The Inquisitr » Hurricane Gustav

See Hurricane Ike and Gustav Aftermath Online

JR — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:31:45 +0000

Millions of people followed Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike online — and now, you can see aerial images of the storms’ aftermath from your computer, too.

Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (the people behind the National Hurricane Center) has been converted into image overlays on Google Earth. One shows home and road damage near Gilchrist, Texas. The image on the left is before and on the right is after:

This shot shows an oil spill from hurricane damage near Crystal Beach, Texas (same before-and-after setup):

And this one gives you a glimpse into the extent of dock damage along the coast of Galveston:

You can grab the full before-and-after imagery from Hurricane Ike here and from Hurricane Gustav here. Both are in KMZ files for viewing in Google Earth.

If you’re interested in supporting families hit by the storms, you might want to check out CharityNavigator.org. It’ll let you search for any charity name to make sure it’s legit before handing over your cash or account information — and with the high amount of storm scamming around the Web, it can never hurt to be extra careful.

Here are some specific legit charities worth considering, if you are so inclined:

Tracking Gustav: The Citizen Videos

JR — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:23:26 +0000

Citizen journalists are jumping on the chance to share their Hurricane Gustav experiences with the world. Videos from inside the storm are slowly popping up on sites like YouTube as well as on CNN’s iReport and other news network submission services.

The reports are increasingly intense, such as this one capturing flooding in Waveland, Mississippi:

Other videos show the power of the hurricane’s approach and the deteriorating conditions of the morning hours. Many also tell stories of hope from within the many shelters throughout the region, such as this girl’s short submission:

Similar clips seem to serve as diaries of sorts, even messages to family members:

There are numerous online services set up to help locate loved ones displaced by the storm. Visit our Gustav resource center for that information as well as cameras, maps, and other ways to interact online. We’ve also set up a list of places where you can watch the storm live and have compiled some information about Gustav-related scams making their way around the Internet.

Tracking Gustav: Storm Scammers Hit the Net

JR — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 18:00:30 +0000

Gustav may still be going strong, but scammers are already making their move to take advantage of families suffering from the storm.

Louisiana’s attorney general office is monitoring more than a hundred domain names registered in the past day related to the storm, most containing words such as “charity” and “relief.” While some may be legit, many are feared to be fake fronts for crooks to steal kind-hearted people’s credit card and bank account information, then use it for their own selfish purposes. Some are even looking ahead with names related to Hanna, the next storm about to hit the U.S. coast. Several of the domains are results of squatters looking to churn out some cash from the storms and are already up for sale on eBay or Sedo.

Phishers have also started sending out e-mails to families along the Gulf Coast that ask for their bank information to “confirm” it in the storm’s wake. These same sorts of attacks all popped up in the days surrounding Hurricane Katrina three years ago.

If you’re interested in contacting a legit charity working to help families displaced by Hurricane Gustav, check out the list below. You can also find everything from live cameras and storm tracking tools to Web services devoted to helping find loved ones at our Online Storm Resource Center.

Legitimate Gustav Charities:

UPDATE*** For the latest storm stream, see Hurricane Ike Live.

Tracking Gustav: Online Storm Resource Center

JR — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 16:04:25 +0000

As Hurricane Gustav makes its move over land, there are numerous ways for you to track the storm and connect with loved ones over the Internet.

Cameras: Many of the live resources and cameras are starting to disappear. The Weather Channel has a decent array of functioning cameras still running. You can also find some streaming images courtesy of the folks at Gannett Louisiana/Gannett News. Their six feeds are slow-moving at the moment and are hit and miss, but I’m seeing a camera up on at least one this minute. Louisiana’s Department of Transportation is currently posting regular snapshots from its traffic cams as well.

Maps: The meteorologists themselves get their information from this site, NOAA’s National Hurricane Center. The Center posts updates every three hours, at 8:00, 11:00, 2:00, and 5:00 ET (repeating in an a.m.-p.m. cycle). The most significant of those updates are typically the 11:00 and 5:00 ones. You can see their latest forecasts, three- and five-day tracks, and live satellite images of Gustav and the other storms at sea — including Hanna, currently looking to make landfall somewhere near the Georgia-South Carolina border over the weekend. This is the same information the people on TV use to make their maps and deliver their forecasts.
Up-to-the-minute storm info: Louisiana has set up an emergency Web site with the latest headlines and information.
Finding people: If you know anyone in the area, the Red Cross’s Safe and Well program may be able to give you an update on their location or status. It lets families register their information by home address and phone number once they’re okay so friends and relatives can find them. There is also a similar phone-based service set up by the Red Cross. You can dial 443-992-4890 to search for messages from loved ones.
Finding people: FEMA also has a National Emergency Family Registry and Locator System, accessible here. The same information is also available via voice at 1-866-288-2484.
Finding people: If you need to track down someone in a shelter, the Red Cross’s shelter hotline is 1-800-733-2767. Alabama has a specific shelter information line at 1-800-206-0816 and Mississippi’s is 1-866-472-8265.
Reaching people: Major mobile providers suggest using text messages to try to contact people in the area rather than calling their cell phones, as that places less burden on the sure to be already overloaded networks. Try using a free Web-based service, such as the internationally accessible GizmoSMS.
Reaching people: AT&T is offering some of its pre-paid GoPhone devices to evacuees. They are available in Houston and San Antonio stores now and more are being shipped in tonight for families seeking shelter in that area.
Evacuation 2.0: Want to read how the blogosphere and specifically Twitter have changed the face of this storm evacuation? Check out this article from the Chicago Tribune.

UPDATE*** For the latest storm stream, see Hurricane Ike Live.

Watch Hurricane Gustav Live Online

Duncan Riley — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 23:20:16 +0000

UPDATE **** See also Gustav Videos, Gustav Scammers and Gustav Resource Center for the latest.

As Hurricane Gustav approaches Louisiana and over a million people are evacuated, a few crazy people, and some static webcams are providing a live stream live from the area. Here’s some of the places you can watch Hurricane Gustav live…well, as long as the power and internet connections hold

Ustream.tv

At the time of writing, Ustream.tv is offering a number of live streams from the area. One embed below, and direct links following:

Hurricane Gustav From Luling: seems to be a static cam facing out on a street

Gustav from Slidell: another static cam

Crosby Tubs Gustav

Others

Louisiana Gannett News covering the Hurricane Live.

NOLA has a number of cams throughout the New Orleans area.

Earthcam offers a New Orleans cam, but doesn’t offer a continual live stream, only snapshots.

The Louisiana Department of Transport offers traffic cams across New Orleans. This shot right taken at 6pm Sunday shows how quiet the city has already become.

There’s also a variety of traffic cameras available from Baton Rogue.

For the latest updates on the storm, Ning is hosting an information center, and SocialMedian has a page as well.

UPDATE*** For the latest storm stream, see Hurricane Ike Live.