The threat of Gustav has residents questioning how safe they will be if they stay, and if their property will be protected if they evacuate.
Police say they have a plan...
09:27 PM CDT on Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Susan Edwards / Eyewitness News
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
AFP: Louisiana declares emergency ahead of possible hurricane hit
AFP: Louisiana declares emergency ahead of possible hurricane hit 
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AFP) — Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal Wednesday declared a state of emergency and announced plans to begin evacuating coastal areas ahead of the storm forecast to strike the state on Monday afternoon as a Category 3 hurricane.
Residents of New Orleans, in particular, were tracking the path of Gustav, which looked set to strike the Big Easy within days of the third anniversary of the devastating Hurricane Katrina.
Residents were warned to document the repairs they've done to their homes since Katrina smashed the city's levees, destroying tens of thousands of homes and killing nearly 1,500 people.
Just over half of the city's residents have returned and large swathes of the city remain abandoned to rot and ruin after floodwaters as high as 15 feet (4.5 meters) swallowed around 80 percent of New Orleans.
Meanwhile, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, who was criticized for his administration's botched response to Katrina, made plans to leave the Democratic National Convention early so he could help the city prepare for the oncoming storm.
The city's animal shelter began preparations to evacuate scores of animals to shelters in Texas and the state capital of Baton Rouge, and urged residents to include their pets in their evacuation plans.
Gustav Seems to be Headed Toward Louisiana
Gustav: The main weather story in the tropics is Gustav. The system has weakened to a Tropical Storm as it went over the western 
peninsula of Haiti yesterday. The mountains in Haiti have ripped up the storm. Winds are down to 60 mph, but the storm is sitting over water now as it slowly moves to the NW at 5 mph. A gradual turn to the west is forecast during the next few days, and the forward speed will pick up too. As it moves away from Haiti, it is forecast to strengthen back into a hurricane, and it could strengthen rapidly.
The forecast track calls for Gustav to be a Category 3 storm by
Saturday as it sits just to the south of Cuba. Then the storm is forecast to turn to the northwest, and head into the Gulf of Mexico by Sunday. Now the question on everyone's mind is where will it go from there?? At the moment, the track seems to take it toward Louisiana. By early Monday morning, the track has it sitting in the middle of the Gulf as a major hurricane. It is very likely it will maintain this strength since the water temperatures in the Gulf are in the mid to upper 80s - fuel for the storm.
HOWEVER, forecasting a perfect track 4 to 5 days out has a great deal of possible error. The storm could move 200 miles east or west of the center line, and that is why you NEVER just follow the center track of a storm. Look at the whole forecast cone!
We need to start preparing as if the storm might head toward Louisiana. Be sure to have your hurricane kit ready, and prepare your family as to what might need to be done ahead of time. Have a route planned to take if you live in an area that might need to be evacuated.
Read more at 2theadvocate.com Weather Blog
peninsula of Haiti yesterday. The mountains in Haiti have ripped up the storm. Winds are down to 60 mph, but the storm is sitting over water now as it slowly moves to the NW at 5 mph. A gradual turn to the west is forecast during the next few days, and the forward speed will pick up too. As it moves away from Haiti, it is forecast to strengthen back into a hurricane, and it could strengthen rapidly. The forecast track calls for Gustav to be a Category 3 storm by
Saturday as it sits just to the south of Cuba. Then the storm is forecast to turn to the northwest, and head into the Gulf of Mexico by Sunday. Now the question on everyone's mind is where will it go from there?? At the moment, the track seems to take it toward Louisiana. By early Monday morning, the track has it sitting in the middle of the Gulf as a major hurricane. It is very likely it will maintain this strength since the water temperatures in the Gulf are in the mid to upper 80s - fuel for the storm. HOWEVER, forecasting a perfect track 4 to 5 days out has a great deal of possible error. The storm could move 200 miles east or west of the center line, and that is why you NEVER just follow the center track of a storm. Look at the whole forecast cone!
We need to start preparing as if the storm might head toward Louisiana. Be sure to have your hurricane kit ready, and prepare your family as to what might need to be done ahead of time. Have a route planned to take if you live in an area that might need to be evacuated.
Read more at 2theadvocate.com Weather Blog
GOHSEP: Hurricane Gustav
The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) will keep the Crisis Action Team (CAT) activated to monitor Hurricane Gustav.
Although, Hurricane Gustav is too far out in the Atlantic to determine landfall, GOHSEP with its local, state and federal partners are closely monitoring this hurricane. GOHSEP will remain in contact with the National Weather Service (NWS) as well as the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Florida to get the most up-to-date information available on this hurricane as it progresses.
Hurricane Gustav was near 17.9N and 72.4W or about 50 miles south of Port au Prince, Haiti and about 240 miles southeast of Guantanamo, Cuba. Gustav is moving toward the northwest near 9 mph.
Maximum sustained winds are near 90 mph with higher gusts, which makes Gustav a Category 1 hurricane. Hurricanes are rated on the 5-step Saffir-Simpson scale, with Categories 3 or higher deemed ``major'' storms, with winds of 111 mph and higher. Weather models show the storm either heading in a westerly direction toward Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula or steering northwest and moving into the central Gulf of Mexico by early Sunday.
“As the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina lingers in the air we want to make sure that residents of Louisiana are better prepared for the next storm,” said Mark Cooper, GOHSEP Director, “Now is the time to make sure that you have an evacuation plan and know what to bring with you if Gustav threatens the coast of Louisiana.”
For updated information visit www.ohsep.louisiana.gov
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
La. on alert for Gustav — Baton Rouge, LA
Storm forecast as threat
A developing high-pressure system over Florida and the Bahamas holds the key to whether Louisiana residents will be bracing for a hurricane early next week, the state climatologist said Tuesday.
A developing high-pressure system over Florida and the Bahamas holds the key to whether Louisiana residents will be bracing for a hurricane early next week, the state climatologist said Tuesday.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said late Tuesday that Gustav had weakened to a tropical storm with winds near 70 mph. It is expected to regain hurricane strength today once it clears Haiti.
Forecasters said it could become a Category 2 hurricane with winds topping 96 mph Thursday as it moves between Cuba and Jamaica.
On Tuesday morning, hurricane forecast tracks showed that Tropical Storm Gustav could become a threat to Louisiana by Monday or Tuesday.
“The path is ominous for the state of Louisiana right now,” said Barry Keim, Louisiana state climatologist.
During a news conference in Baton Rouge on Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Bobby Jindal shared that concern and urged Louisiana residents to start preparing for the worst.
Jindal emphasized that although there is still a lot of uncertainty in the track Gustav could take, it’s not too early for families to make sure they’re prepared.
“Don’t wait for this weekend,” Jindal said. “Now is the time.”
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