Ed Rappaport Quotations

The real important issue here is that when it got to the metropolitan area, it was weaker.

Right now, Gordon's not posing much of a threat in terms of wind or storm surge. There's still a lot of rain over South Carolina and moving into North Carolina. There is the potential for flooding during the day.

I would expect there to be considerable damage, heavy flooding and unfortunately there's a possibility of significant loss of life.

Fortunately, there's been a lot of time to prepare. The bad news is that because it's moving so slowly, it prolongs the impact, both because of the winds and the rainfall.

Fortunately, there's been a lot of time to prepare,

If it stayed at this intensity, it would be one of the two or three strongest to ever hit this country, ... And on top of that of course we have a special concern for the area -- New Orleans is below sea level.

If it spends 24 hours or more over (the Yucatan), it's likely to weaken,

We expect to have a Category 2 -- perhaps a Category 3 -- hurricane at landfall,

There aren't too many hurricanes that make landfall with this intensity in the Pacific,

I think it has probably reached its maximum intensity now.

We need to build a little bit of a buffer knowing that the storm probably won't be exactly where we forecast it to be -- it might be a little bit on one side or another.

There is still some concern there could be a little bit of additional strengthening, and then as it approaches the coast pretty much maintain a steady level at the Category 2 or 3 threshold.

We expect that landfall will occur in the overnight hours and if it's a hurricane, that's when the hurricane-force winds should be experienced,

We think it'll be moving about 20 to 25 mph by the time it hits Florida,

As it does so, it will be moving up toward Long Island and New England over the next 24 hours.

It would be the strongest we've had in recorded history there. We're hoping of course there'll be a slight tapering off at least of the winds, but we can't plan on that. ... We're in for some trouble here no matter what.

It would be the strongest we've had in recorded history there, ... We're hoping of course there'll be a slight tapering off at least of the winds, but we can't plan on that. ... We're in for some trouble here no matter what.

The most important thing for people to do is follow the advice of local emergency workers. We are advising people to prepare for a Category 3.

That's where we've lost the most people over the years in this country, from the storm surge,

This is a much bigger storm than Charley was, maybe two to three times the size. There'll be a large area of damage when this comes ashore.

ask for clarification, or perhaps alternate scenarios or interpretations. We speak the some of the same language but want to make sure everybody's on the same page.

Conditions in the central Gulf are much like they were for Katrina.

It's not going to have time weaken over land. The roughest weather in South Florida will be over the next four to five hours.

The big threat from this system is going to be the rainfall.

It will probably strengthen a little bit more. The primary threat remains to Jamaica, eastern Cuba and Haiti.

This is a very big storm, giving us a larger storm surge over a greater area.

If it came ashore with the intensity it has now and went to the New Orleans area, it would be the strongest we've had in recorded history there,

The entire south part of the peninsula is at risk for flooding.