ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area New Orleans...

Hopes for the best of what is going to be a BAD hurricane in New Orleans. A friend of mine lives down there, and is going to hole up in a hotel that he manages. Figures its his safest bet at the present time. It being on a hill, and a solid new concrete building, with storm shutters and ample food and water stores. I asked... And they even have a life-raft in the emergency kit.

So this being an electrical forum.... So if you know the storm is coming, do you leave the power on? (All non-essential personel have been ordered out.) Or shut if off to stave off further damage from the enevitable short, flooded transformer vault, or downed line? NOLA is a 'bath tub' so to speak, being under sea-level. So flooding is enevitable. Would it not make sense to shut if off for the storm, rather than to present a hazard to Emergency Workers during it?

The reason I say this, when I was younger, I was out during a hurricane, (Gloria) and saw power-lines blown over on to a house. Burned a major portion of it while it took some time to get shut off.

Anyway, it going to be a bad storm for that whole area of the country. (Already has been.) There will be damage, but hope no more lives are lost to this storm.

Our local power co. sometimes does shutdown lines during storms, usually ice here. It seems to me that shutting the lines down would help minimize damage to equipment and electrocution hazards after. We occasionally do some storm recovery in the Carolinas, what a mess! Our thoughts and prayers are with those in the path of this thing.Hang on guys.
KB

It seems NOLA made it out of the storm much better than previously expected. Although the whole area is still due for the hashest storm in some time to hit the area. A whole swath across many states is in the middle of this now.

Haven't spoken to my friend yet, but am reasonabley sure, (Knock on wood) that he'll make it out of this OK.

Still have not heard from my friend... I hope he's OK. Guess I spoke too soon on New Orleans.... Watching the news tonite, and the whole region looks real bad.

I have been watching the hurricanes' progress on FOX news where there has been continuous coverage for the last two days. The other night New Orleans' Frence Quarter was shown as dry & the reporter was glad to say that the city had missed most of it only to have the flooding occur within the last 24 hours. It looks like a mammoth job to rebuild the affected areas in three states as there is just so much to clean up (where does all the rubbish go?) Power won't be on for some months according to a report on ABC(Australia) news due to the widespread damage to a lot of the transmission lines & equipment.
I hope all that everyone know that live in the area are safe & well but with no communications (mobile/cell phones & landlines are mostly useless) its near impossible to find out which would make things a lot worse.

Darn! I hope your friend is able to communicate soon, watch for smoke signals, I'm not sure how else he could. This thing brings out the best and worst in our society. What I would really like to see on the news is an armed citizen dropping a couple looters in their tracks. I don't believe the majority are stealing to survive but simply taking the oppurtunity.
KB

Survival??????

In new tennis shoes and new Tv sets, and Rolex watches?

It is a shame to see this happen, watching the looters, I can't send them any help unfortunatley. So many people need help but I am afraid the money will go to the looters who are crying help rather than the people who really need it.


Dnk....

I can't get my head around why you would want to pinch a TV set when you can't use the thing...greed for greeds sake. A way of dealing with people that had no good reason to be out & about at night was demonstarted by the NT Police during the Katherine flood in Jan 1998, a high powered rifle was used to sink the boats then the occupants had to find their own way around without a boat.

What happened to the old; "looters will be shot on sight?" These idiots are stealing stuff they'll never use becasue there's no place to use a 27" TV!! Also, what part of "evacuate" didn't they understand several days ago? It's no surprise that the people who didn't leave were planning on some good lootin' after everyone left! I agree with KB, I'd like to see a stand-up citizen drop a couple of these morons.

Gentlemen, I think right now we should be more concerned with those in need than our hatred or disdain for the thieves.

Roger