| Headline | Hurricane Local Statement |
| Description | Hurricane Wind watch Now in effect Through Tuesday Morning Tropical storm Force winds Brushing the Louisiana Coast. this Statement Recommends Actions to be Taken by Persons in The Following Counties or Marine Areas: Avoyelles, Rapides. The Following Watches and Warnings are Currently in effect For this Area: Tropical storm Wind Warning. Hurricane Wind Watch. Flash Flood Watch. Residents are Encouraged to Prepare for Strong Tropical Storm Force winds, 55 to 65 MPH with Higher Gusts, and Possibly Minimal Hurricane Force winds. Hurricane Gustav is Expected to Make Landfall Along the South - Central or Southeast Louisiana Coast around Noon Monday As A Dangerous Category 3 Hurricane, with Sustained winds of 120 MPH and Gusts Up to 150 MPH. on the Current Path of Gustav, Tropical storm Force winds Are Expected to Begin in the Marksville area around Late Morning Monday, then Continue to Spread Into Alexandria area by Early Afternoon. Hurricane Force winds will be Possible Beginning around 10pm Monday Night. Most Mobile Homes will Experience Moderate to Substantial Damage. Some of Poor Construction will be Uninhabitable Until Repaired. Houses of Poor to Average Construction will Have Damage to Shingles, Siding, and Gutters. Some Windows will be Blown Out. Unfastened Home Items of Light to Moderate Weight will Become Airborne, Causing Additional Damage and Possible Injury. Dozens of Wires will be Blown Down. Local Power Outages will Affect Entire Neighborhoods. Many Large Branches of Healthy Trees will be Snapped, And Rotting Small to Medium sized Trees will be Uprooted. Alexandria. Tropical Storm, 86 Percent. Hurricane, 16 Percent. Marksville. Tropical Storm, 90 Percent. Hurricane, 20 Percent. 8 to 10 Inches of Rainfall, with Locally Higher Amounts, Will be Possible Across Central Louisiana. Rainfall of this Magnitude will Likely Result in Flooding. Isolated tornadoes will be Possible Beginning Late tonight, With A Slightly Higher Chance on Monday Into Tuesday. this Statement will be Updated around 2am Monday Morning. At 1000pm CST...the Center of Hurricane Gustav was Located Near |
| Expires | 8/1/08 12:30 AM |
| Message ID | 72595 |
| County/Area | Lafayette, LA (latitude: 30.2159, longitude: -92.0904) |
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Hurricane Local Statement
Restaurants Open
Scholotzskys all on Johnston St.
Flash Flood watch in effect from Mon Morn to Tue Afternoon
| Headline | Flash Flood watch in effect from Mon Morn to Tue Afternoon |
| Description | The National Weather Service in Lake Charles has Issued A * Flash Flood watch for Portions of Central Louisiana, South Central Louisiana, Southwest Louisiana and West Central Louisiana, Including the Following Areas, in Central Louisiana, Avoyelles, Evangeline, Rapides and St. Landry. in South Central Louisiana, Iberia, Lafayette, Lower St. Martin, St. Mary and Upper St. Martin. in Southwest Louisiana, Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu Jefferson Davis and Vermilion. in West Central Louisiana Vernon. * from Monday Morning Through Tuesday Afternoon * Hurricane Gustav will Make Landfall Monday Afternoon Along The South Central Louisiana Coast and Move Northwest Across Southern and Central Louisiana Through Tuesday. The Initial Rainbands from the storm are Expected to Begin Affecting the area Late this Afternoon Into tonight with the Potential for Heavy Rain and Flash Flooding Across Southern and Central Louisiana. Rainfall totals of 10 to 15 Inches will be Possible Across The area with Locally Higher Amounts of Up to 20 Inches. A Flash Flood watch Means That Conditions May Develop That Lead to Flash Flooding. Flash Flooding is a very Dangerous Situation. you Should Monitor Later Forecasts and be Prepared to Take Action Should Flash Flood Warnings be Issued. $$ 24 Hurricane Gustav will Make Landfall Monday Afternoon Along The |
| Expires | 7/31/08 4:00 PM |
| Message ID | 72179 |
| County/Area | Lafayette, LA (latitude: 30.2159, longitude: -92.0904) |
Storm Tip #4
If you have devices that need to be charged, keep them plugged in and
charging today as long as possible.
