New Orleans gets ready as Gustav strengthens
Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 9:30 pm
NEW ORLEANS: Scarred by still-fresh memories of Katrina and spooked by Hurricane Gustav’s rapid move toward Category 5 strength, an estimated 1 million residents fled the U.S. Gulf Coast Saturday rather than brave the deadly storm taking aim at Louisiana.
Residents took to buses, trains, planes and cars clogging roadways leading away from New Orleans, still reeling three years after Hurricane Katrina flooded 80 percent of the city and killed about 1,600 people across the region.
Gustav has already killed more than 80 people in the Caribbean, and if current forecasts hold up, it would make landfall Monday afternoon along Louisiana’s central coast.
That would spare New Orleans from a direct hit, but forecasters warned it was still too soon to say exactly where the storm would go. Residents were not taking any chances judging by the bumper-to-bumper traffic pouring from the city. Gas stations along interstate highways were running out of fuel, and phone circuits were jammed.
Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said they were surprised at how quickly Gustav gained strength as it charged toward Cuba. It went from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane in about 24 hours, and was likely to become a Category 5 with sustained winds of more than 155 mph (249 kph) or more by Sunday.
“That puts a different light on our evacuations and hopefully that will send a very clear message to the people in the Gulf Coastto really pay attention,” said Federal Emergency Management Agency chief David Paulison.
On Saturday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch for Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and part of Texas. A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 36 hours.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Gustav had sustained winds of 150 mph (240 kph) with higher gusts as the heart of the storm began hitting Cuba’s outlying island province of Isla de Juventud on Saturday afternoon.
New Orleans residents were streaming out of the city even though a mandatory evacuation order had not yet been issued for the city. Hotels closed, and the airport prepared to follow suit. Mayor Ray Nagin, saying the danger to the city was growing, told tourists toleave. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chert off planned to travel to Louisiana on Sunday to observe preparations.
President George W. Bush called Gulf Coast governors Saturday and told them they would have the full support of the federal government, White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said.
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