Hurricane Ida - 08/2021

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AmtrakBlue

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Gathering Team Member
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Delaware
https://www.amtrak.com/alert/servic...0y0bxSo4gm-z1mz9Z8cwk3iL90f_xwvvi-UmjkhRDwW68
Sunset Limited: Effective today (August 27), Train 2 from Los Angeles will terminate in San Antonio instead of New Orleans. It will originate in San Antonio on Sunday (August 31) as Train 1 to return to Los Angeles. No substitute transportation is available between New Orleans and San Antonio.

Crescent: Effective Saturday (August 28), Train 19 from New York will terminate in Atlanta instead of New Orleans and Train 20 will originate in Atlanta to return to New York. No substitute transportation is available between New Orleans and Atlanta.

City of New Orleans: Effective Saturday (August 28), Train 58 is likely to originate in Memphis instead of New Orleans and Train 59 is likely to terminate in Memphis to return to Chicago. No substitute transportation is available between New Orleans and Memphis.
 
I'm currently in the Lounge in Chicago. For the past hour and a half or so the staff has been making announcements requesting passengers going south of Memphis come to the front desk. I passed by when I was grabbing my bags about 30 minutes ago and they were in the process of talking with those going south of Memphis.
 
I'm currently in the Lounge in Chicago. For the past hour and a half or so the staff has been making announcements requesting passengers going south of Memphis come to the front desk. I passed by when I was grabbing my bags about 30 minutes ago and they were in the process of talking with those going south of Memphis.
I am on a railpass with a New Orleans stop. After talking to an angent I amended my pass. .
 
According to Amtrak, the Crescent will now terminate in Atlanta; CONO will only go as far as MEM, and the SL will terminate at SAS. According to the Amtrak website service alerts... this is what they have posted. My guess is that the duration of these changes will depend on the storm passing and any damage to infrastructure. If anyone gets further info please share. Also wondering how long service was disrupted after Katrina?

Amtrak notice:
Service to and from New Orleans Canceled due to Forecasted Hurricane Ida
Sunday, August 29, 2021 10:00 AM ET

Sunset Limited, Crescent and City of New Orleans trains affected

The forecasted landfall of what is expected to be Hurricane Ida is leading Amtrak to temporarily suspend service to and from New Orleans.

Sunset Limited: Effective Friday (August 27), Train 2 from Los Angeles will terminate in San Antonio instead of New Orleans. Train 1 will originate in San Antonio on Sunday (August 29) and Tuesday (August 31) as to return to Los Angeles. No substitute transportation is available between New Orleans and San Antonio.

Crescent: Effective Saturday (August 28), Train 19 from New York will terminate in Atlanta instead of New Orleans and Train 20 will originate in Atlanta to return to New York. No substitute transportation is available between New Orleans and Atlanta.

City of New Orleans: Effective Friday (August 27), Train 59 will terminate in Memphis instead of New Orleans. Train 58 will originate in Memphis on Saturday (August 28) and Sunday (August 29) instead of New Orleans. No substitute transportation is available between New Orleans and Memphis.
 
We decided to ride Ida out in Florida ... but then, we live in Florida

Please stay safe 🙏

Ida is forecast to hit the industrial corridor between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, site of three key ports, petrochemical sites, and a nuclear power plant.

https://yaleclimateconnections.org/...a-a-significant-threat-to-key-infrastructure/









New Orleans’ impossible situation

A mandatory evacuation was issued for portions of New Orleans outside of their levee system on Friday, and a voluntary evacuation for inside the levee system. However, no mandatory evacuation was ordered for the city because officials judged there was insufficient time to set up contraflow, having all lanes of traffic converted to lead out of town.

Many have criticized this decision, but New Orleans found itself in an impossible situation: the city needs a full 72 hours to fully evacuate, and making reliable intensity forecasts that far in advance is very difficult. We will have to accept New Orleans’ vulnerability to major hurricanes unless tens of billions are spent to upgrade the city’s defenses to category 5 capability. As discussed in yesterday’s post, there is reason to be optimistic that New Orleans’ levee system will withstand Ida’s storm surge: The 7-11′ surge predicted for the city is below the maximum surge that Hurricane Isaac of 2012 brought.
 
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We are expected to get hit really hard here in Louisiana, I’m in Baton Rouge, 65 miles from NO and we are dead in Ida bullseye. We will try to ride it out here, but a lot of my friends headed to Dallas

Stay safe, if you can! Hurricanes are no joke! We lived in New Orleans back in the early 80's and were lucky enough not to be around for Katrina, but I checked out our old house on Google Earth after Katrina--it had been pushed clear off its foundation, roof torn off, and a very large old pecan tree reduced to splinters.
 
