Posted on 09/02/2005 2:22:21 PM PDT by joinedafterattack
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco said that it was President Bush that had called and urged the state to order the evacuation.
New Orleans orders evacuation Hurricane Katrina's winds nearly 175 mph
Sunday, August 28, 2005; Posted: 11:47 a.m. EDT (15:47 GMT)
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin declared a state of emergency on Sunday and ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city as Hurricane Katrina churned toward the city with maximum sustained winds of nearly 175 mph.
All of Orleans Parish falls under the order except for necessary personnel in government, emergency and some other public service categories.
People who are unable to evacuate were told to immediately report to a designated shelter.
"I wish I had better news for you, but we are facing a storm that most of us have feared," Nagin said. "I do not want to create panic, but I do want the citizens to understand that this is very serious and it's of the highest nature."
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco said that President Bush had called and urged the state to order the evacuation.
About 485,000 people live in the city, and many began evacuating before sunrise.
Blanco said that westbound traffic was heavy and that the state police was urging people to travel to the north or east.
Shelters have been set up at 10 sites, including the Superdome, for people who cannot leave the city for medical or other reasons, but Nagin said they should be used only as a "last resort." (See video from New Orleans, where not all are ready to leave)
He said people who must stay in the shelter should bring enough food, water and supplies to last several days.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said low-lying areas along the Gulf Coast could expect storm surges of up to 25 feet as the Category 5 storm makes landfall early Monday.
Officials fear New Orleans is vulnerable because it sits an average of 6 feet below sea level. (Watch video of how New Orleans reacted to warning)
Nagin said the storm surge would likely topple the levy system that protects the city.
"It has the potential for a large loss of life," said Max Mayfield, director of the NHC. (Watch CNN meteorologist explain storm outlook)
Katrina is blamed for at least seven deaths in Florida, where it made landfall Thursday as a Category 1 hurricane. As much as 18 inches of rain fell in some areas, flooding streets and homes. (See video of the damage floodwaters left in one family's new house)
At 10 a.m. ET, Katrina was centered about 225 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. It was moving to the west-northwest at about 12 mph.
NHC forecaster Ed Rappaport said Katrina's strength could fluctuate before it reaches shore but noted the difference between a high Category 4 and a low Category 5 was practically inconsequential.
"There will be extensive to potentially catastrophic damage to many structures ... and inland," he said. "We'll have a lot of trees that are going to come down, perhaps millions of trees. But the first threat is going to be the storm surge. You must get away from the coast now."
By 8:30 a.m. ET, the first bands of rain were falling over southeastern Louisiana.
CNN meteorologist Brad Huffines said the Katrina would come ashore "sometime between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m." Monday.
"The news doesn't get good, unfortunately," he said. "These rain showers will slow down the evacuation process, and that means you need to hit the road quickly, very quickly."
Worst-case scenario In worst-case scenarios, most of New Orleans would end up under 15 feet of water, without electricity, clean water and sewage for months. Even pumping the water out could take as long as four months to get started because the massive pumps that would do the job would be underwater.
"People in New Orleans tend to think that the storm we've always planned on would never come," Louisiana National Guard Lt. Col. Pete Schneider said. "But people need to heed that warning."
Rappaport cautioned that New Orleans was not the only area threatened -- the storm's hurricane winds spread out as far as 100 miles. As far east as Mobile, Alabama, forecasters warned of storm surges reaching 8 to 10 feet.
Hurricane warnings were posted from Morgan City, Louisiana, eastward to the Alabama-Florida state line, including New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions, including winds of at least 74 mph, are expected in the warning area within the next 24 hours.
A tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch were issued from the Alabama-Florida state line eastward to Destin, Florida, and from west of Morgan City to Intracoastal City, Louisiana. Another tropical storm warning was issued Sunday from Intracoastal City, Louisiana, west to Cameron, Louisiana, and from Destin, Florida, eastward to Indian Pass, Florida.
A tropical storm warning means tropical storm conditions, including winds of at least 39 mph, are expected within 24 hours. A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible, usually within 36 hours.
