New Orleans fearing Gustav's fury

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By Audrey Hudson

As Tropical Storm Gustav churns past Cuba, U.S. federal emergency officials are warning that the lethal weather system will swing into the Gulf of Mexico this holiday weekend, creating hurricane-force winds, with the storm's eye projected on a path that points just east of New Orleans.

"People should definitely be paying attention to this, absolutely," said Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist and spokesman for the National Hurricane Center. "Especially with the holiday weekend coming up, people have plans and may not be focusing on what may be coming their way."

Gustav sustained 60 mph winds over Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where it killed 16 people earlier this week.

Forecasters said that when the storm hits the Gulf's warm waters, it could form into a Category 3 hurricane with winds as high as 115 mph striking the Louisiana coast by 8 a.m. on Labor Day.

Gustav approaches on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which entered the Gulf as a Category 3 storm on Aug. 29, 2005, before it quickly developed into a Category 5 hurricane that nearly devastated New Orleans.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said an evacuation in advance of Gustav could begin as early as Friday, three years to the day after Katrina inundated New Orleans.

Mr. Jindal said he activated the state's catastrophic-action team and could declare a state of emergency as early as Thursday. He also put the Louisiana National Guard on alert and will make 700 buses available for assisted evacuations.

"We all need to be prepared and ready to respond, from the citizen level and at every level of government," he said.

Katrina flooded nearly 80 percent of New Orleans and killed almost 1,500 people in the city and along the Gulf of Mexico coast. The storm caused $125 billion in wind and flood damage.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Wednesday reminded residents across the Gulf Coast region to be prepared for whatever path the storm takes, and to respond promptly to calls for evacuation.

Homeland Security officials said residents should have a three-day supply of water for each person in the family including pets, along with nonperishable food, a battery-powered radio, extra batteries, flashlight and medicine.

"Regardless of its predicted path, it is important for citizens in the Gulf Coast region to listen to what their local officials are advising over the course of the next few days and to take these simple steps to prepare," Mr. Chertoff said. "If residents make individual and family preparations, they make it easier for first responders to focus on people who can´t help themselves and need help first."

Mr. Feltgen agrees with Mr. Chertoff that now is the time to make sure residents have a hurricane evacuation plan in place, and to watch or listen to the local news to keep track of the storm's track.

"Once the hurricane warning flags are flying, it's too late to be thinking of a hurricane plan," he said.

Although the long-term projection points the storm directly at Louisiana, Mr. Feltgen said it's still too early to determine the exact point of landfall.

"A hurricane is not a dot on a map; these are large storms that affect a large piece of real estate at one time," he said.

"The cone of concern is anywhere from the extreme upper coast of Texas, all the way over to the Florida Panhandle," he said. "That's a lot of real estate, more than 600 miles."

This story is based in part on wire service reports.