Don't waste your battery resources today and get caught off guard with
a dead cell phone battery once the power goes out.
Also, don't forget about the kids devices. Charge up their gameboys
and mp3 players as the entertainment value will help keep them
preoccupied and keep their minds off the lack of power, A/C and other
unpleasant elements.
Storm Tip #3
with Katrina. You might want to call your cell phone company and bump
up your text messaging plan temporarily so you don't get caught with a
large bill.
Storm Tip #2
Once that wind kicks up and limbs start to hit power lines you can
expect power surge / spikes that have the potential to harm your
expensive electronics.
Tip: Forward Phone
phone. During these times of uncertainty where we will likely
experience lots of power outages, and down phone lines and such, you
might want to have your home phone forward to your cell or where ever
it is your staying.
If you have already left you might see if your phone company offers a
way to forward your phone remotely.
For instance, Cox Communications allows you to access their 'Phone
Tools' via the web and you can setup call forwarding through the web
interface.
For Lafayette users you can access this via
http://acadiana.cox.net/cci/phonetools
Good luck everyone and stay safe.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Hurricane Local Statement
| Headline | Hurricane Local Statement |
| Description | Lafayette, Rapides, St. Landry, Upper St. Martin. The Following Watches and Warnings are Currently in effect For this Area: Hurricane Wind Watch. Residents are Encouraged to Continue Making Preparations to Protect Life and Property. Acadia. A Voluntary Evacuation is in effect for Residents North of Interstate 10. a Mandatory Evacuation is in effect for All Residents South of Hwy 92, and for Mobile Homes South of Interstate 10. Allen. A Voluntary Evacuation is in Effect. a Recommended Evacuation will Start at 6am Sunday. Jefferson Davis. A Mandatory Evacuation is Planned on Sunday. Lafayette. A Voluntary Evacuation is in Effect. Upper St. Martin. A Voluntary Evacuation is in Effect. Tropical storm Force winds will Begin to Affect the area 10 to 12 Hours Prior to Hurricane Force winds. on Gustav's Current Path, Tropical storm Force winds Are Expected to Begin Impacting the Louisiana Coast During the Pre - Dawn Hours Monday Morning, then Continue to Spread Inland As Gustav Moves to the Northwest. Tropical storm Force winds Will Start to Impact the Lafayette and Crowley Areas Shortly After Sunrise, and Impact the Alexandria area by Mid Afternoon. Hurricane Gustav is Expected to Make Landfall Along the South Central Louisiana Coast Mid Monday Morning As an Extremely Dangerous Category 4 Hurricane, with Sustained winds of 150 MPH and Gusts Up to 180 MPH. The Following Damage Can be Expected Along the Path of the Eye Wall of a Hurricane of this Strength. Houses of Poor to Average Construction will be Severely Damaged or Destroyed. Well Constructed Homes will Have Substantial Roof and Exterior Damage. More severe Damage to Homes with Gabled Roofs May Occur. Many Industrial Buildings will be Destroyed, Others will Have Partial Roof and Wall Damage. Wood Framed Apartments will be Severely Damaged. Complete Destruction of Mobile Homes Is Likely. Electricity and Water will be Unavailable for Days, And Perhaps Weeks, After the storm Passes. Many Trees will be Snapped And/or Uprooted. St. Martinville. Tropical Storm, 79 Percent. Hurricane, 32 Percent. Lafayette. Tropical Storm, 77 Percent. Hurricane, 29 Percent. Opelousas. Tropical Storm, 76 Percent. Hurricane, 27 Percent. Marksville. Tropical Storm, 73 Percent. Hurricane, 20 Percent. Ville Platte. Tropical Storm, 73 Percent. Hurricane, 23 Percent. Jennings. Tropical Storm, 69 Percent. Hurricane, 23 Percent. Oberlin. Tropical Storm, 67 Percent. Hurricane, 20 Percent. Alexandria. Tropical Storm, 67 Percent. Hurricane, 16 Percent. 10 to 15 Inches of Rainfall, with Locally Higher Amounts, Will be Possible Across South Central Louisiana. Rainfall of This Magnitude will Likely Result in Flooding. this Statement will be Updated around 5am Sunday Morning. At 1000pm CST...the Center of Hurricane Gustav was Located Near |
| Expires | 9/1/08 3:00 AM |
| Message ID | 71980 |
| County/Area | Lafayette, LA (latitude: 30.2159, longitude: -92.0904) |
Gas Availability:
Re-Tweeted for @zeffryn
Target on the Northside
plentiful, as well as some batteries.
