The town of Mayfield, Kentucky has been absolutely devastated by at least one of several tornadoes that tore through six states overnight.  The video footage of the area shows widespread devastation, and the Kentucky governor is now reporting at least 70 people have been killed.

All Treepers in the region please check in and let us know how y’all are doing.  Our prayers are with everyone who was in the path of this massive storm system.  There are resources coming from all over the Southeast and Midwest into the region.  The images are jaw-dropping.

(Reuters) – A devastating swarm of tornadoes ripped through six U.S. states, killing more than 70 people in Kentucky and leaving a trail of destroyed homes and businesses along a path that stretched more than 200 miles, officials said on Saturday.

Dozens were feared dead at a candle factory in western Kentucky where about 110 people were working when a powerful tornado ripped through the facility late on Friday, causing the roof to cave in.  VIDEO:

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said 40 of the 110 workers had been rescued from the factory so far. “The level of devastation is unlike anything that I have ever seen,” Beshear said of the damage caused by the collection of twisters, with the primary tornado traveling more than 227 miles (365 km) across his state.

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There’s not much you can do except hunker down when winds of this scale start hitting the coastline.  Hurricane Ida is about to make landfall along the Louisiana coastal region with winds in excess of 150mph.  A very strong category-4 storm, with massive storm surge potential. The hurricane force winds (the buzzsaw) are approximately 100 miles wide.  Anyone who needs help, feel free to reach out in the comments section, or send us an email and we will do everything we can to assist.

NHC Report – At 1000 AM CDT (1500 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Ida was located by reconnaissance aircraft and NWS Doppler radar near latitude 28.8 North, longitude 90.0 West. Ida is moving toward the northwest near 13 mph (20 km/h). A slightly slower northwestward motion should continue through this evening. A turn toward the north should occur by Monday morning, followed by a slightly faster northeastward motion by Monday night and Tuesday. On the forecast track, the center of Ida will make landfall along the coast of southeastern Louisiana within the hurricane warning area within the next few hours.

Reports from NOAA and Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicated that the maximum sustained winds are near 150 mph (240km/h) with higher gusts. Ida is an extremely dangerous category-4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some slight additional strengthening is still possible before Ida moves onshore along the Louisiana coast. (read more)

Hurricanes can be frightening; downright scary. There’s nothing quite like going through a few to reset your outlook on just how Mother Nature can deliver a cleansing cycle to an entire geographic region.  If there’s one positive aspect to this storm, it’s the daylight as she makes landfall…. at least it ain’t night.

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This seems a little odd to me.  Citing the time it takes to implement contra-flow traffic as a problem, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell stated there is not enough time for the city of New Orleans to execute a mandatory evacuation.   Additionally, she is asking all residents who do not evacuate to shelter in place for Hurricane Ida.

Contra-flow traffic is the process of turning inbound lanes into outbound lanes and depending on the metropolitan area takes around 8 hrs for local and state DOT to get set up.   The mayor is asking for a voluntary evacuation saying “time is not on our side.” “The City can not issue a mandatory evacuation because we do not have time, Cantrell continued. WATCH:

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Yikes… and Biden’s team is running FEMA.

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Ida is currently a tropical storm headed into the Gulf of Mexico. However, the conditions are perfect for Ida to quickly become a major hurricane as it heads toward the Louisiana coastal region.  Everyone along the gulf coast from East Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and western Alabama should be making preparations right now.  Do not delay.

In the background several Civilian Emergency Response Teams (CERT) have been activated.  Due to the confluence of events, everyone is taking this storm very seriously. Any Treeper in the coastal area of Louisiana and Mississippi should be taking preparatory action today. Those in the forecast areas are strongly advised to pay close attention to local officials and heed all evacuation orders.  [National Hurricane Center]

Check your hurricane supplies of shelf-stable food, water, medicine and don’t forget pets.  Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.  Everything is replaceable, except you and your family.  We have a lot of Treepers in the path of this storm. If you need assistance, use the comments section of any ‘Ida Update thread’ to reach out, or use the email address in the upper right of the site.

Right now you are in control.  Have a solid plan, work that plan – stay busy, and don’t get caught up in the hysteria.  Try to avoid national media hype. Stay updated via your local news stations. Sunday morning looks like the key day impact zones will be identified.  Reach out to your neighbors; touch-base and check to see if they are okay or need anything.  Community restoration begins before the storm arrives. Look out for each-other.

Additionally, I hate to note this, but Joe Biden is in charge of FEMA… So plan accordingly.

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All residents in the Northeast coastal region, specifically Long Island and Southern New England, should pay close attention to local officials regarding precautions as Hurricane Henri begins tracking in that direction. The forward speed is 21 mph and the wind speed around the storm is 75 mph, a category-1 hurricane.

