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The warning is contained in a draft statement released on Monday at a Brussels summit where leaders of the EU are meeting to discuss relations between Moscow and Tbilisi. The statement also condemned Russia's move to recognise the independence of the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, but it did not mention imposing sanctions. EU countries are split on whether Russia should face punitive measures and some are questioning whether the bloc can do anything to influence its largest energy supplier. "The European council is gravely concerned by the open conflict which has broken out in Georgia, by the resulting violence and by the disproportionate reaction of Russia," said the draft. "(The review) may lead to decisions on the continuation of discussions on the future of relations between the EU and Russia in various areas." The draft statement could yet change, and is seen as an attempt to bridge differences among members on how to treat Russia. France, Germany and Italy said any punitive action against the bloc's largest energy supplier would be premature, but Britain called on the 27-nation EU to suspend talks on a wide-ranging new partnership agreement with Russia in protest. Russia 'responsible' Before the summit opened, Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said Moscow's military intervention in Georgia had set a new standard for defending its national interests. "Russia has returned to the world stage as a responsible state which can defend its citizens," he declared, adding that the United States must "start adapting" to this reality. Russia defeated Georgia in a brief war last month after Tbilisi tried to recapture by force its separatist, pro-Russian region of South Ossetia. Moscow said it intervened to prevent 'genocide' by Georgia in South Ossetia. Meanwhile, in the streets of Tbilisi, more than one million Georgians protested against Russia, many linking arms and waving the red and white Georgian flag. The office of Dick Cheney, the US vice president, said he planned a trip including to Georgia this week despite the arrival of Hurricane Gustav on the US Gulf coast.
A second round of negotiations on the accord, due to cover energy and trade ties, is due on September 15. Diplomats said Jose Manuel Barroso, the EU commission president, also called at the summit for the September 15 talks to be cancelled. That stance contrasted with a conciliatory tone in Paris, where Francois Fillon, the French prime minister, said Nicolas Sarkozy, the president, was ready to embark soon on a new mediation trip between Georgia and Russia. Conciliatory step In an apparently conciliatory step, Russia said it wanted the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the EU to arrange an international police presence in buffer zones between Georgia and its breakaway regions. The EU is looking to send civilian monitors to Georgia, with officials saying its presence could reach a few hundred staff. Separately, Nato member Turkey began curbing Russian imports, in a move officials said followed delays to Turkish goods at the Russian border, since Ankara allowed two US ships to transit the Bosphorus Strait to provide aid to Georgia. "We don't want to apply these measures, but we are acting reciprocally," Kursad Tuzmen, the Turkish foreign trade minister, said. According to the draft EU leaders' summit declaration, the EU would look to make reconstruction aid available for Georgia and consider closer ties, including talks on a free trade deal and an easier visa regime for its citizens. Moscow has withdrawn most of its forces in line with a ceasefire deal but has kept soldiers in "security zones", which include Georgian territory around South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Western governments have demanded Moscow pull its troops back to pre-conflict positions, as it agreed to do under a French-brokered peace plan. The Kremlin says the troops are peacekeepers needed to protect the separatist regions from new Georgian aggression. Source:http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2008/09/2008911618960991.html |
Monday, September 1, 2008
EU to warn Russia over Georgia
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Monday, September 1, 2008
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EU leaders condemn Russia at summit
Labels: The Press AssociationEU leaders condemn Russia at summit
European Union leaders moved to condemn Russia's invasion of Georgia but stopped short of imposing sanctions on Moscow.An emergency summit of EU leaders in Brussels denounced the "disproportionate" Russian action and the Kremlin's "unacceptable" recognition of the two breakaway provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia at the centre of the conflict.
The leaders did agree to a call by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to freeze negotiations with Moscow on a new EU-Russia strategic partnership but offered little else by way of concrete action.
Mr Brown said the unusual step of calling an emergency summit was in itself "an immensely important signal" of the EU's determination to ensure justice for Georgia.
Emergency summits have only previously been held over the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
"While we do want good relations with Russia, I think it is pretty clear from what has happened over the last few weeks it cannot be business as usual," Mr Brown told reporters.
"Indeed, it will not be business as usual until things improve."
