Thoughts and Prayers

As many of you know, Hurrican Katrina is barreling down on the Gulf Coast and New Orleans in particular. This hurricane is as bad as they come - a Class 5 hurricane.

Think of it as a hundred mile wide tornado. It's the finger of God bringing all kinds of destruction.

This is the kind of storm that people should rightfully fear. And I fear for those in its path. Including one of my good friends who recently took a job in Baton Rouge. I wish him, his family, and everyone in this storms path well and hope that they make it safely through the storm.

I know that the loss of property is going to be severe, but it can always be rebuilt. You can't replace the lives of those lost. So, if you can still get out of the way, do it.

UPDATE:
There are plenty of other people covering Hurricane Katrina. These include Discarded Lies, LGF, and Ace of Spades. Check out the latest via Technorati and Drudge Report. As of 9:35PM EDT, we're talking 165+ mph, 25 foot storm surge possible, and 65 foot high waves recorded in the Gulf. Also, note the satellite imagery of the hurricane. The eyewall and the eye are extremely well developed. That's a sign of a fearsome hurricane and the pressure appears to be continuing to drop - to 905 mb. The lower the pressure, the more intense the storm is.

UPDATE II:
Glenn of Instapundit has tons of links and details, including how the evacuation is progressing, the use of contraflow to get people out of town (worked better in some places than others - especially because everyone appeared to head towards Houston rather than towards the North. Frankly, I don't blame those who are heading to the West since this storm is going to push inland to the North before petering out over the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys. They're battening down the hatches in Baton Rouge and well inland.

A lot of people seem to be slamming the Mayor of New Orleans for waiting until this morning to declare a state of emergency.

And beyond the human toll, this hurricane is already affecting oil prices - and the price will jump with tomorrow's opening bell.