We are expected to get hit really hard here in Louisiana, I’m in Baton Rouge, 65 miles from NO and we are dead in Ida bullseye. We will try to ride it out here, but a lot of my friends headed to Dallas
Be safe!! The storm looks very scary (spoken by a lifelong Floridian).
 
Like Penny, having lived in a state that has endured many, many hurricanes during my lifetime (been here 60+ years) I can asure you that hurricanes are nothing to party about. Even the "small" ones are dangerous ... one this size truly is "catastrophic" !

Stay safe and get out of the way if you can - don't try to "ride it out"
 
Sunset Limited: Effective today (August 27), Train 2 from Los Angeles will terminate in San Antonio instead of New Orleans. It will originate in San Antonio on Sunday (August 31) as Train 1 to return to Los Angeles. No substitute transportation is available between New Orleans and San Antonio.

Thank you for posting this.

I didn't realize The SL had the equipment at SAS to do this but I suppose if the #2 terminates there, it's pretty easy for the #1 to originate there. I love passenger rail but rarely think about the logistics.
 
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This thing developed so quickly that before we knew it, it was here. We stayed and prepared, got generator to use, don’t like it though, will see what tomorrow brings. We have two neighbors that are alone and feel secure when my husband is here
 
We are expected to get hit really hard here in Louisiana, I’m in Baton Rouge, 65 miles from NO and we are dead in Ida bullseye. We will try to ride it out here, but a lot of my friends headed to Dallas
are you OK? Have you lost power? ❤
 
According to Amtrak, the Crescent will now terminate in Atlanta; CONO will only go as far as MEM, and the SL will terminate at SAS. According to the Amtrak website service alerts... this is what they have posted. My guess is that the duration of these changes will depend on the storm passing and any damage to infrastructure. If anyone gets further info please share. Also wondering how long service was disrupted after Katrina?

Amtrak notice:
Service to and from New Orleans Canceled due to Forecasted Hurricane Ida
Sunday, August 29, 2021 10:00 AM ET

Sunset Limited, Crescent and City of New Orleans trains affected

The forecasted landfall of what is expected to be Hurricane Ida is leading Amtrak to temporarily suspend service to and from New Orleans.

Sunset Limited: Effective Friday (August 27), Train 2 from Los Angeles will terminate in San Antonio instead of New Orleans. Train 1 will originate in San Antonio on Sunday (August 29) and Tuesday (August 31) as to return to Los Angeles. No substitute transportation is available between New Orleans and San Antonio.

Crescent: Effective Saturday (August 28), Train 19 from New York will terminate in Atlanta instead of New Orleans and Train 20 will originate in Atlanta to return to New York. No substitute transportation is available between New Orleans and Atlanta.

City of New Orleans: Effective Friday (August 27), Train 59 will terminate in Memphis instead of New Orleans. Train 58 will originate in Memphis on Saturday (August 28) and Sunday (August 29) instead of New Orleans. No substitute transportation is available between New Orleans and Memphis.
This was posted in post #1.
 
We made it thru the night, waiting fir daylight to see the damage, no power at my house, but will hook up the generator today, it came at night so that was hairy and a little scary. So far only one death reported, I hope there are no more. My friends who stayed in NO without power, I wonder if all the area Ida hit is without power.
 
We made it thru the night, waiting fir daylight to see the damage, no power at my house, but will hook up the generator today, it came at night so that was hairy and a little scary. So far only one death reported, I hope there are no more. My friends who stayed in NO without power, I wonder if all the area Ida hit is without power.
Glad you are OK ❤
 
16 years and counting for Sunset East...
That AFAICT was an acknowledgement of a mistake by Amtrak, in a stupidly opportunistic way. That is the reason why there is a distinct lack of enthusiasm in all involved to restore it. Sunset will probably never be extended back to Florida.
 
Update on Ida in Baton Rouge, we got power back quickly, Ida made a jog and our neighboring parish got some of our hit, we got power back very quick for my area, our energy trucks, Entergy and Demco are rolling and on the job, all are pulling together for clean up, my cousin sister in law in New Orleans transformer went into the river, NO got it pretty bad I think
 
Update on Ida in Baton Rouge, we got power back quickly, Ida made a jog and our neighboring parish got some of our hit, we got power back very quick for my area, our energy trucks, Entergy and Demco are rolling and on the job, all are pulling together for clean up, my cousin sister in law in New Orleans transformer went into the river, NO got it pretty bad I think
I'm glad your area wasn't hit too hard. I have friends in Baton Rouge.

I'm looking at pictures of the damage in New Orleans as I will be down there in 6 weeks...if the trains are running. There was significant wind damage near the Hyatt Regency / Hyatt House which is where I'm currently booked. I haven't seen anything, yet, for the Garden District which I hope to visit on my short stay there (xferring from Crescent to CONO).
 
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