Deluge Predicted (UPDATED)

It appears that Katrina was just toying with Florida. If reports are to be believed, time to build an Ark ‘round Nawlins way.

NEW ORLEANS — Monstrous Hurricane Katrina (search) barreled toward the Big Easy (search) on Sunday with 175-mph wind and a threat of a 28-foot storm surge, forcing a mandatory evacuation, a last-ditch Superdome shelter and prayers for those left to face the doomsday scenario this below-sea-level city has long dreaded.

"Have God on your side, definitely have God on your side," Nancy Noble said as she sat with her puppy and three friends in six lanes of one-way traffic on gridlocked Interstate 10.

Katrina intensified into a Category 5 (search) giant over the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico (search) on a path to come ashore early Monday in the heart of New Orleans. That would make it the city's first direct hit in 40 years and the most powerful storm ever to slam the city.

Experts predict that the levees which keep the water out of the city will be easily overwhelmed by Katrina and could…

…turn New Orleans into a 30-foot-deep toxic lake filled with chemicals and petroleum from refineries, and waste from ruined septic systems.

I saw New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco say, basically, “get out, if you want to live,” but there are always those who’d rather take their chances. According to a TV report, one man, who built his home thirty-five years ago, isn’t budging. Whatever.

Conversely, many very poor people in the city have nowhere to run, nor the means/ability to do so.

"We're not evacuating," said 57-year-old Julie Paul. "None of us have any place to go. We're counting on the Superdome. That's our lifesaver."

The Superdome, the 70,000-seat home of football's Saints and the New Year's Sugar Bowl, opened at daybreak Sunday, giving first priority to frail, elderly people on walkers, some with oxygen tanks. They were told to bring enough food, water and medicine to last up to five days.

The hurricane is set to hit N.O. early Monday morning.

UPDATE: Our Cotillion mistress, Beth of My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, is among those who must flee. Be safe and well, Beth!

UPDATE: Even Katrina is Bush's fault.

I just watched a bit of the press conference being held by the governor or Louisiana and the mayor of New Orleans regarding the mandatory evacuation of New Orleans in the face of Katrina, now a Category 5 hurricane.

The levee system is endangered by the flood waters and winds that will accompany this storm when it hits landfall.

Historically, it is the National Guard, along with other emergency personnel, who attempt to provide emergency services to the community in disaster relief situations like Katrina.

And where are these National Guard right now?

Iraq.

If they are alive.

Yeah, sure. Every single member of the Louisiana National Guard is in Iraq right now. :::rolls eyes::: You can tell which writers know anything about the military and which don't. I would suggest that this writer do her homework but I'd wager that she doesn't care to know that when a National Guard deploys, an entire state isn't emptied of every single member.

Additionally, while the various NGs are certainly competent, how would their emergency service skills mitigate the effects of a Cat 5 hurricane?

But we can't let facts and the laws of physics ruin the B(D)S rhetoric.

(Thanks to Wizbang)

UPDATE: A different kind of Weather Underground: telling you which way the wind is blowing, indeed.

I put the odds of New Orleans getting its levees breached and the city submerged at about 70%. This scenario, which has been discussed extensively in literature I have read, could result in a death toll in the thousands, since many people will be unable or unwilling to get out of the city. I recommend that if you are trapped in New Orleans tomorrow, that you wear a life jacket and a helmet if you have them. High rise buildings may offer good refuge, but Katrina has the potential to knock down a high-rise building. A 25 foot storm surge and 30 - 40 foot high battering waves on top of that may be able to bring down a steel-reinforced high rise building.

UPDATE: Because of Katrina's affect on Gulf of Mexico oil production, oil is now $70 a barrel. Just great.

UPDATE: Steve H.--or whoever's posting for him--has even more dire predictions regarding the effects that this hurricane could have on the country's energy supply.

UPDATE: Here's some detailed info on 1969's Hurricane Camille, which was comparable in destructive force to Katrina's potential.