Katrina Becomes Tropical Depression
Final Update Tuesday, August 30

     Hurricane Katrina will undoubtedly go down in history books as one of the largest and strongest storms to make landfall in the United States. The Gulf Coast is already reeling from the utter devastation left behind in its wake, even as the death and destruction is just beginning to be tallied. Thousands are without power and thousands more will find their lives changed forever with no house to go home to. It will be a long road to recovery.
| Pensacola News Journal Storm Watch |
| The Miami Herald: Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina News & Photos |
| Nola.com: Everything New Orleans Storm Coverage |
| The Clarion Ledger: Mississippi News & Photos |
| AL.com: Everything Alabama Storm Coverage |
| MSNBC.com: Killer Storm |

     About's New Orleans for Visitors Guide, Sharon Keating, said it best when she posted a message to her readers. It was entitled simply, "Pray for Us." An evacuee, Sharon is safe in Houston with family, but as a life-long resident of New Orleans, she has memories of other hurricanes — Betsy and Camille — that make imagining a stronger hurricane like Katrina... well, almost unimaginable. As she continues to monitor the devastation by news reports, her heart breaks for New Orleans. She rather poignantly writes, there's got to be a morning after...
     While New Orleans was spared a direct hit, the city was hit hard enough, with extensive damage and flooding reported. Meanwhile, Biloxi, Mississippi took that direct hit that has totally devasted not only that area, but much of Mississippi.

If you would like to help, please make a donation online to the American Red Cross or call 1-800-HELP-NOW.

     As the storm continues to race into the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys, it is expected to dump rainfall of 2 to 4 inches and possibly spawn tornadoes today in Western South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
     As of 10:00 a.m. CDT Tuesday morning, the center of Katrina was located near Latitude 36.3 North and Longitude 87.5 West or about 25 miles south of Clarksville, Tennessee. Katrina is moving toward the north-northeast near 21 m.p.h. with a turn toward the northeast and an increase in forward speed expected during the next 24 hours. Maximum sustained winds are near 35 m.p.h. with higher gusts. Further weakening is expected during the next 24 hours with Katrina becoming aan extratropical storm during the next 12 to 24 hours.
     This is the last public advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center on this system. Future information can be found in public advisories issued by the Hydrometeorological Prediciton Center.
| All About Hurricanes | Hurricane Preparations |
| What To Do During and After a Hurricane |