Waiting for a Miracle

They look like they're waiting for the Saints to take the field, not seeking shelter from monster Hurricane Katrina.

It's a bizarre image.

As I write this, Katrina is teetering between being a category 4 and 5 hurricane. Maybe it will drop to a category 3.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Winds whipped downtown New Orleans and blasts of thunder were heard early Monday as a monstrous Hurricane Katrina charged toward the low- lying city with 160-mph winds and the threat of a catastrophic storm surge, prompting residents to flee in bumper-to-bumper traffic or huddle in the Superdome for safety.

Mayor Ray Nagin said he believed 80 percent of the city's 480,000 residents had heeded an unprecedented mandatory evacuation as Katrina threatened to become the most powerful storm ever to slam the city.

"It's capable of causing catastrophic damage," said National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield. "Even well-built structures will have tremendous damage. Of course, what we're really worried about is the loss of lives.

"New Orleans may never be the same."



What will the morning bring?