Re-Tweeted for @zeffryn
New Orleans Traffic Cameras
weather conditions here:
http://www.dotd.louisiana.gov/press/traffic_cameras/no_cameras.asp
Baton Rouge Traffic Cameras
conditions by viewing some of the Baton Rouge area traffic cameras:
http://www.dotd.louisiana.gov/press/traffic_cameras/br_cameras.asp
Volunteers Needed for Hurricane Gustav Response
Health and Hospitals-Office of Public Health (DHH-OPH) is seeking
volunteers to help in pre and post-storm emergency activities.
Those interested in assisting are asked to sign up with Louisiana
Volunteers in Action (LAVA), the DHH's volunteer management program.
Prospective volunteers should register at www.lava.dhh.louisiana.gov.
DHH-OPH volunteer coordinators will then call registered volunteers
with information on when and where to report.
Volunteers don't have to be medical professionals. DHH-OPH officials
are asking anyone who registers to be ready to assist. Those who
register may be assigned to help at a Medical Special Needs Shelter or
at t! he state's bus triage operation. Non-medical volunteers may be
asked to feed patients or perform clerical tasks. Medical volunteers
will be involved in direct patient care.
According to OPH Assistant Secretary M. Rony Francois, M.D., MSPH,
Ph.D, "Volunteers are the backbone of our response to emergencies like
hurricanes. Louisiana could not have made it through the aftermath of
hurricanes Katrina and Rita without the dedication and selfless
service of volunteers." Following the 2005 hurricanes, more than 8,500
volunteers assisted DHH and the storm victims.
Contraflow Now Begins at 4AM
Contraflow was originally scheduled for 6am, Sunday 8/31/08
Southwest Louisiana Contra Flow Map:
Finding Shelters
urging all citizens who are evacuating in advance of Hurricane Gustav
to dial 211 if they are seeking a shelter inside Louisiana. Residents
who are looking for a shelter in another state should call the
toll-free number 1-866-Get Info (1-866-438-4636) for the location of
Red Cross shelters in another state.
"I am grateful for the partnership of both 211 and the Red Cross. They
have worked diligently to create systems to help our residents make it
to the closest shelter that has vacancies," said Williamson. "I would
also urge media outlets across the state to publicize these numbers so
that our residents have the latest information about shelter vacancies
as they evacuate."
For the latest on Hurricane Gustav, you can visit
emergency.louisiana.gov or call the state's emergency hotline at
1-866-288-2484 to listen to a recorded message with the most
up-to-date information.
Important Numbers
AND REFERRALS, CALL 211.
For a complete list of important phone numbers, parish information and
additional resources, visit http://ecowatch.ncddc.noaa.gov/c-side
Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
1-800-256-7036 or 225-925-7500
National Weather Service Forecast Office
(New Orleans/Baton Rouge) – 504-522-7330
(Lake Charles) – 337-477-5285
Louisiana State Police
225-925-6325 or *LSP from any cell phone
Louisiana State Police Road Closure Hotline
1-800-469-4828
Louisiana Attorney General Hurricane Hotline
1-866-351-4889
American Red Cross
1-866-GET- INFO (1-866-438-4636)
Latest Computer Models
Improvement for Lafayette / Acadiana area that is. The latest models
show landfall is expected a bit more east then previously expected.