In the final communique, the leaders agreed that the EU-Russia strategic partnership talks, due to resume this month, would be postponed pending a "careful, in-depth examination" of relations with Moscow.
"With the crisis in Georgia, relations between the EU and Russia have reached a crossroads," it said.
"We call on Russia to join with us in making this fundamental choice in favour of mutual interest, understanding and co-operation. We are convinced that it is in Russia's own interest not to isolate itself from Europe."
EU leaders debate Russia ties as Georgians stage giant rally
Labels: AFPEU leaders debate Russia ties as Georgians stage giant rally
BRUSSELS (AFP) — EU leaders warned Monday that relations with Russia are at a "crossroads" because of the Georgia conflict, as hundreds of thousands of people staged an anti-Russian rally in the Georgian capital.
European heads of state and government went into an emergency summit on the Georgia crisis divided -- with eastern European nations and Britain pushing for a tough line against Moscow, and Germany and France leading nations opposed to any move that would provoke the Kremlin.
A draft summit declaration made no mention of sanctions over the five-day Georgia war, saying only that the European Union will be "vigilant" with Russia and expects it "to act responsibly, in line with all its commitments."
"The crisis in Georgia has placed relations between the EU and Russia at a crossroads," the draft stated, as EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said an EU observer mission could be deployed in Georgia within weeks.
Britain urged the suspension of negotiations on a new accord on EU-Russia relations. Talks are due this month. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called on the eve of the summit for a "root and branch" review of EU-Russia relations.
Poland went further, saying the 27-nation bloc should consider calling off an EU-Russia summit in October.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that while the EU must "speak clearly" over the crisis, the bloc "should not cut off dialogue" with Russia -- a major source of oil and gas for Europe.
The Kremlin ordered tanks and troops into Georgia to push back a Georgian offensive on August 7 to retake South Ossetia, a separatist region that broke away from Tbilisi in the early 1990s with Moscow's backing.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev upped the stakes last week by recognising the independence of South Ossetia and a second separatist region Abkhazia, drawing fierce criticism from the West.
Russian troops still hold positions in Georgia, serving in what Moscow describes as a peacekeeping mission. Tbilisi calls them an occupation force.
Hundreds of thousands of Georgians poured into the capital Monday to take part in what officials called the biggest protest in the country's history against the Russian action.
"Georgia is united as never before, there are one million people on the streets," President Mikheil Saakashvili told a huge crowd on Freedom Square in the capital that was awash with the red crosses of the national flag.
"Georgia will never stop resisting, Georgia will never surrender!" he added.
Huge posters depicting images of dead and injured from last month's fighting against Russia hung from buildings along the protest route.
r Simultaneous protests took place in several other towns -- and in European capitals -- against Russia's partial occupation of Georgia and its recognition of the two separatist provinces.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy convened the EU summit to formulate a "clear and united message" over the conflict. Talk of sanctions on Russia waned amid threats from Moscow of retaliatory measures.
The EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the bloc hoped to launch an observer mission to Georgia within weeks -- although where they would be able to operate remained unclear.
He said an "exploratory mission" of around 40 people now was on the ground.
Russia indicated it would support an international police mission to Georgia to help maintain security around the two breakaway regions.
"Such a presence could be deployed under a mandate of the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) with the support of the European Union," foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko told journalists.
Medvedev has been unrepentant, warning that Moscow was ready to retaliate against sanctions and that there was "no turning back" on his decision to recognise Georgia's rebel regions.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned against any attempts to break the close relationship between Russia and Germany and said it was Georgia not Russia that should be subject to an arms embargo.
"Today's European Union summit should reveal a lot. We expect a choice to be made that is based on the core interests of Europe," Lavrov said.
Saakashvili portrayed the Georgian military assault on South Ossetia as a pre-emptive strike.
In an interview published Monday by the Swedish daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter, he alleged that Russia had been meticulously planning its military action.
"The invasion was very well-planned for several months and no one in the international community stopped them," Saakashvili said.
Many critics have said Georgia brought the incursion on itself by attacking South Ossetia.
