Jim Cantore's in trouble: From The Weather Chanel Blog

[Modem Butterfly]

http://www.weather.com/blog/weather/?from=wxcenter_news

An amazing phone call just aired on The Weather Channel a few minutes ago from Jim Cantore's producer, Simon Temperton. The two of them are at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport, Miss. (current conditions), where they have sought refuge from rapidly rising floodwaters on the second floor along with 300-400 residents of the home.

Here's some of what Simon reported in his phone call:

"We're going through some unbelievable conditions. Water is seeping into the building. I'd say we've had at least a 20-feet storm surge. It has washed away all our rental cars, and everything else ...

"Now water is seeping into the home and they are evacuating everyone to the second floor. I'm standing in 5 or 6 inches of water . The power is out. There are a few emergency lights. It's a very daunting prospect right now....

"It's a very dangerous situation. I've been doing this for 15 years, and been Mr. Cantore's producer for many hurricanes, and I've never seen anything like this. This is probably the scariest situation we've ever been in -- just the sudden rise of water and how fast. They said we were good here for 27, 30 feet -- they've never seen anything like it. They thought we were completely safe.

"We're not even shooting

[KyndCulture]

1. oh shit!

[Modem Butterfly]

6. My sentiments exactly

Jim Cantore was talking about what a strong, safe shelter they had been offered last night on The Weather Channel, meaning the place they're at now. Oh shit is right.

:scared:

[steve2470]

2. Let's all send Jim good energy ! nt

[Nikki Stone 1]

3. Yikes!

:o

[Fleshdancer]

4. wow. I hope they all make it unharmed.

:scared:

[intheflow]

5. OMG!

That's one scary blog entry. My prayers go out to everyone struggling to survive this storm.

[Eloriel]

7. And if you're watching CNN or MSNBC

things sound almost hunky dorey, not much worse than a bad rainstorm. Why, they even had somebody on the street in the French Market a while ago. It was raining, with a little debris falling, but most people would say, "What on earth was all the fuss about?"

[SoCalDem]

8. Ya know? When I saw him NOT in NO, I wondered if the Weather Channel

had information that we didn't. He seems to be the "Star" of the weather channel.. I wondered why he was in an area not expected to take the heavy hit..

Maybe he's got esp ..

hope they get to higher ground..

[Modem Butterfly]

10. I don't think they had anyone actually in New Orleans

They did get some feeds from local and network reporters in New Orleans, but I don't think they had anyone from TWC in the city. I think the nearest they got was Biloxi, Gulf Shores, BR and Mobile.

[KoKo]

15. CNN's John Zarella is in the French Quarter. There was a report from him

this a.m. early and I was shocked they would have had someone down there in that dangerous area. I haven't heard a report from his since around 9:00 a.m....That had me worried, but I've been watching mostly MSNBC and not CNN that much.

I think Zarella used to work for Weather Channel.

I'm worried about Cantore. I've always liked him and being here in Hurricane Country have listened to him since he was a "tyke." Before he lost all his hair. :D

[rbjensen]

14. Jim usually

misses the biggest storms. Around here we joke that if he shows up we're safe. I'm sure he tries hard to be in the bullseye, but they aren't that predictable. Sounds like this time he got a little more than he bargained for. Jim is great. He makes weather exciting. My kids love him. So does my wife. (and I have a feeling it isn't for the same reasons the kids like him)

[tinfoilinfor2005]

18. I read that his wife put her foot down about him going to the most

dangerous places since they had kids. But lately I've seen him inching closer to the bullseye spots.

[rbjensen]

20. Well I guess he's in hot water when he gets home, huh? n/t

[KayLaw]

9. I noticed Gulfport

It seems to be getting the full force of the storm.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

11. I think that retirement home is several stories high

it shouldn't get above a few floors

[TahitiNut]

16. Figure 10' per floor, at most, for all residential and much commercial.

28' will completely submerge most residences - single-family homes, condos, motels, and 2-story apartments.

[Shakespeare]

19. AND it's 27 feet above sea level.

If that gives you any idea just how huge the storm surge is....

[soothsayer]

12. He's fine now. The water subsided. They were scared, tho!

On edit, now they're bragging that it might be a record surge for the US, so he's happy!

[steve2470]

21. I'm so glad they survived ! nt

[markus]

13. WDSU-TV in Nola had a reporter in Ocean Springs

reporting on the gradual destruction of his hotel, from *outside* on the side away from the wind. There was very bad sattelite video, which I was wathcing through slow dialup, but it did not look good.

I can't get back a solid feed from WDSU so I haven't heard any futher about this fellow.

The rest of the news idiots may think it's fine because it issed NOLA, but the Gulf Coast is getting absolutely hammered.

[Kolesar]

17. Now the TWC producer says Cantore is fine

From their blog (listed above):
Thank you to the many of you who have requested an update about Jim, Simon and the residents of the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport. They are doing fine. We here in Atlanta have just received another call from Jim, and I will be posting an updated entry with his comments very soon.
Posted by Laurel, The Weather Channel Interactive | August 29, 2005