UPDATE - 1:26 p.m. PST

--The Entire Gulf Coast Been Declared a "Public Health Emergency" area by FEMA.
--Blackhawk helicopters have now joined Coast Guard helicopters in rescue efforts.
--Navy Hospital Ships and Ships from Carnival Cruise Lines are off the Coast, Waiting to be Used as Floating Hospitals/Refuge Camps.
--New Orleans Mayor (Somewhat of an Idiot), announced that the death toll in N.O. could be "in the hundreds or thousands."
--Charity Hospital Has No Electricity.
--Air Force One Flew over the City for GW to see the Destruction. Press Secretary Scott McClellan had this to say: "I think it's becoming clear to everyone that this could well be the worst natural disaster in our nation's history."


UPDATE - 10:31 a.m. PST

New Orleans is now the same level as Lake Poncentrain (The City is Officially Part of the Lake), so flooding has stopped.
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My attempts at being a weatherman have been thwarted by my current legal position.
That said, if you are interested in what is going on with regards to Hurricane Katrina, there is no better web site than

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/

http://www.nola.com/weblogs/nola/

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWLBLOG.ac3fcea.html

Go there for the latest breaking news. One thing I read there is that an entire Parish (i.e., County) has been washed away. The situation is just beyond anything I can fathom. And this excludes the Mississippi Coast, which has been completely devastated.

I would also encourage each of you to donate some money to the Red Cross or the charity of your choice. Take the $40 you spend on alcohol during the weekend and redirect it to Louisiana. New Orleans has never needed your alcohol money like it does now.

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McPickles