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Gustav slams La. coastline west of New Orleans
Labels: The Washington PostGustav slams La. coastline west of New Orleans
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and MARY FOSTER
The Associated Press
Monday, September 1, 2008; 1:49 PM
Wind-driven water sloshed over the top of the Industrial Canal's floodwall, but city officials and the Army Corps of Engineers said they expected the levees, still only partially rebuilt after Katrina, would hold. The canal broke with disastrous effect during Katrina, submerging St. Bernard Parish and the Lower Ninth Ward.
"We are seeing some overtopping waves," said Col. Jeff Bedey, commander of the Corps' hurricane protection office. "We are cautiously optimistic and confident that we won't see catastrophic wall failure."
In the Upper 9th Ward, about half the streets closest to the canal were flooded with ankle- to knee-deep water as the road dipped and rose. Of more immediate concern to authorities were two small vessels that broke loose from their moorings in the canal and were resting against the Florida Street wharf. There were no immediate reports of any damage to the canal.
Mayor Ray Nagin said the city won't know until late afternoon if the vulnerable West Bank would stay dry. Worries about the level of flood protection in an area where enhancements to the levees are years from completion was a key reason Nagin was so insistent residents evacuate the city.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Gustav hit around 9:30 a.m. near Cocodrie (pronounced ko-ko-DREE), a low-lying community in Louisiana's Cajun country 72 miles southwest of New Orleans, as a Category 2 storm on a scale of 1 to 5. Forecasters had feared the storm would arrive as a devastating Category 4.
The extent of the damage in Cajun country was not immediately clear. State officials said they had still not reached anyone at Port Fourchon, a vital hub for the energy industry where huge amounts of oil and gas are piped inland to refineries, as of noon. The eye of Gustav passed about 20 miles from the port and there are fears the damage there could be extensive.
Only one storm-related death, involving a woman killed in a car wreck, was reported in Louisiana.
Still, the storm could prove devastating to the region of fishing villages and oil-and-gas towns. For most of the past half century, the bayou communities have watched their land disappear at one of the highest rates of erosion in the world. A combination of factors _ oil drilling, hurricanes, levees, dams _ have destroyed the swamps and left the area with virtually no natural buffer against storms.
Also, damage to refineries and drilling platforms could cause gasoline prices at the pump to spike.
The nation was nervously watching to see how New Orleans would deal with Gustav almost exactly three years after Katrina flooded 80 percent of the city and killed roughly 1,600 people across the unprepared Gulf Coast.
This time, nearly 2 million people fled the coast, many of them under a mandatory evacuation order issed by the mayor of New Orleans. Federal, state and local officials took a never-again stance after Katrina and set to work planning and upgrading flood defenses in the below-sea-level city.
In New Orleans' Upper Ninth Ward, about half the streets closest to the Industrial Canal floodwall suffered minor flooding, with the water knee deep in places. Water poured over one spot of the floodwall; along the rest of the wall, it sloshed over, pushed by the wind.
"There's no indication of any walls in distress," said Robert Turner, regional levee director for the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East. "No trenches are being cut that will destabilize the walls. No indication of walls deflecting or anything being washed out. No evidence of major seepage."
For all their seeming similarities, Hurricanes Gustav and Katrina were different in one critical respect: Katrina smashed the Gulf Coast with an epic storm surge that topped 27 feet, a far higher wall of water than Gustav hauled ashore.
"We don't expect the loss of life, certainly, that we saw in Katrina," Federal Emergency Management Agency Deputy Director Harvey E. Johnson told The Associated Press. "But we are expecting a lot of homes to be damaged, a lot of infrastructure to be flooded, and damaged severely."
Katrina was a bigger storm when it came ashore in August 2005, and it made a direct hit on the Mississippi coast. Gustav skirted along Louisiana's shoreline at "a more gentle angle," said National Weather Service storm surge specialist Will Shaffer.
Initial reports indicated storm surge of about 8 feet above normal tides, but forecasts indicated up to 14 feet in surge was possible.
"Right now, we feel we're not going to have a true inundation," said Karen Durham-Aguilera, director of the $15 billion project to rebuild the Army Corps of Engineers' levee and floodwalls in the New Orleans-area.
