Gustav & New Orleans - Bloggers and Webcams Looking into the Eye of the Hurricane

Gustav & New Orleans - Bloggers and Webcams Looking into the Eye of the Hurricane 12345 Julia Rosien | 09/01/2008 - 13:04 | Add new comment Minute by minute coverage on the blogosphere

The Internet is buzzing with Gustav this morning and the havoc he's causing across the South. Thankfully, he hit land as a Category 2. But CNN and AP make me wonder how much adrenaline mixed with coffee plays in the writing of headlines. "Gustav: Profile of a Killer," "Gustav: Storm of the Century" and "Gustav and Katrina: Cajun Country Cousins," are some of the more colorful ones.

Hurricane GustavBut bloggers, especially those in the area, are taking a much different approach. One New Orleans blogger is more than a little upset with the hype:

"I really wish CNN would stop running the headline "FLOODWATERS OVERTOP INDUSTRIAL CANAL LEVEE IN NEW ORLEANS". The water is very high in the canal, and some water is blowing over the top, so maybe it's semantic, but "overtop" sounds a little more dire and hysteria-inducing than necessary at the moment. Attention, CNN: we are already hysterical enough, thankyouverymuch. Also, CNN: I am within five blocks of your offices right now. Do not make me come down there."

So, who do you believe? For me, it's about aggregating all the available sources of information - both accredited news sources and bloggers in the area - and then mapping that information to real-time images.

Is Gustav the mother of all storms? Had New Orleans not learned from Katrina's lessons, we'd be asking much different questions today.

If you're as curious as I am about what the storm really looks like - in real time - these sites will give the real pictures. No hysterical hype, thank you very much.

New Orleans Times Picayune  - Local newspaper in New Orleans. Be warned that most of New Orleans is without power currently, so the webcams may be affected.

Jeff McCord - He's in Dallas, but his appraisal of the hurricane is bang on.

Here Comes the Wind - This video blogger (NOGustav) is New Orleans, shooting video footage and pushing it live faster than some news sources. -->

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