As Glenn says, "Advantage: Blogosphere!"

I'd like to also say, "advantage, National Weather Service."

Except I'm puzzled.

On August 28, Brendan Loy linked and quoted what he rightly called an "apocalyptic statement from the National Weather Service in New Orleans." Here it is:

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
413 PM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE KATRINA CONTINUES TO APPROACH THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA...
...DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED...

MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS...PERHAPS LONGER. AT LEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL...LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.

THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL. PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. CONCRETE BLOCK LOW RISE APARTMENTS WILL SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE...INCLUDING SOME WALL AND ROOF FAILURE.

HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY...A FEW TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT.

AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD...AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES. SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED. THE BLOWN DEBRIS WILL CREATE ADDITIONAL DESTRUCTION. PERSONS...PETS...AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK.

POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS...AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF NATIVE TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING...BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED. FEW CROPS WILL REMAIN. LIVESTOCK LEFT EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL BE KILLED.

Why, it's downright un-apocalyptic:

...THE INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

.THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM KATRINA CONTINUES MOVING WELL NORTH
OF THE AREA. BREEZY WINDS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA...BUT WILL
REMAIN BELOW TROPICAL STORM FORCE.

...THE INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

Surely the Weather Service doesn't retract warnings retroactively, so there must be a simple explanation.

In any case, official warnings went unheeded.

(And that's in addition to the blogosphere.)

MORE: There isn't much question that the official warning was given. Simply googling the phrase "MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS" produces innumerable hits. (Including the news sites.)

There's no way to un-ring that bell.