This says a lot

[dhweather]

Massive burn piles


In fact, I picked up a burn pile on RADAR last week - the smoke plume
went well inland, almost to Hattiesburg, according to radar.

[ROCK]

Massive burn piles


In fact, I picked up a burn pile on RADAR last week - the smoke plume
went well inland, almost to Hattiesburg, according to radar.

greeattt....lets add to the global warming......

[MGC]

Rock, most of the metal is being culled out for scrap. The rest of the debris, to my knowledge is going to the landfill. For a couple of months after the hurricane much of the debris was being burned......MGC

[ROCK]

Rock, most of the metal is being culled out for scrap. The rest of the debris, to my knowledge is going to the landfill. For a couple of months after the hurricane much of the debris was being burned......MGC

I can see landfilling the building debris. After all most of that is bio-degradable...Just wondering why they can't recycled the plastics and glass. I am sure there is an abundance of that.

[Ixolib]

...Just wondering why they can't recycle the plastics and glass. I am sure there is an abundance of that.

That would be a massive, monumental, and probably cost-prohibitive undertaking. Just in MS, I figure the the length and breadth of the significant damage to be about 3 miles by 90 miles, or about 270 square miles of extreme debris. To pick through all of that with the true intent of recycling seems humanly impossible.... And remember, that's just in coastal MS!! Add in the more inland areas, and things really get crazy.

[yzerfan]

For Ivan, my county had separate debris truck sweeps for vegetation and household debris. Household debris got landfilled, but much of the vegetation was ground into mulch.

[cajungal]

Were well built concrete structures that were anchred into the foundation also decimated like this?

In many cases, no.

Several concrete and reinforced steel structures survived - structurally speaking. Many had the first two or three floors washed out, but otherwise, still standing and for the most part still structurally sound. However, if it was wood or CBC, it's gone.

Here's one example:

Grand Gulfport Hotel. Until August 29, this had been my place of employment for 11 years....

This post brought tears to my eyes. I still have not been back to the MS Gulf Coast since Katrina. And my grandparents, uncle and cousin live there right across the MS/LA state line near Picayune. I need to go there to visit. I used to go there all the time. My favorite was the Grand Casino. I loved the food there and I stayed there once for free. (My old best friend used to get tickets there all the time for free nights) And I ate at the Red Lobster last time I went too, and it is not there anymore. My grandparents lived at the Tiffany Gardens Apartments in Long Beach only 10 months before Katrina. Only thing left is the slab and the swimming pool. I read on a website that they are bringing visitors back to Ship Island in late Spring/early summer. I thought that island would of been wiped out completly. Ship Island was another favorite of mine. I used to go almost everytime I would go to MS. Even though I would always get sick on the ferry ride back. I thought Ship Island was so pretty and peaceful. And they may never open Six Flags in New Orleans East again. It was too badly damaged. I went to Six Flags with my cousin the first week of June. Only 2 and half months before Katrina. I am glad I got to enjoy it one last time.

[Ixolib]

This post brought tears to my eyes. I still have not been back to the MS Gulf Coast since Katrina. And my grandparents, uncle and cousin live there right across the MS/LA state line near Picayune. I need to go there to visit. I used to go there all the time. My favorite was the Grand Casino. I loved the food there and I stayed there once for free. (My old best friend used to get tickets there all the time for free nights) And I ate at the Red Lobster last time I went too, and it is not there anymore. My grandparents lived at the Tiffany Gardens Apartments in Long Beach only 10 months before Katrina. Only thing left is the slab and the swimming pool. I read on a website that they are bringing visitors back to Ship Island in late Spring/early summer. I thought that island would of been wiped out completly. Ship Island was another favorite of mine. I used to go almost everytime I would go to MS. Even though I would always get sick on the ferry ride back. I thought Ship Island was so pretty and peaceful. And they may never open Six Flags in New Orleans East again. It was too badly damaged. I went to Six Flags with my cousin the first week of June. Only 2 and half months before Katrina. I am glad I got to enjoy it one last time.

The interesting thing about Ship Island - at least the west end - and what "saved" (if we can even call it that) it from being wiped out is the fact that it was well underwater most of the time, thereby surviving the storm in a relatively calm environment 20+ feet below the winds and crashing seas on the surface. That's an awesome thought to consider and picture in your mind...