Still, Nagin urged everyone to "resist the temptation to say we're out of the woods." He said Gustav's heavy rainfall could still flood the saucer-shaped city over the next 24 hours as tropical storm-force winds blast through the city. Winds were 36 mph near City Hall on Monday morning, with higher gusts.
Nagin's emergency preparedness director, Lt. Col. Jerry Sneed, said residents might be allowed to return 24 hours after tropical storm-force winds die down. The city would first need to assess damage and determine if any neighborhoods were unsafe.
The only storm-related death in Louisiana reported by state police involved a woman who drove off Interstate 10 and hit a tree between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Gustav was also blamed for at least 94 deaths in the Caribbean as it made its way toward the Gulf Coast.
Gusts snapped large branches from the majestic oak trees that form a canopy over New Orleans' St. Charles Avenue. About 500,000 customers in south Louisiana were without power at midday, but officials in New Orleans said backup generators were keeping city drainage pumps in service.
On the high ground in the French Quarter, the wind whipped signs and the purple, green and gold Mardi Gras flags hanging from cast-iron balconies. Like the rest of the city, the Quarter's normally boisterous streets were deserted save for a police officer standing watch every few blocks and a few early morning drinkers in the city's world-famous bars.
"We wanted to be part of a historic event," said Benton Love, 30, stood outside Johnny White's Sports Bar with a whiskey and Diet Coke. "We knew Johnny White's would be the place to be. We'll probably switch to water about 10 o'clock, sober up, and see if we can help out."
Public officials warned in the days leading up to the storm that anyone leaving their homes after a dawn-to-dusk curfew was imposed would be thrown in jail.
Evacuees watched TV coverage from shelters and hotel rooms hundreds of miles away.
Harmonica player J.D. Hill said he was standing in line Monday morning to get into a public shelter in Bossier City in northwestern Louisiana after waiting on a state-provided evacuation bus that carried him to safety.
He described a frustrating scene outside the shelter, where elderly evacuees and young children had to wait to be searched and processed before going inside.
"There's the funky bus bathrooms, people can't sleep, we're not being told anything. We're at their mercy," he said.
Hill was the first resident of the Musicians' Village, a cluster of homes Harry Connick Jr. and fellow New Orleans musician Branford Marsalis built through Habitat for Humanity after Katrina. The village provides housing for musicians and others who lost their homes to Katrina.
In Mississippi, officials said a 15-foot storm surge flooded homes and inundated the only highways to coastal towns devastated by Katrina. Officials said at least three people near the Jordan River had to be rescued from the floodwaters. Elsewhere in the state, an abandoned building in Gulfport collapsed and a few homes in Biloxi were flooded.
Gustav was the seventh named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. The eighth, Tropical Storm Hanna, was strengthening about 40 miles north of the Bahamas. Forecasters said it could come ashore in Georgia and South Carolina late in the week.
Associated Press writers Becky Bohrer, Janet McConnaughey, Robert Tanner, Cain Burdeau, Alan Sayre, and Allen G. Breed contributed to this report from New Orleans. Vicki Smith in Houma and Doug Simpson in Baton Rouge also contributed. Michael Kunzelman reported from Lafayette, La., and Holbrook Mohr contributed from Gulfport, Miss.
THANK:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/01/AR2008090100474.html More... »»
Gustav seen as less costly than Katrina for insurers
Labels: REUTERSGustav seen as less costly than Katrina for insurers
By Lilla Zuill
Mon Sep 1, 2008
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hurricane Gustav, which came ashore southwest of New Orleans on Monday morning, is expected to trigger significant insurance claims but far less than record-setting Katrina did three years ago.
"This is a significant, catastrophic event but insurers anticipate these, and Gustav will be manageable from a financial perspective," said Robert Hartwig, president of the Insurance Information Institute, an industry-funded nonprofit organization in New York.
Gustav, a dangerous Category 4 hurricane a few days ago, hit shore near Cocodrie, Louisiana, about 70 miles southwest of New Orleans late on Monday morning, as a Category 2 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity, one step below Katrina's strength when it made landfall.
EQECAT Inc, which helps insurers model catastrophe risk, said it estimated insurance losses from Hurricane Gustav, after it made landfall, will range from $6 billion to $10 billion, primarily in Louisiana.
