye on it.
A strong wave around 25 west shows signs of developing.... models take it west/northwest over the next few days. Too early to tell if this one will recurve or head toward the Caribbean.
Nothing threatening the Gulf of Mexico for the next five days. Upwelling from Katrina has cooler sea surface temperatures over the central and eastern Gulf a few degrees (F).
President Bush will speak at 4:00 local time....
Alabama Power Sets Restoration Goals
August 31, 2005, 1:51 pm
Alabama Power President and CEO Charles McCrary today announced the company’s power restoration goals in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
At the height of the outages, Hurricane Katrina left 636,891 Alabama Power customers without power. As of 1 p.m. Wednesday, 310,047 customers were without power throughout the company’s service territory.
“This hurricane created far more damage to our system than Hurricane Ivan,” said Alabama Power President and CEO Charles McCrary. “We’ve been able to restore about 50 percent of our outages relatively quickly, but the most difficult cases remain. I am sorry that our customers have been inconvenienced, and we offer our full commitment to work until restoration is complete. We have an obligation to serve our customers, and we will live up to that obligation.”
McCrary set a goal for 99 percent restoration according to the following schedule:
*In Anniston and surrounding areas – restored by end of day today
*In Birmingham and surrounding areas – restored by end of day Friday
*In the Tuscaloosa area – restored by end of day Sunday
*In the Mobile area – restored by end of day Wednesday, Sept. 7.
Restoration to 99 percent of customers in the Eufaula and Montgomery areas has been completed.
Crews from utilities as far away as New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio and Oklahoma will join Alabama Power in restoration efforts. Additional crews are limited however, as help is also needed in hard hit areas in Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida.
At the height of the outages, Hurricane Katrina left 636,891 Alabama Power customers without power. As of 1 p.m. Wednesday, 310,047 customers were without power throughout the company’s service territory.
“This hurricane created far more damage to our system than Hurricane Ivan,” said Alabama Power President and CEO Charles McCrary. “We’ve been able to restore about 50 percent of our outages relatively quickly, but the most difficult cases remain. I am sorry that our customers have been inconvenienced, and we offer our full commitment to work until restoration is complete. We have an obligation to serve our customers, and we will live up to that obligation.”
McCrary set a goal for 99 percent restoration according to the following schedule:
*In Anniston and surrounding areas – restored by end of day today
*In Birmingham and surrounding areas – restored by end of day Friday
*In the Tuscaloosa area – restored by end of day Sunday
*In the Mobile area – restored by end of day Wednesday, Sept. 7.
Restoration to 99 percent of customers in the Eufaula and Montgomery areas has been completed.
Crews from utilities as far away as New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio and Oklahoma will join Alabama Power in restoration efforts. Additional crews are limited however, as help is also needed in hard hit areas in Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida.
by James Spann
in General Thoughts
Weather Family Badly Hit
August 31, 2005, 1:24 pmThis is rather hard to write because the impact of Katrina has become a lot more personal.
I just got off the phone with Ken Graham who works at the National Weather Service (NWS) Southern Region Headquarters, formerly the Meteorologist-in-Charge of the Birmingham NWS office. Ken is leading a Southern Region team from Fort Worth to Slidell, LA, to assist the people at the NWS office there. Ken had reached Baton Rouge around 1 pm today and they had stopped to buy gas at $3.15 a gallon, probably their last opportunity to do so.
He told me that all NWS Slidell employees suffered damage to their homes. One person on the staff there is unaccounted for at this hour. The office is not in good shape with leaks in the roof. Of course, the communications from that office went through New Orleans so all communication with the office is out including the flow of radar data.
NOAA, parent agency to the NWS, also has a Data Buoy Center in Slidell or Bay St. Louis. Only seven of 39 employees at that facility have been accounted for so far. As Ken said, we really don't know what that means because of the lack of communication.
Being a federal agency, the NWS can't and the employee's union is not allowed to do anything to raise money to assist the people who live and work there. So I've volunteered to try to start an effort to raise money for the NWS employees who have been devastated through the Alabama SKYWARN Foundation. This is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization that I started before retiring from the NWS to promote severe weather safety in Alabama. This is a natural fit to try to help out members of the weather family that have been devastated by a storm of immense magnitude. Please check the SKYWARN Foundation web site - www.alabamaskywarn.org - for additional information about charitable giving.
