NEW ORLEANS — Residents who try to ride out Hurricane Gustav will be making the biggest mistake of their lives, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin warned on Saturday.
“You need to be scared. You need to be concerned. You need to get your butts out of New Orleans. This is the storm of the century,” Nagin said.
Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for Westbank starting at 8 a.m. Sunday, and mandatory evacuations of the Eastbank will begin at noon.
“Riding it out would be the biggest mistake you could make in your life,” Nagin said.
Nagin warned that no emergency services will be available to residents who choose not to leave.
Nagin said 2005’s Hurricane Katrina came ashore as a Category 3 storm. Gustav is expected to hit as either a Category 4 or 5.
The footprint of Katrina was about 400 miles when it hit. Gustav currently has a footprint of 900 miles and continues to grow.
The National Hurricane Center on Saturday called Gustav an “extremely dangerous” storm. President George W. Bush has already declared a state of emergency, and promised full federal support to the Gulf Coast states.
“This storm could be just as bad — if not worse — than Katrina,” WDSU 6 WeatherPlus meteorologist Ron Smiley said.
The increase in the storm’s intensity comes as people line up for buses to take them out of New Orleans. Traffic is also heavier on main highways out of the city as residents head north.
“We’ve already moved 3,000 by train from New Orleans to Memphis,” Paulson said. “Between the buses, train and aircraft, there is no reason for anyone to ride out the storm in New Orleans. This is simply too dangerous of a storm.”