Damage from Katrina to the port city of New Orleans and along the Gulf coast, including parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, triggered insurance claims in excess of $40 billion in 2005.
While New Orleans was buffeted by strong winds on Monday there were no immediate reports of breaches of the barriers that gave way three years ago, flooding 80 percent of the city and stranding thousands of people.
Since 2005, Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp, a state-funded carrier, has stepped in to provide significant coverage, lessening exposure for the industry.
A significant portion of insurance losses from Katrina stemmed from business interruption claims because it took weeks, even months, for some to reopen for business after the devastation.
"I expect these losses to be very small compared to 2005," said Hartwig.
Among commercial insurers, American International Group Inc, Travelers Group, Louisiana Workers' Compensation Corp, a mutual insurer, and Zurich Financial Services Group are the largest providers, writing about one-third of total coverage, according to figures compiled by ratings agency A.M. Best & Co.
Among private providers of homeowners insurance, State Farm Group, a large mutual insurer, and Allstate Corp together provide nearly half of the coverage in Louisiana.
Damage to offshore oil and gas rigs in the Gulf of Mexico is also likely to be less than in 2005, when Katrina, and several weeks later, Hurricane Rita, caused a total of $5 billion in energy company insurance claims.
"As Gustav did not strengthen as it passed through the main offshore platforms, we do not expect major losses of the kind of Katrina," said Risk Management Solutions (RMS) in a bulletin posted on its Web site on Monday.
RMS said the maximum significant wave height recorded for Katrina was 55 feet in the Gulf, the highest ever recorded, while the height of waves from hurricane Gustav had been 30 feet.
RMS provides risk models to insurers and other financial companies.
(Editing by John Picinich)
thank:http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSN0130284020080901?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0 More... »»
NY GOP Puts A (Mostly) Positive Spin On News Of Palin's Daughter
Labels: NY Daily NewsNY GOP Puts A (Mostly) Positive Spin On News Of Palin's Daughter
New York Republicans - admittedly a moderate bunch as Republicans go and so perhaps not an accurate bellweather as to the overall GOP response - largely took the news that Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter is pregnant in stride.
Rep. Peter King called the matter "a personal family issue" and something that is indicative of the kind of problems many modern families face.
He said he didn't expect much political fallout, particularly since the Palin family is walking their pro-life talk by having their daughter keep the baby.
"There are real challenges for young people today," King said. "If it was the candidate himself or herself it would be a different story. If there's anything to look at, it's how the family is responding, and this family is responding with unity."
Aaron Biller, a 54-year-old alternate delegate and PR specialist who lives in Rep. Charlie Rangel's district, took the a-parent-can-only-do-so-much attitude, pointing out that VP Dick Cheney's daughter is gay, which is also not in keeping with the GOP party line.
(Cheney's daughter, Mary, campaigned on her father's behalf, but I'm not sure we're going to see five-months-pregnant Bristol Palin hitting the campaign trail anytime soon).
"I'm a parent, and as a parent all you can do is lead your children down the right path," Biller said. "It's not something that goes along with the party values, but it would probably be more shocking if she had an abortion."
Former Assemblyman Bob Straniere, a GOP congressional candidate (NY-13) and a pro-life Jew (he's Jewish on his mother's side, Italian on his father's and was raised in a Jewish home), called the news about Bristol Palin "something that happens to American families," and echoed King by saying: "These things happen to very many people, what's important is how you address it."
Not everyone here at the Marriott was so unmoved, however.
Thank:http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2008/09/ny-gop-puts-a-mostly-positive.html
In pictures: Hurricane hits US
Labels: BBC NEWSIn pictures: Hurricane hits US
After leaving a trail of destruction throughout the Caribbean, Hurricane Gustav finally crashed into the US coast on Monday afternoon.
thank:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7592283.stm
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Sunday, August 31, 2008
Chef's set to feed an army in New Orleans thanks to Hurriance Gustav
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Sunday, August 31, 2008
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Chef's set to feed an army in New Orleans thanks to Hurriance Gustav
BY Helen Kennedy
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Sunday, August 31st 2008, 10:56 PM
New Orleans chef Steve Carden preps his jumbo gumbo pot for when Gustav heats up.