Governors of both Louisiana and Mississippi declared emergencies Friday in anticipation of the strengthening storm.
Robert Latham, director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, said the state was recommending evacuations along the coast "and even several counties inland." Mandatory evacuations could follow later, he said.
Category 5 is the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity. Only three Category 5 hurricanes have made landfall in the United States since records were kept. Those were the Labor Day hurricane of 1935, 1969's Hurricane Camille and Hurricane Andrew, which devastated the Miami area in 1992. Andrew remains the costliest U.S. hurricane on record, with $26.5 billion in losses.
Camille came ashore in Mississippi and killed 256 people.
Oil production cut U.S. energy companies said U.S. Gulf of Mexico crude oil output was cut by more than one-third on Saturday due to the threatening storm, Reuters reported.
The Gulf of Mexico is home to roughly a quarter of U.S. domestic oil and gas output, with a capacity to produce about 1.5 million barrels per day of crude and 12.3 billion cubic feet per day of gas. (Full story)
Many oil platforms and rigs in the Gulf of Mexico have been evacuated. ((Watch the video of drilling crews securing rigs and seeking safety.)
CNN's David Mattingly, Susan Candiotti, Jacqui Jeras and Rob Marciano contributed to this report.
Link doesn't work. That was quick.
If, after this New Orleans fiasco, gangs are able to continue to exist in huge numbers in SF, Chicago, Detroit, NYC, Washington, Baltimore, Atlanta, Boston, Memphis, you name it, then we are a nation are truly screwed...for the integrity of our cities CAN NOT BE GUARANTEED in the event of a major pandemic, or weapons of mass destruction attack such as a suitcase nuke.
I second that thanks for the post. People have short memories. Another good Freep! I love the Internet!!!!!
From the Google cache can? Why wouldn't CNN have this story still up?
That's BS. Look at the predicted storm track as of Friday.
This was from CNN? WOW.
EXACTLY!!
Great find.
The left has gone blog crazy forwarding the rants from the mayor and Lord Ho Ho (Michael Moore) blaming Bush for the flood.
I've gotten sick of their partisan crap.
I support the President but I don't support the flood.
Bump for later read.
Yes, I do wonder why CNN's version is different. And no mention of President Bush asking for the evacuation. Hmmmm?!?
Of course Bush was on top of this. We all know that. I would like to focus on the rescue and recovery aspect but these donkeys keep wanting to go political on this.
Bump
I don't know but Scare America has been postulating that in Bush's mind (Karl Rove?) there is no emergency federal support for Democrat cities and strongholds.
Liberalism is a mental disorder.
Yep, would of been MORE then willing to declare a temp truce with my fellow Democrat Citizens too. Unfortunately the scum in the "News Media" have to hype this up instead of just REPORTING the News. For eample the Levees should be plugged by this time tomorrow.
I'll try to find out when President Bush made that call. I'm sure it is documented somewhere. Maybe another FReeper may also have this information. I'm just furious about the politicizing of this national tragedy by those whose main focus is to tear down President Bush. It's sick and disgusting, and THAT is an understatement.
bttt
"...I could never understand why they did not assist those without cars to evacuate with any buses that might be available..."
They'll probably blame W because gasoline prices were too high and they couldn't afford it.
"Gov. Haley Barbour declared a state of emergency on Saturday and forecasters predicted the storm to make landfall anywhere from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana.
Mike Womak, deputy director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, said that Hancock County was the only area of the state under a mandatory evacuation order on Saturday afternoon.
"However, all three coastal counties are in the process of making their final preparations for issuing their evacuation notices," Womak said, adding the orders could be issued Saturday or Sunday."
"The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency also urged people to heed the orders."
"I'm very concerned about people in Mississippi and Louisiana who have watched these storms the past two years hit Florida and Alabama and may have a little lackadaisical attitude toward this thing," FEMA director Michael Brown told AP Radio.
Hurricane Katrina could plow through Mississippi beginning as early as Monday
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