|
Chanhassen * 952-934-5659 |
|
Leuthner Well Company Victoria * 952-443-2582 |
|
Laser and Electrolysis Chanhassen 952-474-7474 |
|
Dine in Downtown Victoria * 952-443-2858 |
|
Victoria * 952-443-2022 |
|
MACKENTHUN’S Gourmet Meats Victoria * 952-443-1841 |
|
St. Bonifacius * 952-446-1338 |
|
Holy Family Catholic High School Victoria * 952-443-4659 |
|
by Sue Orsen It is three years since we followed Katrina and now we were following Fay. Gustav wasn’t even named yet. They start as tropical depressions and turn into tropical storms as they pick up steam, sometimes culminating as hurricanes over land or sea. The terminology has become familiar in this global climate. Katrina is the hurricane that mesmerized world media and devastated a population at New Orleans in August of 2005. A refresher course would remind us that Katrina was the costliest hurricane in the history of the United States and one of the five deadliest. As one would expect, sitting in downtown New Orleans during hurricane season turns the antenna toward the Gulf of Mexico, not to mention the deep red and orange swirls on weather maps. In fact, we were already noticing weather maps and following Fay before our flight to New Orleans on Friday, August 15th. We were aware it was prime hurricane season and that we could be like sitting ducks in a shooting gallery at the Carver County Fair. However, plans had been made and thousands of civil engineers and their spouses from across the nation were descending on New Orleans for the annual fall conference, and we were looking forward to seeing friends and being part of the hoi polloi. The threat of a hurricane didn’t weigh heavily for us as we packed our suitcases under the clear skies and summer sun of Victoria, Minnesota. In a mere two and a half hours we stepped off the plane into the humidity of bayou country and a city that is 50% below sea level. Our old black gentleman cab driver, who “painted” his hair to belie his 87 years, said his daughter was the reason he survived Katrina because she had insisted the family heed warnings and evacuate. None of the siblings returned to New Orleans after Katrina, having found jobs where they landed, but the old cabbie went back to rebuild a home and a life. On Saturday, August 16th, from our hotel room in the French Quarter, we watched Fay fan her 45 mph winds over the Bahamas. By Sunday morning, August 17th, Fay was dumping on Cuba and steering toward Florida where tourists in the Keys were told to evacuate. Oil rigs in the Gulf were also being evacuated. “Anything can happen!” predicted the imprecise weather forecasters, who pointed to the cone shaped path that Fay could follow. It appeared that a lip of the cone could easily plant a kiss on New Orleans. Hmmm. We had heard that during Katrina, beds were flying out the windows of the Marriott. Here at the Monteleone we were only on the eighth floor but I could still envision our king size mattress sailing through the air like a paper airplane. On Monday morning, August 18th, Fay sent tornado warnings for Miami. On Tuesday, August 19th, winds were gusting to 75 mph across Florida, tearing down trees and powerlines and whipping torrential rains over the sunshine state. Fay had become a rainmaker, not a hurricane, yet forecasters said it could re-emerge in the Atlantic as a hurricane and track back over land and even into the Gulf. The “cone of uncertainty” included New Orleans. On Wednesday, August 20th, they talked again of a possible boomerang effect, which is exactly what happened. After tracking north and flooding the Florida peninsula, it turned 90 degrees to the west and flooded the Florida panhandle. Imagine 10 inches of rain in a few hours. Then imagine the 33 inches at Cocoa Beach. With 40,000 homes under water, drenched in raw sewage and crawling with snakes and alligators, the Florida governor called the situation catastrophic. Fay was “merely” a tropical storm but it was also a slow mover so it became more than dangerous as it continued to whip in a westerly direction toward New Orleans. Only on Sunday, August 24th, did the red and orange swirls begin to disperse, downgrade to a tropical depression, and turn north away from New Orleans. Residents of Minnesota may have been following Fay, but not with the intensity of the residents -- and visitors -- of New Orleans. For those who follow storms that are counted and named, you’ve already heard about Gustav and Hanna and are aware of Ike and Josephine. |
|
Island View Dining Waconia. 952-442-2956 |
|
Hook Line & Sinker |
|
Letters to the Editor |
|
Calendar of Events |
|
The Scoop at City Hall |
|
Front Page Feature Story |
|
Headlines and bylines |
|
From the Editor |
|
Notes and Quotes |
|
Order paper Gazette |
|
Click here to Advertise |
|
Victoria Moments |
|
Return to Home Page |
|
the Gazette |
|
Addie’s Drawing |
|
September 2008 |
|
Home Page |
|
The Victoria GAZETTE |
|
Following Fay |
|
As we were following Fay, the tropical storm crossing Florida and inching toward New Orleans, we were also surveying some of the damage still visible from Hurricane Katrina, which occurred exactly three years ago. |