And let's pray that all of the staff there will be found safe.
-Brian-
by Brian Peters
in General Thoughts
Alabama Power Update
August 31, 2005, 12:06 pm
Alabama Power will announce the company’s power restoration goals later today.
At the height of the outages, Hurricane Katrina left 636,891 Alabama Power customers without power. As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, 320,089 customers were without power throughout the company’s service territory.
Outages by division are as follows:
• Birmingham: 79,313
• Tuscaloosa: 62,289
• Mobile: 173,632
• Anniston: 4,855
Restoration to 99 percent of the Montgomery and Eufaula areas has been completed.
Crews from utilities as far away as New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio and Oklahoma will join Alabama Power in restoration efforts. Additional crews are limited however, as help is also needed in hard hit areas in Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida.
Katrina is the second-worst storm in the Alabama Power history in terms of outages, but company officials estimate it may be the worst in terms of damage to the company’s system.
Hurricane Ivan left more than 825,000 customers without power in September 2004. Restoration took eight days.
At the height of the outages, Hurricane Katrina left 636,891 Alabama Power customers without power. As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, 320,089 customers were without power throughout the company’s service territory.
Outages by division are as follows:
• Birmingham: 79,313
• Tuscaloosa: 62,289
• Mobile: 173,632
• Anniston: 4,855
Restoration to 99 percent of the Montgomery and Eufaula areas has been completed.
Crews from utilities as far away as New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio and Oklahoma will join Alabama Power in restoration efforts. Additional crews are limited however, as help is also needed in hard hit areas in Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida.
Katrina is the second-worst storm in the Alabama Power history in terms of outages, but company officials estimate it may be the worst in terms of damage to the company’s system.
Hurricane Ivan left more than 825,000 customers without power in September 2004. Restoration took eight days.
by James Spann
in General Thoughts
Useful Information From National Weather Service, New Orleans
August 31, 2005, 9:21 am
This information passed along by NWS, New Orleans. Also please scan dow for several other recent posts that contain loads of useful information.
-----------------------------------------------------
THE LOUISIANA STATE POLICE URGES THOSE WANTING ROAD AND TRAVEL
CONDITIONS ACROSS SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA TO GO TO THEIR WEBSITE AT...
WWW.LSP.ORG
ROAD INFORMATION IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA CAN ALSO BE FOUND BY
TELEPHONE AT 225-922-0332.
THE MISSISSIPPI HIGHWAY SAFETY PATROL SAYS PUBLIC TRAVEL INTO
HANCOCK...HARRISON AND JACKSON COUNTIES IS PROHIBITED.
THOSE WANTING ROAD CONDITIONS IN SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI CAN CALL THE
MISSISSIPPI HIGHWAY SAFETY PATROL HEADQUARTERS IN JACKSON AT
1-888-728-4218.
ANYONE NEEDING INFORMATION ON RESCUES OR OTHER CRITICAL NEEDS IN
LOUISIANA...MISSISSIPPI...OR ALABAMA CAN CALL THE DEPARTMENT OF
HOMELAND SECURITY AT THE FOLLOWING TELEPHONE NUMBERS...
225-925-7500...225-925-7708...225-925-7709...225-925-3511...OR
225-925-7428.
THOSE WANTING TO CHECK ON RELATIVES...EVACUEES...OR OTHER SIMILAR
MATTERS CAN CALL THE AMERICAN RED CROSS HOTLINE AT 1-866-GET INFO OR
1-866-438-4636.
THE ROADS INTO COASTAL LOUISIANA AND MISSISSIPPI ARE IMPASSABLE.
INTERSTATE 10 AND INTERSTATE 12 ACROSS SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA IN THE
SLIDELL...MANDEVILLE...MADISONVILLE...AND NEW ORLEANS AREAS ARE
CLOSED. THE LAKE PONCHARTRAIN CAUSEWAY AND INTERSTATE 10 BRIDGES
BETWEEN SLIDELL...MANDEVILLE AND NEW ORLEANS ARE DESTROYED. U.S.