[National Hurricane Center] – At 1100 PM EDT (0300 UTC), the center of Hurricane Henri was located near latitude 38.6 North, longitude 71.0 West. Henri is moving toward the north near 21 mph (33 km/h) and this motion is expected to continue through tonight. A decrease in forward speed and a
turn toward the north-northwest is expected on Sunday. On the forecast track, Henri is expected to make landfall in southern New England or on Long Island on Sunday. After landfall, a turn to the north and a slower forward speed are expected as Henri moves over southern New England. (LINK)

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Tropical Storm Elsa is anticipated to make landfall along the western coastline of Florida later today. With Elsa moving through warm water in the southern Gulf of Mexico it is possible Elsa will gain hurricane strength prior to landfall. Residents along the Western coastal area of Florida should be prepared. As long-time readers are aware, depending on events later today, my CERT responsibilities will likely limit my posting (tool boxes loaded).

Elsa’s winds extend outward to 70 miles as it travels through the gulf coast area. However, this system is pushing a lot of water on the southeast quadrant. Moderate storm surge and flooding is an issue for the coastal areas due to the amount of rain predicted.  This is a very wet system.  Treepers in the Sarasota/Tampa Bay area northward to the bend should pay particular attention tonight.  Power outages will be more sporadic as they result from wind strength/duration.

National Hurricane Center – […] “At 1100 AM EDT (1500 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Elsa was located near latitude 24.9 North, longitude 82.8 West. Elsa is moving toward the north-northwest near 10 mph (17 km/h) and a generally northward motion is expected today and tonight. A turn toward the north-northeast is expected on Wednesday, followed by a faster northeastward by late Thursday.

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Florida officials held an extensive briefing today to update on the planned demolition of the unstable elements of the Surfside condominium building so that rescue and recovery work on the collapsed building can begin again.  Compounding the issues is the looming arrival of Tropical Storm Elsa; however, fortunately the storm appears to have taken a slightly more westward track and should be minimal for the Surfside, Florida, region.

According to local officials the demolition of the remaining structure will likely take place later today.  In the interim the search and recovery work has been paused as explosive experts prepare to bring down the unstable remnant of the 12-story building.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spoke at the beginning of the press conference emphasizing the arrival of Tropical Storm Elsa should be watched carefully.  Elsa now appears to be a west coast of Florida issue and will likely skirt up the western coastal area along the Gulf of Mexico.  The entire South-West coast of Florida will likely see varying effects from a very strong tropical storm Tuesday and Wednesday.

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A decision has been reached to demolish the remaining unstable part of the collapsed condominium building in Surfside, Florida, as Tropical Storm Elsa flirts in/out of hurricane status [NHC Update] while moving through the Caribbean.

Elsa is anticipated to impact south Florida on Tuesday.  During a press conference today Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the controlled demolition will take place prior to Elsa’s arrival in order to protect rescue and recovery workers.

“Demolition of the unsafe portion of the building is the fastest way to continue rescue operations”, DeSantis announced.  Officials on the ground are fearful that high winds connected to the arriving storm will make the remaining structure too unstable for any rescue operations to continue if they do not take the unstable portion down. Details of the operation to execute a controlled demolition will be released soon.

In the interim all residents in South Florida have been instructed to keep an eye on Elsa as she wobbles across Haiti and Cuba in the next 48 hours.  Most counties in South Florida have been put under a proactive state of emergency status. Slight shifts in the storm, to the east or west, will determine how much of the south Florida area are impacted. The current track puts Elsa on the west side of the state in the Gulf of Mexico late Monday and early Tuesday.

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There are numerous laser guided measuring devices located in and around the remaining structure of the collapsed condominiums in Surfside, Florida.  Overnight those devices detected significant movement in the remaining building as well as large cracks developing in the underground garage area.

As a result rescue and recovery workers were pulled from the building as engineers contemplate how to move forward.

(Herald) […] Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Alan Cominsky confirmed the development during a press briefing on Thursday morning. The agonizing decision, he said, was made just after 2 a.m. Cominsky described the threat of a large concrete column hanging over a subterranean parking area, which has moved six to 12 inches. He added that crews were also alerted to widening cracks and “slight movement” in a concrete slab on the southern side of the building.

High-tech monitors aimed at the tenuous pile of debris were responsible for making rescue workers aware of the dangerous shifts. Moments later, they were forced to lower cranes and pull back crews under the darkness of the early morning. (link)

Before the efforts were suspended the recovery workers had pulled more bodies from the rubble. 18 bodies have now been recovered and 145 people remain missing. These unfortunate developments occur as the installed occupant of the White House arrived to thank first-responders and rescue workers for their efforts.

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The mumbling White House occupant visited FEMA headquarters to review preparations for this year’s upcoming Hurricane season.

Lord, hear our prayers….

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Bottom-line folks, with the mass exodus of competence in logistics, supply chain organization and priority relief delivery experts, in favor of politically correct non-gender specific diversity operatives, don’t look for any help from the Feds.

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