Ernesto fizzled out!

Thank God!

Ernesto is starting...

The skies have darkened, rain has started and winds have picked up.

Long Line at BP

The Calm before Ernesto

Wilma's aftermath

A few roof shingles came off, no power, no phone, low water pressure. Around Miami, lots of trees down, powerlines down, only 18 of 2,600 street lights work. All in all, we were lucky.

Wiiilmaaaaaaa.

Wilma went from a Category 1 to the strongest Category 5 ever in recorded history overnight.

oh joy... Wilma is coming

Flooded again.

New Orleans is flooded again as Hurricane Rita broke the leeves.

Rita, the Perfect Storm?

At 897 MB with 175 MPH winds and max gusts up to over 200 MPH, Rita has become as close to being the Perfect Storm.

The question now is where will it make landfall and how strong will it be when this happens? How will it effect an already devastated New Orleans? How badly could Galveston and Houston be devastated? How will Bush, the federal government and FEMA react? And finally in the longer term, how can the US pay for the recovery from Katrina and now potentially Rita while attempting to sustain our efforts in Iraq? As much as I support the Iraq War, it may be time to bring our troops home, leave Iraq in chaos, let it plunge into civil war and focus on what is more important at home.

Not again... TS soon-to-be Hurricane Rita

Bush tours the Devastation in New Orleans

Chertoff and Brown... Dumb and Dumber

Forced Evacutions of New Orleans in Effect

New Orleans Airport turned into Triage

Toxic Pandora's Box

Tears

Here lies Vera

This is a makeshift tomb in New Orlean's Garden District. Rest in Peace.

Five Days with Katrina by Alvaro Morales

Click here.

You can log in using the following...

Email Address - katrina@tommychang.net
Password - katrina

This is my future counsin-in-law's first hand experience in New Orleans. His photographic journal spans five days, from Sunday, August 31 to Thursday, September 4. He was working and living in New Orleans up until last Friday. He left to Houston and is flying to Miami tomorrow. This is his photos and story.

09.12.2005 Update - Unfortunately Kodak has deleted the album for unknown reasons. I do not know if or when it will be live again. I apoligize for any inconveniences this may have caused.

09.15.2005 Update - Alvaro's album is once again live. Thank you for your patience.

Somalia or New Orleans?

The evacuations of the SuperDome and Convention Center begin as those left in the SuperDome continue to live like animals. Is this Somalia or New Orleans?

After almost 5 days... Help has arrived... Finally.

Everyone who knows me knows I'm a Bush supporter. I voted for the man twice for President. The first time, he was the lesser for two idiots (sorry Gore fans but I cannot vote for someone who claimed to be the inventor of the internet), most of his views regarding pro-life, pro-death penalty, lower taxes, less government is more in line with my own. He almost immediately lowered taxes and immediately everyone in the United States saw the benefits of this in their paychecks. Then 9/11 occurred and changed everything. This single event was to define his Presidency and Bush rose up to the challenge. The search and rescue operation went into place within minutes of the disaster, FEMA immediately showed up, Bush spread a voice of calm in the chaos. I'll never forget Bush visiting what was left of the WTC, standing on top on the rubble and answering one man's call of "we can't hear you" with "I can hear you, the rest of the world can hear you and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon." And hear us those motherfuckers did. I even support the Iraq War, despite the massive intelligence failures, and constant rhetoric from the Administration. I believe what we are attempting to do in Iraq is important to its citizens, the region as a whole, may assist in changing the Muslim mindset towards the US in the longterm and by bringing the fight to the terrorists there, we are keeping them from blowing up more buildings and killing more innocent people here.

Now came Katrina. At first, we all thought that New Orleans was spared as the hurricane took more of a eastern path. However by the second day in the aftermath, the levees broke and the massive flooding begun. New Orleans is under water. People are stuck in their houses, attics and rooftops with no food or way to escape. In the SuperDome and Convention Center, people are being starved to death. There is no help for the elderly, babies and the sick. Packs of armed men are running the streets shooting at the police and rescuers. Looting is out of control. Hospitals are in dire conditions, so bad that its doctors are calling the media and begging for help. One third of the New Orleans Police have turned in their badges and simply quit.

New Orleans has fallen into total anarchy amid the devastation. The scenes from the media look like scenes from Somalia or even Baghad, but no its New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America, supposely the greatest nation in the world. Well the greatest superpower can't even help its own. Almost five days it took for help to finally arrive. Help is there but too little, too late. People are still stuck in their attics or rooftops, awaiting rescue that may never come. People have died from hunger and dehydration. The entire relief effort thus far has been one big cluster fuck starting from the Mayor of New Orleans, the Governor of LA, FEMA and President Bush. Hundreds, maybe even thousands, have died on his watch. As Bush walked around Mississippi yesterday, comforting those two women, people in New Orleans were dying. As Bush toured New Orleans in his Presidential helicopter, people down below were dying. As Bush goes to sleep tonight in the White House, people in New Orleans are dying.