Not good for New Orleans though.
http://static.picwing.com/11306/u_108172_t540.gif
Note that since following this storm 4 days ago I have seen these
models change EVERY time. The only sure thing about Gustav is it is a
hurricane and it will likely hit some where within the US Gulf Coast
Cox Communications Contact Info
(337) 232-6323
(888) 215-8474
Baton Rouge:
(225) 615-1000
(866) 342-5269
New Orleans:
(504) 304-8444
LUS Contact Info
(337) 291-5700
Report Water Problems
(337) 291-5740
Report Wastewater Problems
(337) 291-5750
Report Street Light Problems
(337) 291-5700
Report Tree Limbs Over Power Lines
(337) 291-5711
Important Info and Links
@RedCross as well.
Also if you Twit about Gustav include #Gustav in your Tweet to have it
picked up and posted at the Hurricane Gustav Information Center and
Social Network: http://gustav08.ning.com
Also for those looking for New Orleans news and info on Twitter you
can follow @NOLAnews and @stbernardnews
For information on supplies or status of Home Depot stores follow @TheHomeDepot
GET WATER
body can go without food for some time, but not water. When you
couple the bodies need for water with the fact one may possibly loose
power for days, the heat will make you need water even more. Fill up
pots and bath tubs at the very least. Don't forget about the pets
water needs as well.
Grocery and Fast Food Stores
be closing early due to either employee shortages or to allow their
employees time to evacuate if they choose. This is needs to be taken
into account that food may be difficult to find over the next couple
of days regardless of where and when Gustav lands. It is important to
ensure your prepared for this and take these often overlooked facts
into consideration.
Store Closing
Sunday and plan to reopen (weather permitting) on Wednesday.
Gas Availablity
---
Thanks,
Daniel Kedinger
daniel@crucedesign.com
c* 337.257.6182
w* 337.234.0913
Sent from my iPhone.
HURRICANE GUSTAV INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 22
WTNT32 KNHC 301200
TCPAT2
BULLETIN
HURRICANE GUSTAV INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 22A
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL072008
800 AM EDT SAT AUG 30 2008
...MAJOR HURRICANE GUSTAV CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN...
...CONDITIONS DETERIORATING OVER THE ISLE OF YOUTH...
AT 800 AM EDT...1200 UTC...THE GOVERNMENT OF CUBA HAS ISSUED A
HURRICANE WARNING FOR THE CUBAN PROVINCES OF MATANZAS AND
CIENFUEGOS. A HURRICANE WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE WESTERN
CUBAN PROVINCES OF PINAR DEL RIO...LA HABANA...CIUDAD DE LA
HABANA...ISLA DE JUVENTUD...MATANZAS...AND CIENFUEGOS.
PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY IN THE HURRICANE WARNING
AREA SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION.
A HURRICANE WARNING ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CAYMAN ISLANDS.
A HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL CUBAN PROVINCE
OF VILLA CLARA. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS
ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA... GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE LOWER FLORIDA
KEYS WEST OF KEY WEST TO THE DRY TORTUGAS AND FOR THE CENTRAL CUBAN
PROVINCES OF VILLA CLARA...SANCTI SPIRITUS...CIEGO DE AVILA...AND
CAMAGUEY. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24
HOURS.
A TROPICAL STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE LOWER FLORIDA KEYS
WEST OF THE SEVEN MILE BRIDGE TO KEY WEST.
INTERESTS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE NORTHERN GULF COAST SHOULD
CLOSELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF GUSTAV.
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...PLEASE MONITOR
PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.
AT 800 AM EDT...1200Z...THE EYE OF HURRICANE GUSTAV WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 20.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 81.6 WEST OR ABOUT 85 MILES...
135 KM...SOUTHEAST OF THE ISLE OF YOUTH AND ABOUT 225 MILES...360 KM
...EAST-SOUTHEAST OF THE WESTERN TIP OF CUBA.
