Lazy Weekend/Perfect Storm

I've had a very lazy and unproductive weekend. I should be doing more to settle in, but I'm tired of the moving process and have spent most of my time playing Sim City 4 and Empire Earth II on my laptop.

There's a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico that's making things look very, very bad for New Orleans. Katrina crossed over southern Florida a couple of days ago as a mere category 1. In the Gulf she's grown into a category 5 monster with 175 mph winds, and is lined up directly on New Orleans for early tomorrow. Storm surge could be 25 feet. The city of New Orleans is an average of 6 feet below sea level.

Only three category 5 hurricanes have hit the U.S. in recorded history: the strong but small Andrew in 1992 (South Florida), Camille in 1969 (killed 256 in Mississippi) and the most power hurricane ever recorded, the unnamed 1935 Labor Day hurricane that killed 600 in the Florida Keys.

All lanes of Interstate 10 out of New Orleans have been converted to outbound, but the governor says the highway is completely clogged with stop-and-go traffic.

Now, cryin’ won’t help you, prayin’ won’t do you no good,
When the levee breaks, mama, you got to move. -- Memphis Minnie