timmarshall
SHORT VERSION: An incredible chase -from logistics to the event itself. Rode out the hurricane in a 5 story, poured-in-place concrete parking garage at the Slidell hospital with fellow chasers Roger Hill, Jim Leonard, and Casie Crosby. Encountered wind gusts estimated 115-120 mph in the northwest eyewall (just like Ivan) with gusts about 100 mph in southwest eyewall. The northwest eyewall was a total "white-out" for 20-30 minutes. Lots of damage all around. Many pine trees snapped and fell onto homes. The area around the hospital was flooded with up to two feet of water. Thus, it was difficult to get out of there, but with LOTS OF LUCK we made it. A 36 hour chase (no sleep), 1100 driving miles. Yes, I'm tired. I have to do a study on this event, so if anyone has any data, (i.e. radar, satellite, etc.) please let me know.
LONG VERSION: First of all, my thoughts and prayers to those affected by this major and historic disaster. I left Dallas at 10 am on Sunday with 25 gallons of extra fuel stored in containers in the back of my pick-up truck. (Extra fuel is a must as there were long lines at gas stations and many stations ran out of gas or were closed). Yes, I felt as if I was riding a bomb, so I drove very carefully to the target town of Slidell, LA. I avoided New Orleans and points south, since these areas were below sea level and would easily flood. My main goal was not to get stranded nor become a victim myself.
I encountered no problems along the way and arrived in Slidell about 8pm. Interstates I-10 east and I-12 east were clear. However, I-10 westbound was gridlock to Baton Rouge and heavy traffic out to Lafayette. (Glad I avoided that) I-10 east of I-59 was closed due to contraflow out of Mississippi. I was LUCKY to find a gas station that was open in Hammond, LA and topped off the gas tank. There were no "lines of cars" since everyone with sense had fled the area earlier in the day.
As I drove into Slidell, I immediately stumbled upon a 5 story, poured-in-place concrete parking garage at the local hospital that was perfect for refuge. Although the garage was "closed", I managed to sneak by the plastic cones at the entrance without any trouble. All city vehicles (including police) filled up stories 2 through 4. So, I thought this had to be a good place. But, levels 1 and 5 were vacant for some reason. I did go into the hospital and talked to the staff and they had no problem with me riding the storm out in the garage and using their facilities (as I would provide them with the latest weather information on the storm). Call it a "weather bribe". Gee, the place had nice leather couches in the lobby and great rest room facilities. They also had two generators that would provide power through the storm. Not a bad place to stumble upon, I'd say. I called Roger and Jim and let them know about the place. Jim commented that is a "gentleman's chase" with all the comforts of home. One thing I didn't like was the staff expected six to ten feet of floodwaters in the garage. So we had our choice of getting our vehicles flooded on level 1 or blown off the roof on level 5, -you pick.
Jim and Roger were able to get data all night via the cell phone service. No one could sleep due to the anticipation of this event. As the night wore on, we had concern that the eye would slip off to the east, but radar and satellite loops kept showing the eye to wobble back to the northwest. We debated about heading east. But, I felt I did my part, now it's up to mother nature to do her part. At 11 pm, the NHC commented that the SW eyewall had eroded away. I knew that dry air was invading the circulation and winds would drop off dramatically. However, I also new that the Gulf would maintain a high storm surge as it takes longer for the water to drop in height since so much energy had been imparted into the water. Towns of Waveland (no pun) to Gulfport were in trouble.
Rains began around midnight but the wind didn't begin to pick up until about 5 am. It was then that I headed up an enclosed stairwell on the northwest side of the garage which was open only on its west side - a perfect lookout to view the city being protected by winds from the east-northeast. A transformer blew out right in front of me at 5:45 am startling me. So, we were in darkness for about a half hour until the first light of dawn. At that time, we knew the east eyewall was going to pass to our east, but it was too late to abandon our place of refuge for some other place over in Waveland or Biloxi. The winds were just too strong, visibility low, and flooding was already occurring.
Winds steadily increased as each rainband passed then the northwest eyewall hit between 9 and 10 am. We encountered white-out conditions for about 20-30 minutes. Although the stairwell shuttered, things seems relatively peaceful to what was going on a few feet away. We encountered northeast winds estimated to be 115-120 mph (similar to Ivan last year). Pine trees snapped (sounded like hand claps) and floodwaters started to enter the garage. The howling of the wind was only punctuated by the sounds of breaking glass and banging metal. Interestingly, we encountered swirls at the leading edge of gusts, probably generated from our building. Winds would suddenly shift to the northwest then back to the northeast upon passage of these gusts. The sights and sounds were incredible. My video really could not capture the moment.
After the storm passed, we had a problem on trying to get out of the garage. Fallen tree limbs had blocked several roads, and the main road in front of the hospital was flooded two feet deep. Local police said it may take a day for the floodwaters to receed, but I didn't want to spend another night in the parking garage. I also didn't want to become stranded in Slidell by flooding out my vehicle. So, I walked down several streets measuring the height of the water along the way. About, 1 pm, floodwaters had receeded to a depth of 16-18 inches deep, the height of my door/floor. With Roger Hill in my wake, we decided to drive down the main street and fortunately we made it to I-10. (Yes, I realize this was a dangerous, but it was calculated risk). Humor note: I didn't realize my tailpipe was only 13 inches above the ground, so I was blowing bubbles out the rear on my way down the street. Sorry Roger.
I got to I-12 then headed west. Many trees and power lines were down and debris littered the highway, but I was able to get around all the obstacles and encountered NO flooding and NO flat tires. I saw tree damage all the way to Baton Rouge (power was out there too). Had a steak dinner in Lafayette (ah, back in civilization) while watching caravans of power trucks heading eastbound. A humbling experience, indeed. I arrived safely in Dallas just after 10 pm. A 36 hour (no sleep) 1100 mile chase. Looks like I'll be assessing damage along the Gulf Coast for years.