Where was the help on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday? Would it have made a difference if those people in New Orleans aren't black and poor? What if they are white and belonged to the middle or high class? I understand the logistical problems, but surely more could have been done. Within two days of the Tsunami, we had people in southeast Asia. We moved soldiers and equipment all over the world. We have landed men on the moon. We have two robotic rovers on Mars and the little spacecraft that could, Voyager 1 and 2, are both reached our soalr system's final frontier. But yet, despite these grand achievements, we cannot rescue our own people of New Orleans. Thinking about this more and more makes me sick. I'm done.

Hurricane Katrina victims need your help!

Often times, life passes me by and rarely do I stop to appreciate what I have. A home to come back to at the end of the day, having food and water, clothes to wear, the basic necessities of life. My alma mater is Tulane University, I lived in New Orleans for 4 years while I studied at Tulane. Its an unique city, Mardi Gras rocks, cajun food rocks. I was hoping to visit next year with my wife, but never thought that New Orleans may not be there to visit anymore.

The devastation that Hurricane Katrina left behind has now been called the "greatest natural disaster in US history". There may be up to a million who are homeless, thousands feared dead. Those fortunate enough to survive must literally rebuild their lives from nothing; start over.

When the tsunami happened, I felt sorry for the victims, but the event was literally across the globe. It never impacted me personally as much as what Katrina left in its wake. It hits home very hard to see New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region submerged and places that I've been to destroyed. The human suffering is unfathomable. This is our tsunami.

Please contribute what you can to this relief effort and pray for all the victims of Katrina, those that are dead and those who survived as they must now find a way to move on.

The Red Cross Donation Link

Total Devastation.

Canal Street in downtown New Orleans is flooded out while people stranded on their rooftops due to the massive flooding are being rescued by Coast Guard and military helicopters as looters begin to raid stores for essential and non-essential items.

This is a total devastation of New Orleans.

This is our Tsunami.

The images from the Tsunami seemed horrific yet so foreign and distant to me because it happened literally half a world away. Now these images coming out of New Orleans are eerily familar. The roof of the SuperDome damaged as thousands are using the facility as the modern version of Noah's Ark, the French Quarter in ruins, most of New Orleans under water, reports of many, many bodies floating in the flood waters, millions are now homeless, flood water are rising instead of receding. As a former Tulane undergraduate, these images and stories hits home hard.

I survived Andrew, and while the devastation to Miami was horrific, we weren't below sea level and didn't experience floods. Katrina has dealt a devastating blow to New Orleans. I'm wondering if Tulane will reopen this semester or ever? If I will be able to ride the Trolley on St. Charles once again? See Tulane play in the SuperDome? Have a Hurricane at Pat O'Briens? Mardi Gras? Take a stroll at RiverWalk? Eat cajun food and have gumbo? Will New Orleans survive and can it ever be the same again? I hope so.

Often life passes me by and rarely do I stop to appreciate the simple things. Like having a/c, having a home to come back to from work, functioning street lights. I thought Katrina hit us unexpectly hard here in Miami, but she spared us for what she dealt to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region.

Hurricane Katrina makes landfall.

Katrina just made landfall at 7:10AM as a Category 4 Hurricane with 155MPH winds.

Katrina's Eye passing over my house

The fountain in my lake is going sideways. I just lost my DirecTV signal, I hope the dish is still there. My garage door is vibrating violently, I hope it doesn't get ripped off. I'm hearing loud bangs all around. Water is coming through my front door. This is not good.

Tropical Storm Katrina is coming!

Downed Tree

Dennis a Cat 4 Hurricane

The winds and rains have started here in Miami. We're under a Tropical Storm Warning, forecasters are predicting a rainy, windy and flooded weekend but nothing compared to what the FL Panhandle and Gulf States are about to be dealt. Dennis might strengthen into a Category 5 when it makes landfall later this weekend. YIKES!

Dennis Update

Looks like forecasters have Dennis tracking into the Gulf of Mexico, far west of Miami, and hitting The Florida Panhandle and the Gulf States early next week as a Category 3 Hurricane. Damn that area was nailed last year as FL was hit by four hurricanes.

Hurricane Time, again

Here we go again... TS/Hurricane Dennis is predicted to make landfall late this week in the South FL area. Time to go buy lots of water, batteries, put up the shutters, etc etc. Oh fun.