Here are some headlines from Google news:

• Bush panics and sends in the marines – Scotland
• Bush gears up but too late for New Orleans – India
• Bush Admits Inadequate Aid Efforts – Turkey
• Congress Likely to Probe Guard Response – UK
• US South drowns in bitterness – India
• Katrina takes a toll on Bush – India
• Survivors’ fury at relief efforts – Australia

This is just the first page for the news search for Katrina. What’s sad here is that there are 30 entries on this first page. At least 23 were from sources outside the US.

Says alot about Google News.

Go to Google Maps and zoom in on the New Orleans area. Then click on the red "Katrina" tab for an AK (after-Katrina) view:

And here are the school buses that could have carried thousands to safety.

How low can some go in their hatred of GWB? How about cannibalism in New Orleans?

After only 4 days?!

Well, I’ll give the HP credit. They know how to shill for traffic.

Update: As I would have suspected, the cannibalism claim has been retracted, but not the ensuing spewage (that had nothing to do with the subject.)

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin:

What you are seeing is drug-starving crazy addicts that are wreaking havoc and we don’t have the manpower that we can deal with it

Uh, Mayor? Was that before or after Hurricane Katrina?

Sorry. That was a catch-22 question. Never mind.

I remember being infatuated with Katrina when I was in Jr High. Over the past few days, I seem to have gotten over that case of puppy love.

Just to show how monsterous this storm was, my power was out for more than a day and I was at least a hundred miles from ground zero. Actually over 100k were without power in Pensacola/Escambia County and the storm surge on the beach was 5-10 foot. After enduring Ivan and Dennis within the past year, you would think there couldn’t be any limbs left to fall. I’ve actually had more limbs to clean up this time around because Ivan and Dennis just left broken limbs on the trees. Katrina cleared them out.

The night after the storm was hotter than I ever endured with the previous storms. And then it started to rain. So what’s a guy to do but strip down to a pair of flip-flops and go stand on the back porch? There’s no power… who’s going to see?

Karma sure can be cruel. Just last week I was thinking that it had been a while since I had been to the Quarter. That won’t happen for a while now. Maybe never.

Finally got my power on tonight (for about the fourth time.) I’m tired and sweaty, but grateful. I’ll try to expand on this experience later, but first – a few Zs in the company of a sub-zero AC. I’ll leave you with something I stole from Be Ready Escambia:
You might be a Floridian if:

• You exhibit a slight twitch when introduced to anyone with the first names of Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne or Dennis.
• Your freezer never has more than $20 worth of food in it.
• You’re looking at paint swatches for the plywood on your windows.
• You think of your hall closet/saferoom as cozy.
• Your pool is more accurately described as “framed in” rather than “screened in.”
• You no longer worry about relatives visiting in the summer.
• You, too, haven’t heard back from the adjuster.
• You now understand that little “2% hurricane deductible” phrase.
• You’re putting together a collage on your driveway of roof shingles from your neighborhood.
• You were once proud of your 16″ electric chain saw.
• Your street has more than three “NO WAKE” signs posted.

adding some more to the list:

• You have more than 20 C and D batteries in your kitchen drawer.
• The freezer in your garage is full of homemade ice.
• You find yourself dropping words like “millibar” and “convection” into everyday conversation.
• Your pantry contains more than 10 cans of Spaghetti Os.
• Making coffee on your propane grill does not seem like an odd thing to do.
• You are thinking of repainting your house to match the plywood covering your windows.
• When describing your house to a prospective buyer, you say it has three bedrooms, two baths and one safe place.
• You are on a first-name basis with the cashier at Home Depot.
• You’d be delighted to pay $3 for a gallon of unleaded.
• The road leading to your house has been declared a No-Wake Zone.
• You decide that your patio furniture looks better on the bottom of the pool.
• You have the number for FEMA on your speed dialer.
• You own more than three large coolers.
• You can wish that other people get hit by a hurricane and not feel the least bit guilty about it.
• Three months ago you couldn’t hang a shower curtain; today you can assemble a portable generator by candlelight.
• You catch a 5-pound catfish. In your driveway.
• You can recite from memory whole portions of your homeowner’s insurance policy.
• At cocktail parties, women are attracted to the guy with the biggest chain saw.
• You have had tuna fish more than 5 days in a row.
• There is a roll of tar paper in your garage.
• You can rattle off the names of three or more meteorologists who work at the Weather Channel.
• Speaking of the Weather Channel, there’s a sign at your county line that states “Jim Cantore is not allowed past this point”
• Someone comes to your door to tell you they found your roof.
• Ice is a valid topic of conversation.
• Relocating to North Dakota does not seem like such a crazy idea.

With a major hurricane coming my way, the Weather Channel is, of course, required viewing. It’s funny how smug their extended forecast (during “Local on the 8s”) can be on the expected day of landfall. All it says is “Heavy Wind & Rain” Oh really. Ya think? Just once, I’d like to see the following: “There’s a category 4 hurricane coming straight at you, ya stupid prick. We’ve been covering this 24/7. What else do you need to know?”

Unless I get a babble in tomorrow, you may not see anything new here for a few days, depending on how long the power is out (not that I’m a consistant blogger anyway.) If anyone is on this site during the Dennis landfall, I would be interested to know what the Weather Icon in the sidebar reports. Thanks. The Ivan aftermath last year wasn’t so bad in that the temperatures were fairly cool. Dennis is going to suck, with the forecast high in the 90s for the next few days. Hopefully I’ll have some good pics and videos to post.

But I would prefer NOT having anything of interest to post.

Canadian Hurricane Centre

How many storms have struck Canada? Two maybe? Yet, the site states: “…forecasts are prepared by operational meteorologists who work around the clock, 365 days a year”. Where do I sign up?

Just to make sure that these people stay busy, here are the menu options:

• Air Quality Forecasts
• Birds Oiled at Sea
• Children’s Environmental Health
• Climate Centre
• Community Programs
• Contact List of Experts
• Emergencies
• Enforcement and Compliance
• Environmental Assessment
• Environmental Damages Fund
• Environmental Links
• Funding Programs
• Hunting
• Hurricane Centre
• Legislation We Administer
• Media Spokespersons
• Meet Our Minister
• Meteorology
• News Releases
• Our Programs & Priorities
• Pollution Information
• Publications
• Severe Weather Awareness
• Wildlife

What’s next? The Mexican Iceberg Warning Center?

Latest Satellite Imagery from NOAA
This is a pretty cool way to keep up with what’s going on in tropical weather.
The Visible cloud cover isn’t that impressive until you select the loop mode at the bottom (requires Java.) Try it in the morning or late evening so you can see the clouds come out of the darkness (or vice-versa.)
The best, most telling view is through Water Vapor. This view, along with IR, also have loops from the past 3-4 hours. Looks like we have something brewing right now, southwest of Cuba.
They also have RSS feeds.

Note: These are all links to Atlantic/Caribbean views

Compared to Ivan, this is boring. If you look close enough, you can see me waving from inside the eye.