Lessons learned: Get to your target as soon as possible and find a parking garage. Definitely bring more food than for one day. Bring a chain saw if you can. Invest in oil stocks before the storm. TIM M.
LONG VERSION: First of all, my thoughts and prayers to those affected by this major and historic disaster. I left Dallas at 10 am on Sunday with 25 gallons of extra fuel stored in containers in the back of my pick-up truck. (Extra fuel is a must as there were long lines at gas stations and many stations ran out of gas or were closed). Yes, I felt as if I was riding a bomb, so I drove very carefully to the target town of Slidell, LA. I avoided New Orleans and points south, since these areas were below sea level and would easily flood. My main goal was not to get stranded nor become a victim myself.
I encountered no problems along the way and arrived in Slidell about 8pm. Interstates I-10 east and I-12 east were clear. However, I-10 westbound was gridlock to Baton Rouge and heavy traffic out to Lafayette. (Glad I avoided that) I-10 east of I-59 was closed due to contraflow out of Mississippi. I was LUCKY to find a gas station that was open in Hammond, LA and topped off the gas tank. There were no "lines of cars" since everyone with sense had fled the area earlier in the day.
As I drove into Slidell, I immediately stumbled upon a 5 story, poured-in-place concrete parking garage at the local hospital that was perfect for refuge. Although the garage was "closed", I managed to sneak by the plastic cones at the entrance without any trouble. All city vehicles (including police) filled up stories 2 through 4. So, I thought this had to be a good place. But, levels 1 and 5 were vacant for some reason. I did go into the hospital and talked to the staff and they had no problem with me riding the storm out in the garage and using their facilities (as I would provide them with the latest weather information on the storm). Call it a "weather bribe". Gee, the place had nice leather couches in the lobby and great rest room facilities. They also had two generators that would provide power through the storm. Not a bad place to stumble upon, I'd say. I called Roger and Jim and let them know about the place. Jim commented that is a "gentleman's chase" with all the comforts of home. One thing I didn't like was the staff expected six to ten feet of floodwaters in the garage. So we had our choice of getting our vehicles flooded on level 1 or blown off the roof on level 5, -you pick.
Jim and Roger were able to get data all night via the cell phone service. No one could sleep due to the anticipation of this event. As the night wore on, we had concern that the eye would slip off to the east, but radar and satellite loops kept showing the eye to wobble back to the northwest. We debated about heading east. But, I felt I did my part, now it's up to mother nature to do her part. At 11 pm, the NHC commented that the SW eyewall had eroded away. I knew that dry air was invading the circulation and winds would drop off dramatically. However, I also new that the Gulf would maintain a high storm surge as it takes longer for the water to drop in height since so much energy had been imparted into the water. Towns of Waveland (no pun) to Gulfport were in trouble.
Rains began around midnight but the wind didn't begin to pick up until about 5 am. It was then that I headed up an enclosed stairwell on the northwest side of the garage which was open only on its west side - a perfect lookout to view the city being protected by winds from the east-northeast. A transformer blew out right in front of me at 5:45 am startling me. So, we were in darkness for about a half hour until the first light of dawn. At that time, we knew the east eyewall was going to pass to our east, but it was too late to abandon our place of refuge for some other place over in Waveland or Biloxi. The winds were just too strong, visibility low, and flooding was already occurring.
Winds steadily increased as each rainband passed then the northwest eyewall hit between 9 and 10 am. We encountered white-out conditions for about 20-30 minutes. Although the stairwell shuttered, things seems relatively peaceful to what was going on a few feet away. We encountered northeast winds estimated to be 115-120 mph (similar to Ivan last year). Pine trees snapped (sounded like hand claps) and floodwaters started to enter the garage. The howling of the wind was only punctuated by the sounds of breaking glass and banging metal. Interestingly, we encountered swirls at the leading edge of gusts, probably generated from our building. Winds would suddenly shift to the northwest then back to the northeast upon passage of these gusts. The sights and sounds were incredible. My video really could not capture the moment.
After the storm passed, we had a problem on trying to get out of the garage. Fallen tree limbs had blocked several roads, and the main road in front of the hospital was flooded two feet deep. Local police said it may take a day for the floodwaters to receed, but I didn't want to spend another night in the parking garage. I also didn't want to become stranded in Slidell by flooding out my vehicle. So, I walked down several streets measuring the height of the water along the way. About, 1 pm, floodwaters had receeded to a depth of 16-18 inches deep, the height of my door/floor. With Roger Hill in my wake, we decided to drive down the main street and fortunately we made it to I-10. (Yes, I realize this was a dangerous, but it was calculated risk). Humor note: I didn't realize my tailpipe was only 13 inches above the ground, so I was blowing bubbles out the rear on my way down the street. Sorry Roger.
I got to I-12 then headed west. Many trees and power lines were down and debris littered the highway, but I was able to get around all the obstacles and encountered NO flooding and NO flat tires. I saw tree damage all the way to Baton Rouge (power was out there too). Had a steak dinner in Lafayette (ah, back in civilization) while watching caravans of power trucks heading eastbound. A humbling experience, indeed. I arrived safely in Dallas just after 10 pm. A 36 hour (no sleep) 1100 mile chase. Looks like I'll be assessing damage along the Gulf Coast for years.
Lessons learned: Get to your target as soon as possible and find a parking garage. Definitely bring more food than for one day. Bring a chain saw if you can. Invest in oil stocks before the storm. TIM M.