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17036

[cajungal]

Wow, that's amazing! I was pretty sure the fort had survived as well as the lighthouse. But, was pretty sure there was no beach left. I may take a weekend trip up to my grandparents. (After all it is only a 2 hour drive) And may take the ferry up to Ship Island again to take a look. I have always enjoyed my trip to Ship Island. Last time, a friend and I went and stayed from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. I got burnt to a crisp even though I had a deep tan before going. And we walked all the way to the other side of the island which turned out to be a nude beach. LOL. You should of seen the looks on our faces then! LOL

[Hurricaneman]

Its just amazing what the power of nature can do to a coastline and surrounding towns and citys

[f5]

How high did the water get in you area?

[KWT]

I'm pretty sure if by some horrid luck another big one hits close to New-orleans I'd suspect quite a few people may never come back.
seriously i pray that a storm doesn't get into the No area, or infact anywhere that has or hasn't suffered from yhurricanes in the gulf coasts, but your almost certain to get at least one system make landfall...just hope its a weak Ts rather then a monster cat-3+

Recent seasons have shown just how fragile the gulf coast is to landfalling hurricanes, it only takes one system to wreck a major city.

[Ixolib]

Wow, that's amazing! I was pretty sure the fort had survived as well as the lighthouse. But, was pretty sure there was no beach left. I may take a weekend trip up to my grandparents. (After all it is only a 2 hour drive) And may take the ferry up to Ship Island again to take a look. I have always enjoyed my trip to Ship Island. Last time, a friend and I went and stayed from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. I got burnt to a crisp even though I had a deep tan before going. And we walked all the way to the other side of the island which turned out to be a nude beach. LOL. You should of seen the looks on our faces then! LOL

Yeah, the "nine to fivers" ususally come back pretty burnt - even with the deep tan.

As for Chandeleur to the south of Ship, it didn't fair nearly as well. The demise of that chain started with Georges in '98 and it took a VERY heavy hit from Ivan in '04. Then Katrina pretty much finished it all off. Not only is it quite a shame to see the island chain go under, it is also quite a dangerous situation for SE LA. Presently, most of Breton Sound is now fully exposed to the open Gulf.

Soon, the sound will no longer exist as the Gulf will have taken over...

Tue, Mar. 14, 2006
Chandeleur Islands Wiped out by Hurricane Katrina
Associated Press
Sun Herald

BILOXI, Miss. - A scientist says there may be no hurricane recovery for an island chain located 30 miles south of Biloxi.

Chandeleur Islands has been battered by four hurricanes since 2001, including Hurricane Katrina in August. Katrina's eroding force -- combined with the past storms -- virtually obliterate the sand islands.

Abby Sallenger is an oceanographer for the U.S. Geological Survey and she says 90 percent of the island chain is underwater.

Chandeleur Islands had been hallowed fishing grounds and natural defense against storms.

Sallenger said a plane using advanced laser measurement surveyed the islands on Monday. The information will help government scientists understand whether the barrier islands will be able to heal themselves.

The islands are made from wave-deposited sand and silt delivered from the Mississippi River, whose mouth is about 16 miles to the southeast.

Sallenger said the Chandeleurs sustained so much damage that the first surveying mission failed because the flight crew could not find them.

MORE: http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/business/14093132.htm

[Audrey2Katrina]

It is estimated that Katrina left some 30 MILLION TONS of debris in her wake. Over 22 million in Louisiana, and about 6.5 million on the Miss. Gulf Coast...who knows if those numbers won't go up before it's all over... still mountains of debris keep showing up after every cleanup--one house gets cleared, the next piles theirs up right afterward... never ending cycle. I hear they have a landfill in N.O. East and one across the river somewhere on the Westbank... but they must be HUGE to have to take in this much debris. Only for statistical comparison, when the entire WTC complex came down in NYC, it created 1.5 million tons of debris, making this equivalent to about 20 times that in gross tonnage..one wonders where on Earth they could put all that mess!

A2K

[bevgo]

The amount of debris has been incredible but improvement is seen constantly. Now if they would just cover those trucks. Since I am on the road constantly, it is a PIA to have to avoid debris in the road from the trucks and flying debris from trucks on the road. I have already had to replace both front tires and patch both back tires.

[Jim Cantore]

I wasnt even effcted by Katrina and I find myself waking up every morning asking myself. "Did this really happen? was it all a bad dream?" And everytime I look at the boards here and find the answer is yes it did happen, but I still cant believe it.

[Jim Cantore]

Its like, "Did entire towns get wiped off the map, was New Orleans actully drowned?" You talk about it all the time but when it happens you're still not prepared for the pictures that follow.