On the morning Katrina struck, what were you doing?

[Sean in New Orleans]

I've often wondered what my fellow weather board folk were doing that morning? Were you all here on the board watching it live? Did you stay up all night? Were ya'll talking to each other? What about those close to the storm that lost power? What was going on with you when the storm struck? Well, the point of this thread isn't to tell my story...obviously, most of you know that I was in a hotel in the French Quarter and experienced the system. Nevertheless, I would have loved to have experienced the storm live with you guys here. Any really noteworthy threads I should read? How about a link? Thanks!

[Jim Cantore]

I will never forget it. I even remember the weather, cloudy and about 82 degrees here that monday. I tried to stay up but couldn't, so I taped the coverage on TWC. I went to bed with her at 160mph. I woke up twice, once she was at 155mph, second time, at 150mph. I got up and onto my computer right after her first landfall. I remember watching TWC and the reporters just getting beaten up. Seeing the video of the wind ripping down the streets of New Orleans was unbelieveable.

It was the most memorible day in my life, and I wasn't even in it. I can only imagine for those who were. I'll never forget that day.

I also collected hundreds of Satelitte images. (803 of Katrina overall)

[Lindaloo]

I went to bed on the 28th. Was awakened by my husband telling me we needed to go ahead and get next door because it was getting bad. I told him I didn't hear anything. I went to the front door, looked out and said "OH!" So, in the rain we got the last of my pets to safety, then hunkered down with several phone calls to my parents. A few hours later I received a mayday call from my Mother. She told me that water was coming in the house fast and she was trying to find a way out, then the phone went dead.

I was in total disbelief and my brother and me jumped into my animal transport van (as I call it) and was heading to my parents house. I had just backed out of the driveway and my brother said " WHAT THE HELL IS THAT??!!" It was a huge wave that crashed into a building down the street. I backed that van up mock 9 and hauled butt in the driveway and hollered, "HERE COMES THE STORM SURGE!!" All the while I was thinking that my parents were dead, not to mention my two nephews, sister and brother in law. I found myself in waste deep water and I was trying to get all my animals to higher ground then make my way to my house to save some stuff.

After that, my brother and I paddled in a raft and swam basically to my parents house. They were fine THANK GOD but went through an ordeal as did alot of other people.

I do not think the shock of that morning really wore off until about 8 or 9 months later. I remember thanking God for letting that storm surge come in during the day. Because even today when I think about how things could have been if the surge had struck at night, I just get chills. There would have been more loss of life because people were waking up that morning to knee deep water. I just hope I never have to experience anything like that ever again!!

[Jim Cantore]

I think it's important that as a nation, we never forget what happened that monday morning.

[angelwing]

I was on the phone that Friday before trying to knock some sense into my girlfriend to get the he** out of there, her brother just got discharged from the Charity Hospital that Friday and she didn't want to leave, she had no way of getting out she said since her car was stolen a few weeks prior and her mother was sick, I told her that she had to get out. That entire Friday I was a wreck trying to get her some help...she finally got out.

[jinftl]

That fateful Monday morning I was still without power from Katrina passing over South Florida in her infancy stages. Unlike with Wilma, we weren't fortunate enough to have cool weather after the storm. The power outages from Katrina didn't last as long, but those few days of sweltering heat were worse than the 2 weeks without power from Wilma.
By Monday morning, my house was a sweltering 96 degrees with no ventilation to speak of. Luckily, power was restored late Tueday, and then I was glued to the news stations.

I knew from listening to the radio and phone calls with family I have in Metairie, LA how she had blown up into a monster after crossing over South Florida. It was a horrific scenario that was unfolding.

I can only imagine how surreal and scary it must have been watching the satellite images of the storm evolve into the monster she was.

[Opal storm]

Monday morning I woke up at 7am and the power was already out,and the winds outside were already gusting to tropical storm force.All day I sat out on the back porch and listened to reports on the radio and watched the wind blow.I remember hearing over the radio about all the destruction that was taking place just to my west,it reminded me a lot of Ivan.I didn't have much damage in my neighborhood,just some tree limbs and down powerlines.Later that night I got my power back and I saw the first horrific images coming out of New Orleans on the news.

[george_r_1961]

I stayed up that Monday morning after i got off work about 1am. I was off that monday and was glued to my computer and was in telephone contact with Linda until the phone system failed. Had TWC on that morning and remember Jim Cantores chilling statement: "I dont think we're gonna make it folks". I think I finally passed out around 2pm. I remember the horror I felt when I turned on the TV tuesday morning and saw the destruction Katrina left behind.

[lester]

I was in school when Katrina was at her worst...then when I came home I saw the damage.
Unreal.

