Octopus Overlords

A low-pressure system pushing northwest through the Gulf of Mexico has a strong chance of becoming a tropical storm in the next two days and threatening U.S. states on northern coast of the gulf, the National Hurricane Center said Thursday.

The system, now over the central part of the gulf, already has prompted some major international oil companies to evacuate workers from offshore oil platforms.

The Miami-based hurricane center said the low pressure area was producing a large area of clouds, thunderstorms and gusty winds as it headed slowly to the northwest.

"This system has a high chance ... 70 percent ... of becoming a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours ... Interests along the entire northern Gulf of Mexico coast should monitor the progress of this disturbance," the NHC said.

Some computer models showed the developing system, which would be called Lee if it became a tropical storm, could pass over the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Lee will be the 12th named storm of the busy 2011 Atlantic hurricane season.

noxiousdog wrote:Hope Louisana people in low lying areas are paying a attention. There's massive flooding potential in Lee. That thing is just going to dump huge amounts of water. I've heard as much as two feet.

Smoove_B wrote:As far as playing in the flood waters, it was good two or three days before I started seeing NJ news reporting that people should be avoiding it. I was cringing with some of the photos being posted -- kids paddling through knee-deep water, people floating around like it was a leisurely cool river. Crazy stuff.

Between the combined sewer / storm drain systems in some of our towns (Hoboken, Bound Brook) and the surface contaminants the flooding was picking up, it really was a failure of communication not to get that message out sooner.

Octavious wrote:

malchior wrote:

Octavious wrote:Finally got my power at 7pm today. That really wasn't fun...

A couple of my friends in South Bound Brook got power back tonight too -- for 10 minutes. They're back out.

I think i'll just burn the place down if that happens.

Trent Steel wrote:

Octavious wrote:

malchior wrote:

Octavious wrote:Finally got my power at 7pm today. That really wasn't fun...

A couple of my friends in South Bound Brook got power back tonight too -- for 10 minutes. They're back out.

I think i'll just burn the place down if that happens.

I've been without power since 2am on Sunday. That is approaching 136 straight hours as of this post. It is a credit to my mental strength that I have not murdered another human being by now.

KKBlue wrote:

Smoove_B wrote:As far as playing in the flood waters, it was good two or three days before I started seeing NJ news reporting that people should be avoiding it. I was cringing with some of the photos being posted -- kids paddling through knee-deep water, people floating around like it was a leisurely cool river. Crazy stuff.

Between the combined sewer / storm drain systems in some of our towns (Hoboken, Bound Brook) and the surface contaminants the flooding was picking up, it really was a failure of communication not to get that message out sooner.

Sigh Smoove_B... thanks for understanding, lots of people thing I'm crazed at times, a little over aware and nervous.
What makes me sad is the lack of proper science education of the ability the skin plays for absorbing things, why don't more people remember school basics? It seems like it is NOT a common understood thing for most of the population. When I see other countries with masks over their faces I'm happy that they know enough not to expose their lungs to pollutants. Yes, it's not a good thing that one has to get to that level of self protection... but is it really a bad thing to be proactive?
I don't mean to Tomas the Train (Isgrimnur pic) but why must it seem like everyone* is stupid

*everyone= the majority of a random sample of the public in any given location

Trent Steel wrote:

Octavious wrote:

malchior wrote:

Octavious wrote:Finally got my power at 7pm today. That really wasn't fun...

A couple of my friends in South Bound Brook got power back tonight too -- for 10 minutes. They're back out.

I think i'll just burn the place down if that happens.

I've been without power since 2am on Sunday. That is approaching 136 straight hours as of this post. It is a credit to my mental strength that I have not murdered another human being by now.

Freezer-TPF- wrote:

Trent Steel wrote:

Octavious wrote:

malchior wrote:

Octavious wrote:Finally got my power at 7pm today. That really wasn't fun...

A couple of my friends in South Bound Brook got power back tonight too -- for 10 minutes. They're back out.

I think i'll just burn the place down if that happens.

I've been without power since 2am on Sunday. That is approaching 136 straight hours as of this post. It is a credit to my mental strength that I have not murdered another human being by now.

I hope you've at least painted your face and conquered a neighboring tribe by now.

That sucks.

If Irene does turn out to be as costly as the early estimates suggest, the people who implied it was overhyped or not as bad as expected will have to eat crow. I'll start: $7 billion-$10 billion is a lot of damage, and at least as bad as I expected. Sorry.

The flooding in Vermont, in particular, is one of the under-covered stories of the past week. Amtrak was forced to suspend train service in the state because four crucial railroad bridges were unusable in the wake of the storm. Nearly three dozen other bridges were "swept away" entirely, according to the Times.

Smoove_B wrote:Hurricane Irene was worse than you thought:

If Irene does turn out to be as costly as the early estimates suggest, the people who implied it was overhyped or not as bad as expected will have to eat crow. I'll start: $7 billion-$10 billion is a lot of damage, and at least as bad as I expected. Sorry.