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Monday, September 01, 2008

Gustav - The scariest Place You Don't Want to Be Right Now

The scariest place to be right now would be that part of I-10 that is built over the swamps from Henderson, LA to just before Baton Rouge – it is something like 30 miles of concrete hanging over swamp water filled with half submerged trees. Right now the swamp tops and the road surface could be on the same level. I would not want to be trapped there now in a car…

I just watched footage on CNN of high winds actually peeling OFF Plywood from a building. I intend to copy it to the website ASAP – it is evidence that the old tech way of “boarding up” is defeated by high winds, leaving the windows totally unprotected from flying debris that will let in the winds that will tear a building apart. Our 21st Century technology is on the inside of the windows, protecting from breach by flying debris 24/7.

GUSTAV is hitting just 300 miles to our east. While it is tearing up Houma, LA, I videotaped a bird emptying a nest just outside the Seabrook Condo on Clear Lake. I had never heard of a bird throwing nesting material OUT of a nest. I always thought they only carried it IN (?).

Following that shot I swung the camera to look current Clear Lake conditions – not anything like what is going on a few miles away that has caused 2 million people to evacuate.

The real test will be how much wind and water hits the new levees. They were only built to take a CAT 3 and GUSTAV hit as a 3 – which is cutting it too close! They should be like the CAT 5 systems they built in Holland, especially since New Orleans is a key U.S. refining and transportation center, linking America’s heartland and its products with the Gulf of Mexico and world ports. Once again, we are shortcutting a prime asset for America. Important flood gates have not been installed, etc.

Standby. Our Labor Day will go on without GUSTAV crashing it, but this should be yet another wake up call to upgrade our building codes and window protection from flying debris. There is nothing worse than being in a room full of flying glass and high winds tearing your house apart during a storm. Same for tornadoes spawned by hurricanes which also throw debris. We could then 'shelter in place.'

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You have a great view from where you live. So far from what I've seen, it looks as if it is not as bad as had been feared. I am glad that people across this country seem to care about our fellow citizen's. I think that the Republican party learned from last time, but wait, we have more brewing yet, and it looks as if there is still real danger, not just for where you live.