Field Notes : Hurricane

Hints of devastation on Galveston Bay

Petra Cahill — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 13:19:00 GMT

By Charles Hadlock, NBC News

At dawn's first light, the devastation from Hurricane Ike is becoming clear.

The Hilton Hotel here in Clear Lake, Texas, where we've set up our satellite truck to report on the storm, is taking a beating.

The stucco facade on the front of the building peeled away during the early hours of the storm. Of course, it smashed into NBC cameraman Mike Terrel's truck, which had just gotten out of the shop from Hurricane Dolly damage.

The hotel lobby looks like a scene out of the Poseidon Adventure. ...(read more)

Neighbors, police guard vacated homes

Petra Cahill — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:12:00 GMT

By Don Teague, NBC News Correspondent

It was a little before noon. I was driving through various New Orleans neighborhoods and surveying the situation. For the most part that meant empty block after empty block. All was quiet.

Then I turned down Franklin Avenue in Gentilly Terrace, north of the French Quarter.

"Uh Oh," I said to myself.

I had just driven into what looked like a standoff. There were no fewer than two dozen police officers surrounding a modest white house. There were New Orleans Police, Military Police, Louisiana State Police, State Wildlife Officers, and two police dogs. They all looked serious.

I circled the block, stopped a safe distance away, grabbed a video camera, and jumped out of the car. Standoff's can be tricky, so my first thought was finding some cover in case bullets started flying. Then I noticed that all of the police were standing in the open. There were no guns drawn.

"Well that's weird," I thought.

...(read more)

Debris along the highway

j-roberh — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:50:00 GMT

By Jim Seida, msnbc.com multimedia producer A state trooper passes "Knot a Fantasea" as it rests on Hwy. 90 near Lk. St. Catherine about 25 miles northeast of New Orleans on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008. The boat was blown onto the road the day before by Hurricane Gustav....(read more)

Trying to get home

j-roberh — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:56:00 GMT

By Mike Brunker, msnbc.com writer Jim Seida / msnbc.com Corey Qualls hands Chris Algero the nozzle after filling up his tank in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. At left is Algero's son, Chris. Jr. While nearly all Gulf Coast residents in the path of Hurricane Gustav heeded warnings to leave, many were not waiting Tuesday for authorities to give them permission to return. But for many, that meant persistence in the face of repeated rejection. Chris Algero of New Orleans was gassing up his car...(read more)

Leaving New Orleans

Sam Go — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:36:00 GMT

by Contessa Brewer, MSNBC anchor and correspondent

I just left New Orleans, drove across Lake Ponchartrain on I-10. The traffic on the freeway was very light, until we hit the other side of the lake. There, authorities had established a checkpoint and all inbound traffic was being diverted off the interstate. It appeared only authorized vehicles were being allowed through. The officials want evacuees to wait for the all-clear before heading home.

I'm also seeing work trucks heading toward New Orleans, crews prepared to assist in the clean-up and repair.

The damage I'm seeing on my way out of town is minor: Trees down. Siding ripped off apartment buildings. Signs littering the roadside.

I'm also seeing a slew of cars parked on the side of the freeway in rural areas. Presumably, these were people who'd joined the mass exodus before Gustav, but had mechanical problems and were forced to abandon their vehicles.

So I'm saying goodbye to New Orleans and Gustav, and hello to Hanna... heading East for more storm coverage.

...(read more)

Why did Gustav not strengthen?

Petra Cahill — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 05:00:00 GMT

By Jeff Ranieri, NBC Meteorologist

I've had a lot of people ask me why did Gustav not strengthen, so I figured I would share my insight. Below are some notes from my meteorology notebook.

The short answer is tied to three main factors:

1) Dry air filtered into the bottom of the system;

2) Wind shear kept the eye wall from redeveloping and tightly wrapping the storm;

3) Speed also was a major factor. Ever since the storm left Cuba, it cruised along at 15-20 mph. Even though it moved over 90 degree water (which typically helps hurricanes strengthen) Gustav's high velocity kept it from developing into an even more deadly hurricane.

...(read more)

Poetry in motion

j-roberh — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:41:00 GMT

By Jim Seida and Mike Brunker, msnbc.com The French Quarter after dark, the night after Hurricane Gustav crashed ashore. Neon signs beckon to departed tourists. Empty but stirring. A handful of bars open, several of them packed with locals and reporters. Police cruisers splash past in heavy rain, blue lights flashing on near deserted streets as the raindrops play Lee Young on the sidewalk. A curfew is not a curfew....(read more)

Storm makes quick departure

Petra Cahill — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 16:30:00 GMT

By early afternoon on Monday, relatively minor gusts were ruffling the palm trees along Canal Street and the rain had stopped. Forecasters said more of both were likely as the storm slid past to the west, but nothing like the intense winds and rain that pounded the city overnight.

...(read more)

"It's less of a party"

j-roberh — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:57:00 GMT

By John Brecher, msnbc.com photojournalist A delegate from the Texas Gulf Coast talks about the subdued mood of the Republican National Convention in light of Hurricane Gustav....(read more)

The smell of gasoline

j-roberh — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:44:00 GMT

By Mike Brunker and Jim Seida, msnbc.com Chasing reports of runaway barges or Navy ships, we drove north to the Florida Avenue Bridge over the Industrial Canal. The lift bridge was in the up position, so we couldn’t get an elevated view of this section of the canal. From our vantage point on Harbor Road, peering over the concrete floodwall, there was no sign of the vessels. The only sign of a possible accident in the area was the strong smell of gasoline and the rainbow sheen of oil visible...(read more)