URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 1205 PM CDT MON AUG 29 2005 ...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE KATRINA MOVING ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI... ...DEVASTATING DAMAGE CONTINUES ALONG ITS PATH... KATRINA...NOW A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE WITH WINDS OF 125 MPH AND HIGHER GUSTS...WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHWARD ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND INTO EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. ALONG AND NEAR KATRINAS PATH...EXPECT PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE. ALL WOOD FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. CONCRETE BLOCK LOW RISE APARTMENTS WILL SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE...INCLUDING SOME WALL AND ROOF FAILURE. HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY...A FEW POSSIBLY TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. MANY WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT. AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD...AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES. SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED. THE BLOWN DEBRIS WILL CREATE ADDITIONAL DESTRUCTION. PERSONS...PETS...AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK. POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS...AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS. THE VAST MAJORITY OF NATIVE TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING...BUT BE TOTALLY DE-FOLIATED. THE HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH BELOW HURRICANE STRENGTH FROM SOUTH TO NORTH THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HOURS. $$ LAZ037>040-049-050-057>070-MSZ070-071-077-080>082-300100- ASCENSION-HANCOCK-HARRISON-JACKSON-LIVINGSTON-LOWER JEFFERSON- LOWER LAFOURCHE-LOWER PLAQUEMINES-LOWER ST BERNARD-LOWER TERREBONNE- ORLEANS-PEARL RIVER-PIKE-ST CHARLES-ST HELENA-ST JAMES- ST JOHN THE BAPTIST-ST TAMMANY-TANGIPAHOA-UPPER JEFFERSON- UPPER LAFOURCHE-UPPER PLAQUEMINES-UPPER ST BERNARD-UPPER TERREBONNE- WALTHALL-WASHINGTON- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BOGALUSA...GRAND ISLE...GULFPORT... HAMMOND...HOUMA...MCCOMB...METAIRIE...NEW ORLEANS...PASCAGOULA... PICAYUNE...SLIDELL 1205 PM CDT MON AUG 29 2005 ...INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT... HURRICANE KATRINA CONTINUES TO MOVE INLAND ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI. HURRICANE FORCE SUSTAINED WINDS WILL PERSISTS ACROSS MUCH OF THE WARNED AREA THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. MAXIMUM WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 100 AND 125 MPH ARE LIKELY TO CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON... THEN GRADUALLY DIMINISH DURING THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. DO NOT VENTURE OUTDOORS $$ LAZ034>036-046>048-056-MSZ068-069-300100- AMITE-ASSUMPTION-EAST BATON ROUGE-EAST FELICIANA-IBERVILLE- POINTE COUPEE-WEST BATON ROUGE-WEST FELICIANA-WILKINSON- INCLUDING THE CITY OF...BATON ROUGE 1205 PM CDT MON AUG 29 2005 ...INLAND TROPICAL STORM WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT... HURRICANE KATRINA CONTINUES TO MOVE INLAND ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI. TROPICAL FORCE SUSTAINED WINDS WILL PERSISTS ACROSS MUCH OF THE WARNED AREA THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. MAXIMUM WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 60 TO 80 MPH ARE LIKELY TO CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON... THEN GRADUALLY DIMINISH DURING THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. DO NOT VENTURE OUTDOORS ONCE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ONSET $$ DARBE/MEDLIN