HIGHWAY 90 IS CLOSED ACROSS ALL OF COASTAL MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHEAST
LOUISIANA. HIGHWAY 98 IS CLOSED FROM MOBILE TO HATTIESBURG.
HIGHWAY 49 IS CLOSED FROM HATTIESBURG TO GULFPORT. INTERSTATE 59 IS
ALSO CLOSED SOUTH OF HATTIESBURG TO NEW ORLEANS.
AGAIN...TRAVEL ACROSS MANY PARTS OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND
SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA...INCLUDING THE MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST AND THE
GREATER NEW ORLEANS AREA...IS GENERALLY PROHIBITED BY STATE
OFFICIALS. THE STATE POLICE WILL STOP ANYONE TRYING TO GET INTO
THESE HIGHLY IMPACTED AREAS.
-----------------------------------------------------
THE LOUISIANA STATE POLICE URGES THOSE WANTING ROAD AND TRAVEL
CONDITIONS ACROSS SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA TO GO TO THEIR WEBSITE AT...
WWW.LSP.ORG
ROAD INFORMATION IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA CAN ALSO BE FOUND BY
TELEPHONE AT 225-922-0332.
THE MISSISSIPPI HIGHWAY SAFETY PATROL SAYS PUBLIC TRAVEL INTO
HANCOCK...HARRISON AND JACKSON COUNTIES IS PROHIBITED.
THOSE WANTING ROAD CONDITIONS IN SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI CAN CALL THE
MISSISSIPPI HIGHWAY SAFETY PATROL HEADQUARTERS IN JACKSON AT
1-888-728-4218.
ANYONE NEEDING INFORMATION ON RESCUES OR OTHER CRITICAL NEEDS IN
LOUISIANA...MISSISSIPPI...OR ALABAMA CAN CALL THE DEPARTMENT OF
HOMELAND SECURITY AT THE FOLLOWING TELEPHONE NUMBERS...
225-925-7500...225-925-7708...225-925-7709...225-925-3511...OR
225-925-7428.
THOSE WANTING TO CHECK ON RELATIVES...EVACUEES...OR OTHER SIMILAR
MATTERS CAN CALL THE AMERICAN RED CROSS HOTLINE AT 1-866-GET INFO OR
1-866-438-4636.
THE ROADS INTO COASTAL LOUISIANA AND MISSISSIPPI ARE IMPASSABLE.
INTERSTATE 10 AND INTERSTATE 12 ACROSS SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA IN THE
SLIDELL...MANDEVILLE...MADISONVILLE...AND NEW ORLEANS AREAS ARE
CLOSED. THE LAKE PONCHARTRAIN CAUSEWAY AND INTERSTATE 10 BRIDGES
BETWEEN SLIDELL...MANDEVILLE AND NEW ORLEANS ARE DESTROYED. U.S.
HIGHWAY 90 IS CLOSED ACROSS ALL OF COASTAL MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHEAST
LOUISIANA. HIGHWAY 98 IS CLOSED FROM MOBILE TO HATTIESBURG.
HIGHWAY 49 IS CLOSED FROM HATTIESBURG TO GULFPORT. INTERSTATE 59 IS
ALSO CLOSED SOUTH OF HATTIESBURG TO NEW ORLEANS.
AGAIN...TRAVEL ACROSS MANY PARTS OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND
SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA...INCLUDING THE MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST AND THE
GREATER NEW ORLEANS AREA...IS GENERALLY PROHIBITED BY STATE
OFFICIALS. THE STATE POLICE WILL STOP ANYONE TRYING TO GET INTO
THESE HIGHLY IMPACTED AREAS.
Few More Katrina Pictures
August 31, 2005, 9:17 amHere are a few more Katrina pictures taken during the storm.
White caps and storm surge on Hwy 59
Flooding/Surge south of Fort Morgan Road!
Pool filled with sand!
Beach level now higher!
Sorry that I was not able to get these posted as they were taken. Working conditions during a hurricane are not ideal - heck, they aren't even good.
-Brian-
by Brian Peters
in General Thoughts