GUSTAV HAS JOGGED TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST DURING THE PAST FEW
HOURS...BUT IS EXPECTED TO SOON RESUME A MOTION TOWARD THE
NORTHWEST NEAR 12 MPH...19 KM/HR...AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO
CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. ON THIS TRACK...THE CENTER
OF GUSTAV WILL PASS OVER WESTERN CUBA LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT...AND
MOVE INTO THE SOUTHERN GULF OF MEXICO EARLY SUNDAY AND INTO THE
CENTRAL GULF BY EARLY MONDAY.
DATA FROM AN AIR FORCE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT MAXIMUM
SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE CONTINUED TO INCREASE AND ARE NOW NEAR 120
MPH...195 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. GUSTAV IS A DANGEROUS
CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE.
GUSTAV IS EXPECTED TO PASS OVER WESTERN CUBA AS A MAJOR
HURRICANE...AND COULD REACH CATEGORY FOUR STATUS BEFORE MAKING
LANDFALL THERE. ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE OVER THE
SOUTHERN GULF OF MEXICO.
GUSTAV IS A LARGE TROPICAL CYCLONE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND
OUTWARD UP TO 60 MILES...95 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL
STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 160 MILES...260 KM.
THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE BASED ON REPORTS FROM BOTH AIR FORCE
AND NOAA RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT IS 955 MB...28.20 INCHES.
COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 2 TO 5 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS
IS POSSIBLE IN THE CAYMAN ISLANDS...WITH 14 TO 19 FEET POSSIBLE NEAR
WHERE THE CENTER OF GUSTAV CROSSES WESTERN CUBA...INCLUDING THE ISLE
OF YOUTH. STORM SURGE OF 1 TO 3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IS
POSSIBLE IN THE DRY TORTUGAS AS GUSTAV PASSES TO ITS WEST.
GUSTAV IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO
12 INCHES ACROSS THE CAYMAN ISLANDS...AND CENTRAL AND WESTERN
CUBA...WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF UP TO 25 INCHES POSSIBLE.
THESE RAINS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND
MUD SLIDES. RAINFALL OF 1 TO 3 INCHES IS POSSIBLE OVER FLORIDA KEYS
AND EXTREME SOUTH FLORIDA BY SUNDAY MORNING.
REPEATING THE 800 AM EDT POSITION...20.8 N...81.6 W. MOVEMENT
TOWARD...NORTHWEST NEAR 12 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...120 MPH.
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...955 MB.
THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT
1100 AM EDT.
$$
FORECASTER KNABB
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Water, Batteries and Gas
amount at Target on Northside.
Does not appear to be gas shortage yet although lines are getting
heavy and prices seem to be heading up. Seen a .20 price jump
overnight in some places.
Gas cans on the other hand are nearly impossible to find and when you
do it is likely only 1 gallon cans. Seen some at Lowes and Harbor
Frieght in Lafayette tonight.
Still seems to be plenty of batteries however I believe it's mostly
the smaller AAA's and AA batteries and not many of the larger size
batteries. Lowes had plenty of the smaller ones by the way.
Good luck all and hope or pray for the best. Its still early
obviously but it's not looking good for Louisiana as a whole.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
LFT411 Photo Album
The photo album is available to all at http://PICS.LFT411.COM
The idea here is to promote the idea of citizen journalism and a more interactive online community. Photos have become an integral part journalism and news. As the old adage goes "a picture is worth a thousand words".
Hopefully as the community begins to use the technologies available to us, and as the proliferation of cell phones and mobile devices with cameras in them continues to rise we will create an army of citizen reporters not only posting news as it is happening but also photos to accompany these posts.
Freshman Fair at UL - Today
Representatives from the Louisiana Board of Regents will discuss
admissions requirements for all Louisiana state colleges and
universities.
Check-in begins at 9:15 a.m. in the UL Lafayette Student Union
Students interested in Info: (337) 482-5780.UL
Marcello’s Wine Tasting - Sat Aug 16, 2008
Marcello's Wine Market, 2800 Johnston St.
Games of Acadiana - Today - Cajundome
Over 40 family-friendly competitions such as fastest pitch,
rock/paper/scissors, crab racing, sports trivia, ping pong and hula
hoop. From the barbecue cook-off to duck calling, there's something
for everyone.
