Vikia
09-22-2005, 12:58 AM
I was looking forward to a quiet evening of repose to recharge from the day. I should have never turned on the evening news!
First there are still the stories of Hurricane Katrina evacuees and how they are coping and trying to move forward.
Second Hurricane Rita has now become a Category 5 storm with 165 mile an hour sustained winds with a bead on Galveston, Texas. Lessons from Katrina have over 1 million Texans heading inland. And unbelievably, tropical rains and waves from Rita’s outer bands can still impact New Orleans because the levees are not yet repaired and as little as 3 inches of rain could compromise the already stressed levee system. I worry for my cousin Mike and wife Petra who live on Padre Island.
Third, it is 7:35 CST and an airplane from JetBlue with 139 passengers is making an emergency landing because it’s landing gear is stuck with the nose landing wheel is at 90° askew from normal and the jet is in peril as it cannot fly to it’s New York destination and it cannot land. They have dumped their fuel and will attempt a landing at LAX any minute now. This reminds me of the Sioux City emergency landing of a DC-10 back in the 80’s where the jet landed and then skidded and rolled and burst into flames. It is now 7:47 cst and they are scheduled to land at 7:50 cst. I am praying for the crew and passengers.
Fourth, Minneapolis-St Paul is in the path of a tornado that is on the ground at Roseville and heading toward downtown Minneapolis and then Bloomington as the news stations show split screens to show the jet and the tornado. More cousin’s in peril, Debbie and Cindy live in St. Paul. And another tornado just sighted along the MN/WI border where cousin Lee lives. Aaaarrrggghhhh!
This is not what I call a relaxing evening!
First there are still the stories of Hurricane Katrina evacuees and how they are coping and trying to move forward.
Second Hurricane Rita has now become a Category 5 storm with 165 mile an hour sustained winds with a bead on Galveston, Texas. Lessons from Katrina have over 1 million Texans heading inland. And unbelievably, tropical rains and waves from Rita’s outer bands can still impact New Orleans because the levees are not yet repaired and as little as 3 inches of rain could compromise the already stressed levee system. I worry for my cousin Mike and wife Petra who live on Padre Island.
Third, it is 7:35 CST and an airplane from JetBlue with 139 passengers is making an emergency landing because it’s landing gear is stuck with the nose landing wheel is at 90° askew from normal and the jet is in peril as it cannot fly to it’s New York destination and it cannot land. They have dumped their fuel and will attempt a landing at LAX any minute now. This reminds me of the Sioux City emergency landing of a DC-10 back in the 80’s where the jet landed and then skidded and rolled and burst into flames. It is now 7:47 cst and they are scheduled to land at 7:50 cst. I am praying for the crew and passengers.
Fourth, Minneapolis-St Paul is in the path of a tornado that is on the ground at Roseville and heading toward downtown Minneapolis and then Bloomington as the news stations show split screens to show the jet and the tornado. More cousin’s in peril, Debbie and Cindy live in St. Paul. And another tornado just sighted along the MN/WI border where cousin Lee lives. Aaaarrrggghhhh!
This is not what I call a relaxing evening!