[JonathanBelles]

i stayed home and watched up to the minute coverage on baynewsnine/weather channel

[LaPlaceFF]

I was sleeping at my parents house when my brothers woke me up at about 6:30am and said that we had no power. I had my portable radio on WWL-AM when I heard about the levee breaks. 9:30pm the same day power was restored.

But that was only the beggining of a life changing week......

[Dionne]

On the 28th we shut the job down. Laid the crane down. Secured everything we could and headed inland to my home in Crystal Springs. The plan was to take the day off and watch TWC. I had actually planned to BBQ. Our location inland is about 85 NM from Ponchartrain. Around 11AM, when the first outerband arrived......everything changed. We had a 5 hour windstorm. Our entire infrastructure went down. The last cell phone call from my daughter was cut short......she was in our Hattiesburg home......all I heard was "Daddy, trees are falling on the house, come get me". At 2AM on Aug 30, I headed south. It took 12 hours to travel the usual 90 minutes. We cut alot of trees that night. It was also the first time I ever bribed a police officer. I told him we were on a rescue and handed him bottled water. He looked the other way and off we went. I wish I had gotten his name.

[Ixolib]

I find it kinda interesting to see how many members have NOT commented in this thread. I'm thinking they are like me; that day is just too difficult anymore to even put into words. And words can't really do that day justice anyway.....

[Cyclenall]

What I did on the morning of Hurricane Katrina was get up at 4:00 am and start looking and tracking Katrina every minute very closely. That was a long week going over at what really took place.

[MGC]

We decided to evacuate Sunday morning after getting a call from my mother-in-law informing me that Katrina was a Cat-5. Naturally, I didn't believe her so I turned on the TV. Reality then slapped me awake. We had prepositioned our bags by the front door Saturday night in the event a hasty evacuation was in order. Well, it took us both a microsecond to decide to leave, the first time ever I have ran from a hurricane. We took HWY-90 east and took a good last look because we knew things would not be quite the same when we returned. We went to my brother-in-law place in Florida and stayed awake until about 2am. Katrina had started to weaken by then and we were praying for all the people that decided to stay behind. I woke up just as Katrina was making landfall in Louisiana. Got the call from my niece who was up in the attic in De Lisle Ms asking how much longer the storm would last. I told her the eye was just now coming ashore and the winds should shift soon. The phone went dead before I could hear her answer. That Monday lasted forever. We got home Wednesday afternoon and checked up on my niece and other family members. We had to drive as there was no communications. No phone, no radio, nothing....MGC

[fwbbreeze]

I was in Pensacola with my Fiance, and we decided to come and stay the night in Fort Walton with my parents. All I could do was pray for the folks in South Alabama, MS, and LA. I experienced first hand what Ivan had done and I knew those folks were in a heap of trouble with Katrina.

fwbbreeze

[Alacane2]

I stayed up most of the night, then woke up about 7am. The winds were picking up. My Mom had just finished cooking breakfast at 9:15am, when the power went off. Then, about 10 minutes later, the first tree fell, and hit our deck. I had just been looking out the door and had considered going out to see better. I'm very glad I didn't, because Alabama's casualty count would probably have increased by one. Then throughout the morning, the winds steadily increased, and a couple more trees fell on the house. One tree punctured the roof, and rain began coming into the house (which we had purchased just a month before). It stayed windy throughout the day and into the night. It was very hot and humid the next day, and by nightfall, I had to go to the hospital because I had dehydrated and overheated. Boy was that an ordeal. A lot of the people there had chainsaw wounds.

[beachbum_al]

I was at home sitting near the t.v. before the power went out watching Katrina on the satellite. I was also praying for all of those in her path and wishing that my aunt, meme, and cousin had listen to the EMA warning to get out of their house on Mobile Bay.

[Lindaloo]

I stayed up that Monday morning after i got off work about 1am. I was off that monday and was glued to my computer and was in telephone contact with Linda until the phone system failed. Had TWC on that morning and remember Jim Cantores chilling statement: "I dont think we're gonna make it folks". I think I finally passed out around 2pm. I remember the horror I felt when I turned on the TV tuesday morning and saw the destruction Katrina left behind.

When we lost phone contact, that is when the nightmare was just beginning.

[Dionne]

I stayed up that Monday morning after i got off work about 1am. I was off that monday and was glued to my computer and was in telephone contact with Linda until the phone system failed. Had TWC on that morning and remember Jim Cantores chilling statement: "I dont think we're gonna make it folks". I think I finally passed out around 2pm. I remember the horror I felt when I turned on the TV tuesday morning and saw the destruction Katrina left behind.

When we lost phone contact, that is when the nightmare was just beginning.

Ain't that the truth. The loss of communication signaled the onset of widespread infrastructure failure.