Cajundome and Convention Center
Lafayette
Free
10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
337-984-1920
www.gamesofacadiana.org
Thoughts & Suggestions
I am thinking about the future and what more can be done. As things stand there is no advertising, nor do we have any costs to do this.
All I have done is basically mash together a bunch of free stuff to get the info I want.
With no costs there is no need to advertise or make money. Which is great as it should help with adoption and use. No one likes advertising. Look at all the local news sites and you can see why.
Here are some of my current thoughts and future ideas for the site:
1. Speed up the time between posts to blog and posts to Twitter
2. How do you maintain "real time news and info" but prevent abuse / spam?
3. Ensure that mobility is top priority
4. Dedicated individual filtering submissions and farming data from various sources to ensure quality near real time data. (costs money)
Please post your thoughts, ideas and suggestions regarding the site and any of what I have mentioned here as a comment.
Thanks,
Dane
techguy@gmail.com
Friday, August 15, 2008
Games of Acadiana - Saturday
Over 40 family-friendly competitions such as fastest pitch, rock/paper/scissors, crab racing, sports trivia, ping pong and hula hoop. From the barbecue cook-off to duck calling, there's something for everyone.
Cajundome and Convention Center
Lafayette
Free
10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
337-984-1920
www.gamesofacadiana.org
Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre Tonight
Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre performed by local personalities with tables and individual tickets sold to benefit Big Brother Big Sister of Acadiana's mentoring programs.
City Club at River Ranch
Lafayette
$75 per person / $500 for reserved table of 8
6:30-10 p.m.
337-269-0454
www.acadianabigs.com
Le Cajun Festival - Saturday August 16
Le Cajun Festival | Blackham Coliseum | Admission $10 | Children 12 & under admitted free
8:00 - 9:00 - Opening Ceremonies featuring CFMA Founder Harry LaFleur
9:00 - 10:45 - Young Musician Jam
11:00 - 12:45 - Paul Daigle & Cajun Gold
12:45 - 1:15 - Crowning of Ms. Le Cajun
1:15 - 2:45 - Don Fontenot & Les Amis de La Louisiane - Showcasing the CFMA Dance Troupe
3:00 - 4:45 - Kevin Naquin & the Ossun Playboys
5:00 - 6:45 - Jackie Caillier, Ivy Dugas & the Cajun Cousins
7:00 - 8:45 - Walter Mouton & the Scott Playboys
Special Accordionist Exhibition:
9:00 - 10:45 - Wayne Toups & Friends
The Idea
The word ‘mobile’ is the cornerstone of this project. It started with me trying to get real time traffic reports for I-10 over the basin. Anyone who has to travel over the basin regularly knows that if anything happens over the basin you can get stuck there for hours.
I wasn’t really having any luck finding this information, especially in a mobile format that I could access from my cell phone. There was the Louisiana DOTD site but it was unusable from my cell phone.
I also noticed that most of the local news outlets (TV and News Paper) were not very timely. Even their websites were lacking and they used the web as just another outlet to post their regular coverage on their schedule. You couple that with the fact that they really only publish the attention grabbing headlines and not all the little things going on around town. Most of these outlets weren’t embracing mobile technology either.
As an IT professional the one thing I know is that people are hungry for information. They want it on their terms, accessible any way possible as soon as possible.
This is apparent with all of the ‘Web 2.0’ technologies and sites out there these days. With the success of things like blogs, IM, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter and even Pandora you have to realize that people have a desire to not only consume information but to publish information important to them and their friends or social networks.
I decided that first I would document what it was that I wanted. I came up with the following:
1. Mobile – Want to be able to access information anywhere.
2. Current – Want news and information to be as current as possible.
Once I knew what I wanted the site to do I had to figure out how to accomplish this. Luckily for me the desire to have something that was centered on being ‘mobile’ seemed to foster the whole ‘current’ notion. If someone is mobile, then they are likely out and about. If they are out and about then there is a greater chance of them seeing or hearing about something that would be news worthy. This is especially true for things such as traffic accidents or maybe even something as simple as participating in some event.
