Ida is now a hurricane

Expected to be a major hurricane (Cat 3) by landfall. May be a hell of a test for NOLA updated levees.

Expected landfall late Sun early Mon

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5 pm advisory projects Cat 4 at landfall. The track is not expected to deviate much. Once she crosses Cuba she will encounter a very favorable environment with warm sea surface temps.

What’s especially horrifying about this is that Louisiana hospitals are slammed. I mean slammed full and many on ED or ICU diversion and multiple vented patients, so anyone who is injured in this storm will have to be flown by air ambulance or USCG/military assets. If any of these hospitals have power issues (this did happen during Katrina) those patients will be screwed.

Man oh man. Be careful y’all please heed warnings.

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I just heard Terrebonne Parish has set a mandatory evacuation …for the whole parish.

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Scumbag oilfield companies doing what they do.

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That’s messed up. Vessels will break free, it’s a damn hurricane. You secure best you can and get people out of the danger zone.

I was in the gulf last year on the Jefferson. Now some of you know who I am. I don’t care, I am gone now but anyhoo we surveyed Calcasieu Pass in the wake of hurricane Delta and found a sunken barge right in the channel. If you saw the notices that was us. We hung around a few days while two and then three tugs tried to budge Noble Paul Romano off the channel. That was a cold stacked rig that broke loose I think from Fourchon. Had to leave before they got it moved and I think ACOE surveyed that part of it. Then we had to split due to schedule constraints and crew change in Pascagoula.

edit; photo mine.

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The original poster on that thread looks like a young academy kid based on his FB profile. Hope he survives what looks like it will be a direct hit on Port Fourchon. I would not be staying on a boat that was kept in port for this storm.

Pressure at the center down to 935mb.

From NHC:

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Exactly what is one or 100 people supposed to do stop a boat from breaking free in a Cat. 4 hurricane?

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Hurricane Ida Special Discussion 700 AM CDT Sun Aug 29 2021

Recent reports from both NOAA and Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that Ida has continued to strengthen since the 0900 UTC advisory and the maximum winds are estimated to be 130 kt (150mph).

The NOAA aircraft very recently reported that the minimum pressure has fallen to around 933 mb. This special advisory is issued to raise the 12-hour forecast intensity to 135 kt, but it is possible that Ida could peak slightly above that before landfall occurs.

The initial motion estimate is 320/13 kt (15 mph), slightly faster than the previous forecast. Therefore, the 12-hour forecast point has also been adjusted slightly. No other changes were made to the track or intensity forecasts.

The initial and forecast 64-kt wind radii were adjusted outward in the northeast and southeast quadrants based on aircraft data to about 50 miles (45 nm).

Note that this Special advisory replaces the regular 1200 UTC (700AM CDT) intermediate public advisory.


See NOAA NHC for full details https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?start#contents

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At 8am CDT, an elevated NOAA C-MAN station at Southwest Pass, Louisiana, recently reported a sustained wind of 105 mph (91 kts) and a wind gust of 121 mph (105 kts).

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I have been watching Ida approaching the LA coast over the past 24hours with increasing dread and foreboding about the likely level of damage and all the deaths which will result but to learn that some Joe Boss has demanded that an employee remain in Fourchon and not evacuate to safety leaves me incensed. I am praying for the safety and frankly, the survival, of any people told they must remain sitting there to “supposedly” protect some corporation’s assets. This is a despicable criminal act!

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It should be.

Boats are replaceable. People are not.

Personally, I would have walked. Fuck Joe boss and his boat

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Marinetraffic.com shows very few vessels in Fourchon but there are a few large ones still there including the HOS ACHIEVER and the LANEY CHOUEST. I suppose our anonymous person could be on either vessel and how anyone could be expected to be able to do anything to prevent such a large craft from breaking loose is a mystery to me? The forces of 125kt wind against such large vessels will be in hundreds if not thousands of tons. There nothing any human can do against such forces and considering where both are moored they might well end up high and dry if they don’t have their hulls punctured and roll over at their berths. Pray for those who are now trapped and have their lives held by the hand of God.

There are some news sources reporting that IDA has crossed the line over to becoming a cat 5 hurricane and the north wall of it’s eye is ashore now as I write this. The worst is happening right at this very moment.

Depending on the size of the boat & how much food/fuel on board I probably wouldn’t quit. Also if the machinery was saltwater or keel-grid cooled would play into my fight or flight decision making process. Your vessel shouldn’t sink in that narrow shallow draft port even if all the lines parted. All engines should be running to reduce water going down the stack & hopefully all Plimsol marks are well under water to hopefully prevent the storm surge from putting boats in parking lots & in fields. But if a Captain told me to go outside the protection of my steel hulled cocoon I’d probably refuse, use SWA or say I had to hit the head first & not come back until it blew over.

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Unverified FB reports from Port Fourchon are not good. Shit is already breaking loose, boats in the swamp, one Crosby boat made a dash to the gulf turned around and is trying to anchor.

To edit: Crosby boat was holding a barge in. Barge broke loose. Barge may have taken them for a ride until they got loose.

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That would be insane. How high are the rock jetties in Fourchon now? With a storm like Ida surely they are submerged & the the gas station parking lots are apart of the GoM?