New Orleans considers evacuation as Gustav looms Posted on August 27th
slammed into the Louisiana coast, New Orleans residents on
Wednesday again confronted the prospect of an evacuation as
Tropical Storm Gustav loomed.
Not since Katrina struck on August 29, 2005, have residents
faced a forced departure from their homes and businesses as
many still struggle to rebuild their lives in a city famed for
its jazz clubs and Mardi Gras festival.
Storm levees broke under the onslaught of Katrina, flooding
80 percent of New Orleans and killing almost 1,500 people in
the city and along the Gulf of Mexico coast. The hurricane
caused $125 billion in wind and flood damage.
With Tropical Storm Gustav swirling near Cuba and likely to
enter the Gulf of Mexico as a hurricane this weekend, Louisiana
Gov. Bobby Jindal said an evacuation could begin as early as
Friday — three years to the day after Katrina inundated New
Orleans.
Jindal said he had 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.
“We all need to be prepared and ready to respond, from the
citizen level and at every level of government,” Jindal said.
Jindal, elected as governor in October 2007, is hoping to
avoid heavy criticism that fell on his predecessor, Kathleen
Blanco, for not reacting quickly enough after Katrina.
Federal agencies and the New Orleans city government also
faced the wrath of residents over their response to the
disaster, while President George W. Bush was criticized for his
role, including his initial decision to view the devastated
city only from the air.
After Katrina, chaos broke out in New Orleans as stranded
flood victims waited days for help. Many residents who fled the
hurricane have not returned.
On Wednesday, Gustav drifted away from Haiti and the
Dominican Republic after killing 16 people. Forecasters warned
the storm may still become a dangerous hurricane in the Gulf of
Mexico, with their models showing it most likely on track to
hit anywhere from the Florida panhandle to Texas.
Jindal said if the threat continues, his state could make
700 buses available for assisted evacuations, which could begin
on Friday for people who need help due to medical or other
conditions.
He advised other residents of the southern parishes to
review their own emergency plans and be prepared to evacuate if
an order is given.
The state’s Office of Emergency Preparedness held a
conference call on Wednesday afternoon with the presidents of
all area parishes and emergency personnel to review current
conditions and disaster plans.
The Louisiana SPCA announced it would shut down its shelter
and begin evacuating the animals to other shelters.
(Editing by Chris Baltimore and John O’Callaghan)