Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale now "Hurricane Wind Scale"

[Dionne]

People will still rate the danger on the number, I don't see any improvement. Awe it's just a 2, turn off the tv.

Not me. I suspect a lot of folks that rode out Katrina will feel the same way. Don't ever under estimate any hurricane. That's like saying .... well heck.....Katrina is down to a 3......lets BBQ!

[PTPatrick]

I guess I am glad they changed the scale. I have always felt they dont give surge enough attention. Taking it on case by case basis is good, but the media outlets rather than just giving the projected surge values, should use there fancy computer graphics and such to simulate the surges for people. When Katrina hit and mom asked me where the water would go and I said it "might" stop at I-10...her attitude changed 100%. She had this vision that water on the MS could never be higher than Katrina... but its basically pretty sound sciece at this point to extrapolate waterlines from known elevations. We need to hear more of of " with a 25 foot surge x-building(that everyone in the area knows) will be underwater. I bet many lives would have been saved on the mississippi coast in Katrina is stations had been showing simulations of water reaching I-10, or the expected water level at a place like Edgewater mall. People need to know there elevations and local topography. My dad thought he was higher than he was because his original survey was incorrect. Either way...with my own limited knowledge of all this and rough estimate of the elevation of the house, I was able to specifically warn my folks how much water would be in there house given a MS/LA hit or a direct hit, and they got out. The problem is the "expected" surge potential usually only gets specific attention in the "local hurricane statments" which many folks never see because they too busy watching Jim Cantore walk around the beach.

[Dionne]

I don't know about that......I recall Cantore pointing to the Treasure Bay (?) casino on the 28th and saying.....tomorrow that will not be there. He was right. What people thought was that the railroad tracks would be the "dike" stopping the surge. I-10 didn't even really stop the surge.....where the interstate was an over pass the surge flowed through. The NWS warning was ominous......I remember reading it the first time and thinking it was a bit excessive.

FYI.....I really did start a BBQ on the morning of the 29th. Needless to say......we did not eat that day or the next.