New Orleans Battens Down for Gustav With Curfew and Mass Evacuation
Mayor Ray Nagin warns residents they are facing the 'storm of the century'
Hundreds of thousands of people streamed out of New Orleans and other parts of America's Gulf coast yesterday as authorities ordered an immediate evacuation in the face of Hurricane Gustav.
Ray Nagin, the mayor, warned residents they were facing the "storm of the century". "This is the real deal, not a test," he said.
Gustav's arrival comes just days after the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina which devastated New Orleans in 2005 and left more than 1,000 people dead and caused $30bn (£16.5bn) in damage, a disaster from which the city has not yet recovered.
Nagin imposed a curfew, effective from sunset last night, and warned that any looters would be sent directly to Louisiana's main prison, the feared Angola penitentiary.
The coming storm forced the Republicans to scrap much of their four-day convention, which had been scheduled to begin today in Minneapolis-St Paul to launch the presidential campaign of John McCain. George Bush and Dick Cheney, the vice-president, canceled plans to speak at the convention tonight.
Bobby Jindal, Louisiana's governor, warned that surges from the storm could mean that the waters would overflow levees. He ordered tens of thousands of members of the National Guard to deploy in readiness to help with relief operations. Weather forecasters said in spite of losing some power since hitting Cuba on Saturday, Gustav was still creating winds that could intensify to 150 mph.
In New Orleans yesterday, the evacuation appeared better organized than in 2005. The poorer wards looked like ghost towns, with only a few stragglers boarding up windows and packing up to get out - though not everyone was leaving.
"I'll get on the roof and wait," said army veteran William LeBlanc. "I've got a loaf of bread and a slice of ham and ton of water. I say my prayers every day."
The main tourist district, the French Quarter, was eerily subdued. Bars, hotels and souvenir shops had locked their doors, some with lights still on or music playing with no-one to hear. Although the district is on high ground and escaped flooding last time, a few buildings had panels of wood hammered over the doors and windows just in case. One stood out with bright pink sprayed letters: "Don't even think about it Gustav."
Ray Nagin, the mayor, warned residents they were facing the "storm of the century". "This is the real deal, not a test," he said.
Gustav's arrival comes just days after the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina which devastated New Orleans in 2005 and left more than 1,000 people dead and caused $30bn (£16.5bn) in damage, a disaster from which the city has not yet recovered.
Nagin imposed a curfew, effective from sunset last night, and warned that any looters would be sent directly to Louisiana's main prison, the feared Angola penitentiary.
The coming storm forced the Republicans to scrap much of their four-day convention, which had been scheduled to begin today in Minneapolis-St Paul to launch the presidential campaign of John McCain. George Bush and Dick Cheney, the vice-president, canceled plans to speak at the convention tonight.
Bobby Jindal, Louisiana's governor, warned that surges from the storm could mean that the waters would overflow levees. He ordered tens of thousands of members of the National Guard to deploy in readiness to help with relief operations. Weather forecasters said in spite of losing some power since hitting Cuba on Saturday, Gustav was still creating winds that could intensify to 150 mph.
In New Orleans yesterday, the evacuation appeared better organized than in 2005. The poorer wards looked like ghost towns, with only a few stragglers boarding up windows and packing up to get out - though not everyone was leaving.
"I'll get on the roof and wait," said army veteran William LeBlanc. "I've got a loaf of bread and a slice of ham and ton of water. I say my prayers every day."
The main tourist district, the French Quarter, was eerily subdued. Bars, hotels and souvenir shops had locked their doors, some with lights still on or music playing with no-one to hear. Although the district is on high ground and escaped flooding last time, a few buildings had panels of wood hammered over the doors and windows just in case. One stood out with bright pink sprayed letters: "Don't even think about it Gustav."
Use the feedback form below to submit your comments.
Use the form below to email this article to your friends.
- Hurricane Gustav: the Path of Destruction
- Hurricane Gustav: New Orleans Empties for Next Storm of the Century
- Hurricane Gustav: Fuzzy Science Confounds Predictions
- New Orleans Braced for Chaos As Hurricane Looms
- Hurricane Gustav Hits Cuba
- Weather: Florida Keys Evacuated As Deadly Fay Builds to Hurricane Strength
- Insurer Hiscox Stays Cool As Hurricanes Wreak Havoc
- Hurricanes Bring Orange Growers a Windfall
- Thunderstorm Facts
- Hurricane Storms
- Hurricane Rita Victim Found in Home 18 Months After the Storm
- As Thousands of Gulf Coast Residents Left, Hispanics Moved In
- Hurricane "Victims" Live It Up at Taxpayers’ Expense
- Hurricane Destruction Revives Ancient Traditions of Master Craftsmen
- New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin Backtracks on Inflammatory Comments
- Hurricane Wilma Cuts Off the Florida Keys
- Dealing with "Hurricane Pain"
- Hurricane Kept Killer’s Parents from Seeing Son Before Execution
- The Deadly History of Hurricanes and Lessons That Must Be Learned
- Hurricane Dennis Causes Death and Destruction, But Less Than Ivan
- Typhoon Vs Hurricane Vs Cyclone
- Typhoon Vs Hurricane Vs Tornado
- Typhoon Vs Hurricanes
- Hurricane Categories: The Saffir-Simpson Scale
- Hurricane Preparedness Tips
- Facts about Hurricane Rita
- Hurricane-Proof Building
- How are Hurricanes Named
- Interesting Facts about Hurricanes
- What Can Make a Hurricane Lose its Power
- Famous Hurricanes of the World
- The Eye of a Hurricane
- Hurricane Andrew Facts
- Difference between Hurricane and Tornado
- Causes and Effects of Hurricanes