For all of our friends in the New Orleans area

[ttdriver]

PLEASE SAFEGUARD YOURSELF AGAINST HURRICANE KATRINA AND GET OUT!!

You're all in my prayers!

Betty

[Bren]

Re: For all of our friends in the New Orleans area

Thoughts and prayers are with all of you. Please check in when you can. If I could scoop you all up and get you to N.Y. I would! But, then again.....WHO WANTS TO COME TO BUFFALO!!!!

Be safe, be careful....... and again, thoughts and prayers are with all of you.

[Bugaboo]

Re: For all of our friends in the New Orleans area

Many prayers going up for all who may be affected. PLEASE get out of harms way and check in with us when possible.

[lbrowne]

Re: For all of our friends in the New Orleans area

Prayers for all in the area. May all those trying to evacuate be able to! From news reports there are some that would rather leave but are unable to.

Only three Category 5 hurricanes -- the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale -- have hit the United States since record-keeping began. The last was 1992's Hurricane Andrew, which at 165 mph leveled parts of South Florida, killed 43 people and caused $31 billion in damage.

New Orleans has not taken a major direct hit from a hurricane since Betsy in 1965, when an 8- to 10-foot storm surge submerged parts of the city in seven feet of water. Betsy, a Category 3 storm, was blamed for 74 deaths in Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida.

National Hurricane Center deputy director Ed Rappaport warned that Katrina, already responsible for nine deaths in South Florida as a mere Category 1, could be far worse for New Orleans.

"It would be the strongest we've had in recorded history there," Rappaport said. "We're hoping of course there'll be a slight tapering off at least of the winds, but we can't plan on that. ... We're in for some trouble here no matter what."

~ Linda