To all New Orleans area residents

[logybogy]

Get the hell out now before the panic starts! I would leave around 2AM to 3AM when traffic will probably be the lightest.

Your life is more important than a couple days of inconvenience.

Period.

[dennis1x1]

i would say be prudent and watch to see signs of a major track change.....ivan is heading north...is projected to hit well east of new orleans....this panic mongering really isnt necessary.

[CaptinCrunch]

IVAN HAS MADE A WOBBLE TO THE NORTH, IT'S CALLED STAIRSTEPPING AND YOU WILL SEE A NW MOTION CONTINUE LATER ON

[logybogy]

You put a lot of faith into the NHC forecast which has done horribly with this storm and averaged errors of hundreds of miles.

Fact is it would only take a slight track to the west of what is forecast for the core of the storm to hit New Orleans, a storm that is forecast by the NHC to be Cat 4 at landfall.

I wouldn't trust my life to the NHC if I lived in a "bowl" many feet below sea level with inadequete levee support.

To each his own, if this thing hits New Orleans as a Cat 4, thousands will die. I'm hoping nobody who is reading this will be one of them.

[WeatherNLU]

While I am still very concerned and vigilant, I am feeling a little better about the storm not making a direct hit here. Even so, the track is close to us I will probably be leaving. I plan to go to sleep around 10PM (after I see the new track) and then wake up at 4AM (again, new track). If it still looks to be coming close at 4AM, we are out of here. I did the same thing for Georges and it worked great, no one on the road!

[Geoff Stormcloud]

I have to work. I will report to the hospital tomorrow morning and will stay untill its all over. And if this things goes back cat 5 and gives us a direct hit ,,, it will be all over. I will be the one standing on the helipad waving the chopper in to get my ass out. 25 ft of water wixed with sewage is not going to be pretty. This damn thing better turn.. no offense to my friends on the MS/AL gulf coast.