recon?
WWL Updates as they come in on Katrina
10:09 AM CDT on Monday, September 5, 2005
Tom Planchet
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9:48 A.M. - Five Plaquemines schools have cancelled classes for all of 2005-06. Belle Chasse high schools are trying to open by January.
9:46 A.M. - Video from oil company spokesman shows total devastation in lower Plaquemines.
9:40 A.M. - NEW YORK (AP) -- With memories of the Sept. 11 attacks still vivid, hundreds of police officers and firefighters left New York City on Monday, bound for Louisiana.
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9:35 A.M. - (AP) A steady stream of reinforcements for police poured down interstate highways toward New Orleans on Monday -- long convoys of police cars, blue lights flashing, emblazoned with emblems from scattered police, sheriff, and other jurisdictions, in and out of state.
Mayor Ray Nagin, in a telephone interview on WWL radio, the city's linked emergency broadcast center, said he was arranging to rotate out the city officers who have been working virtually around the clock since before the storm hit.
He said they and their families would get five or more days in cities with large numbers of hotel rooms -- Atlanta and Las Vegas in particular. In addition to the police, firefighters and dispatchers will be included.
No recon scheduled yet to my knowledge. Though, it looks to be on its way to a depression. I wouldn't be surprised to see it become one this afternoon/evening. Fortunately, it's close to shore, so it won't have much time to develop before coming into FL. It's also going to have to go over more land than Katrina did... so, we'll see what exits.
Statement as of 11:30 am EDT on September 5, 2005
For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico...
The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Hurricane
Maria... located about 475 miles east of Bermuda.
A well-defined low pressure system located about 280 miles
south-southwest of Bermuda is moving slowly northwestward. This
system has not become any better organized over the past several
hours...but upper-level winds could become more favorable for
tropical cyclone formation over the next day or so.
A broad area of low pressure has remained nearly stationary just
off the southeastern coast of Florida and over the northwestern
Bahamas. This system has become slightly better organized this
morning...and a tropical depression could form in this area during
the next day or two. A NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft is scheduled
to investigate the system tomorrow..if necessary. Interests in the
Bahamas and Florida should monitor the progress of this system.
A tropical wave is approaching the Lesser Antilles...accompanied by
widely scattered showers and a few thunderstorms. Significant
development of this system is not expected over the next couple of
days as it continues moving westward at 15 to 20 mph.
Elsewhere...tropical storm formation is not expected through
Tuesday.
Forecaster Pasch