How to get current or real-time information was and is the biggest unknown. I assumed I would be able to build or put together a way to accomplish what I wanted as far as technology goes. What I did not know was how I was going to get current information. I knew I couldn’t do it alone since I have a job like most. I knew I couldn’t pay others to do it either. I also knew that if I could pay others to do it I wouldn’t really want to because it would become just like any other media outlet relying on a few select journalists and editors to provide information.
In order for this to be successful I would need to enlist anyone willing to help. Since this is aimed at news and information for Lafayette, Louisiana that meant anyone living or working here should be able to submit information. I also knew that in order to get people to participate the process would have to be very simple for submitting information. If the process isn’t simple it becomes a chore for people, and no one likes chores.
About a month ago I was at a conference in Orlando, FL. and at a couple of the major keynotes they would ask the audience a question and you had to submit your answer via a text message. They also were pushing everyone to use Twitter and follow them. I had heard of Twitter before and even had an account but never really had a reason to use it.
Twitter is all about being social and interactive and having friends or a social network which is not a real interest of mine.
Why did I digress to this point? Well because Twitter became my inspiration for making LFT411 happen.
Twitter helped me to realize the usefulness of a social network if you will. It also made it clear that people like posting random information. They like participating with strangers. They like consuming information. All of these things I had already seen before with sites like “Facebook, MySpace and YouTube” but I didn’t get these basic principles if you will about people.
Twitter also made it clear to me how to get people to participate. Twitter is simple, you can email or txt msg a piece of information under 140 characters and have it published to the web for everyone to see and if people want they can follow you and be alerted to your message via email or txt msg as well.
This was exactly what I wanted for LFT411.
How does LFT411 work?
How does LFT411 work?
LFT411 works using some basic web or internet tools and technologies. Here is the basic list:
1. Email or SMS / Text Message
2. Blogger.com for the Blog Site (Actually for the RSS feed, I’ll explain later)
3. Twitter.com
4. TwitterFeed.com (takes RSS feed and publisher items to Twitter.com)
LFT411 isn’t really about any specific website or anything. It’s about information. Primarily about getting the information from anyone in Lafayette, Louisiana willing to provide it and making it available to anyone who wishes to access it from any mobile device.
I think LFT411 is best understood through a typical scenario on using LFT411:
- Jane is on her way to the Mall of Acadiana driving down Johnston St. at 11am. Traffic is at a stand still. She is slowly approaching the intersection of Camillia Blvd. and Johnston St. and can see an ambulance and police up ahead. As she gets closer it becomes apparent there is a bad accident.
- Jane knows that with noon fast approaching the traffic is only going to get heavier and could really create huge delays for people. She grabs her Blackberry or iPhone and sends a quick email to post@lft411.com saying “Accident at Camillia and Johnston. Long delays”
- Her email immediately gets posted to the http://www.lft411.com/ blog.
- Every 30 minutes twitterfeed.com copies posts off the blog and inserts them into Twitter.
- Joe is working in downtown Lafayette and has a lunch scheduled at noon at Coyote Blues.
- As Joe is leaving the office walking to his car he pulls out his cell phone and checks http://www.lft411.com/ or www.twitter.com/lft411
- He notices a post about a traffic accident at Camillia and Johnston indicating long delays. He realizes he will not make it to Coyote Blues in time taking his normal route down Johnston.
- Joe decides to take an alternate route down Congress to Ambassador to avoid the congestion and makes it to his lunch meeting in time.
This happy ending brought to you by Jane and LFT411.com. ;-)
Why LFT411?
LFT411 was started as a project to allow anyone in and around Lafayette, Louisiana to participate in publishing current news or events as its happening. We wanted a way to allow anyone to become a citizen journalist if you will so they can both send in news and photos as it was happening from anywhere but also the ability to view this information from anywhere at any time.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
LFT411 is Live!
Send in news, event notices, traffic accidents by simply emailing or text msg to post@lft411.com and have it published almost instantly on the blog and every 30 mins. on Twitter.
Here's to hoping for success and of course accurate and timely news and information!
Thanks,
LFT411
lft411@gmail.com