I'll still take tornados over hurricanes any day

[Okie4570]

I have friends that live near Lafayette and they missed it but east of there sounds pretty bleak. This from one of their friends on FB. The two destroyed parishes mentioned are right on the gulf SW of New Orleans. The others just to the east. I'll take a tornado path of any size over a 200 mile wide hurricane. Sounds like Ida lived up to the hype.

"CURRENT SITUATION- Terrebone and LaFourche Parish are destroyed. I just starting crying when I found out how bad it really is there. Both parishes have been utterly devastated. Plaquemines Parish had levees fail - severe flooding. Kramer Parish levee failed - severe flooding. Jefferson Parish is without power and water pressure is close to nil because the roots of the uprooted trees have ripped out the water lines. Levees failed. Water level was over 20 ft in Golden Meadows - several people are still missing. Sewer and drainage has failed.
New Orleans is without power. Sewer and drainage is failing. Water is expected to be lost soon if not already. All 8 of the main power transmission lines are annihilated. The entire system fell in the river. Cell towers are down everywhere - this goes for the vast majority of Southeast Louisiana. No comms.
Rescues are still being conducted for Hammond, Harvey, Marrero and La Place. It's extremely bad and the roads to get in and out are impassable. Matthews and Raceland have downed trees and powerlines all over the highway. Grand Isle has a group of 40 people that they lost comms with and the entire island was under water.
People that are coming in from Texas in the morning- use the WAZE app. Lafayette is probably the last place you will find gas on your way in. Make sure you bring enough fuel with you to get around and get back out. Please bring food for the rescuers. They need to be fed and need beverages to drink. Use gasbuddy.com to find out which stations have gas and power. I have to get some sleep..I can't keep my eyes open anymore. Will update again in the morning."

 

[DRC458]

Prayers go out for all of them. I'm with you - I'll take a tornado any day.


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[montesa]

Wow. That’s incredible damage. Going to take forever to fix. For sure, tornado better.

 

[DRC458]

We're supposed to go to N.O. in March. Made the reservations back in June. We'll see!


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[JEVapa]

I've lived in hurricane and tornado zones as well as typhoon zones. There is really no difference among them...they're pretty much the same: trailers and power lines get wrecked and everything gets soaked. I don't prefer one over the other because they all suck the same. That equates to "do I prefer getting run over by a steamroller or a caterpillar?"

 

[Okie4570]

I've lived in hurricane and tornado zones as well as typhoon zones. There is really no difference among them...they're pretty much the same: trailers and power lines get wrecked and everything gets soaked. I don't prefer one over the other because they all suck the same. That equates to "do I prefer getting run over by a steamroller or a caterpillar?"

Tornados you can rely on neighboring EMS and rescue as well as utility services to arrive for help, I wouldn't think that would be the case when it's 100's of cities that need EMS, rescue and utilities.

 

[OKNewshawk]

The only reason I prefer hurricanes is that you have plenty of warning and can get out before they hit. I've not been through a direct hit but I have ridden out a number of hurricanes as they went north off the Jersey Shore, from Donna in 1960 to Floyd in 1999. What was worse than any of them was the March 1962 storm (also called the Ash Wednesday storm.) It split the island I lived on in six pieces, killed six people, and caused the mothballed destroyer USS Monssen, being towed to the Philadelphia Navy Yard, to break its tow line and wash ashore three miles south of my house. Dislodging her took months and killed one man. An officer inspecting progress kicked a tow line out to a seagoing tug. The cable was under immense stress and when he kicked it, it snapped, wrapping around him and killing him.

 

[JEVapa]

Tornados you can rely on neighboring EMS and rescue as well as utility services to arrive for help, I wouldn't think that would be the case when it's 100's of cities that need EMS, rescue and utilities.

No different. Shouldn't be any assumption that other places aren't as civilized as we are.

 

[DRC458]

People from all over the country rush to one another's aid at times like this. Oklahoma already has utility crews and search and rescue crews on site in Louisiana. I will take the tornado over a hurricane simply because the patch of a tornado is generally much smaller than that of a hurricane. Many more lives, homes, businesses, utilities, etc. are generally put at risk in a hurricane.

 

[Matt Giroux]

No different. Shouldn't be any assumption that other places aren't as civilized as we are.

I think his point, at least the way I read it, is that when you had the F5 hit piedmont some years ago, you had a joint response from Oklahoma city, Yukon, Canadian County etc. because while the destructive capabilities are the same it is much more isolated with a tornado. Hurricanes take out entire counties (parishes) Tornados are more localized and therefore the need for emergency response is in a more specified area rather than this entire county with 50+/- townships is completely flooded and the only organized response is coming solely from outside sources like Oklahoma City's emergency task force 1 that is currently in LA because the localized resources are for the most part offline due to the widespread destruction.