NEW ORLEANS - Steve Carden dragged his 10-gallon cast-iron gumbo pot through the deserted streets of the French Quarter Sunday, determined to cook his way through the storm.
"I always wanted to feed an army," he said, as a convoy of National Guardsmen trundled by. "Now I get to!"
Carden, 32, the cook at a well-known bar called Molly's at the Market, hoped to keep serving his po-boys, steaks and tacos throughout the storm.
MCCAIN ORDERS REPUBLICAN CONVENTION CURTAILED FOR GUSTAV
"I'm going to be able to say 'I cooked through Gustav. I ran an entire restaurant by myself during a frickin' hurricane!'" he said.
Carden was living in Wisconsin and cooking at a hotel when he saw the 2005 Katrina tragedy play out on TV and decided to move here.
"I fell in love with the city," he said. "I can't leave now."
The gumbo pot, which he called "my black cauldron," will be put into use if the power goes out. He has a propane stove to slow-cook the roux, a big wooden paddle to stir the gumbo and plenty of sausage and chicken.
"The only thing I'm worried about right now is my freezer," he said, as the first breezes of the onrushing storm began to lazily stir the air.
Rather than fret about the storm, he was eager to show off his pineapple-rum barbecue sauce, a tangy creation he hopes to one day bottle. "I knew I had a winner when people started doing body shots of this," he bragged.
Behind the bar was Marsha Kerasidis, who moved to New Orleans just two months ago from Los Angeles - assuming there was no way the city would get hit by lightning twice.
"In L.A., when there's a big earthquake, you pretty much can count on there not being another one for at least 10 years," said Kerasidis, 41. "I thought for sure there wouldn't be another hurricane here for another 100 years. Oops!"
thank:http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/09/01/2008-09-01_untitled__chef01m.html More... »»
Unlike in '05, New Orleans residents are packing their bags, leaving town IN '08, EASY OUT
Labels: NY Daily NewsUnlike in '05, New Orleans residents are packing their bags, leaving town IN '08, EASY OUT
BY TAMER EL-GHOBASHY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Sunday, August 31st 2008, 11:13 PM
A steady stream of cars heads north bound on Intersate 55 south of Jackson, Mississippi, aspart of the estimated 1.9 million residents who followed the mandatory evacuation order.
NEW ORLEANS - Even the most stubborn of the Big Easy's residents left behind the homes and traditions they cherish Sunday for the assured safety - and discomfort - of public shelters or far-away family.
"I'm not going through this again," said Claude Rollins, 47, as he packed his pickup truck in front of the Lower Ninth Ward home he was born into.
MCCAIN ORDERS REPUBLICAN CONVENTION CURTAILED FOR GUSTAV
"I don't want to hear people wailing 'Help me! Help me!' for days. I don't want to hear that again," said Rollins, who spent three days on his roof after Katrina struck three years ago.
What compelled many here to stick it out during Katrina - pride, tenacity, or the lack of help from authorities - is gone.
READ HELEN KENNEDY'S BLOG FROM NEW ORLEANS
The 2005 disaster is still raw in their minds.
Lessons have been learned.
LIVE: FOLLOW TROPICAL STORM GUSTAV'S PATH
Rollins stood at the corner of North Dorgenois and Charbonnet Sts., where his home was one of the few spared the wrath of Katrina.
His neighborhood is marked by large swaths of overgrown lawns and bare foundations where his neighbors' homes once stood.
Rollins decided to stay the last time in order to protect his home and everything in it from looters. This time, it's safety first.
"I sat there [on my roof] for days and nights thinking help would arrive at any minute," he said. "Then I gave up. I don't even want to feel myself let go again. It's hard to get over that."
Oneal Brock, 63, was another holdout in 2005, refusing to leave the home that's been in his family since 1957.
Sunday, his daughter picked him up and took him to Atlanta to ride out the storm.
He worked after Katrina to repair the damage from the storm and was one of the few to stay in the neighborhood.
Now, with the possibility of another deluge, Oneal, a retired dock worker, is not sure he could stand to rebuild.
"If it's like Katrina, I'm not coming back," he said. "I don't want to lose this house, but it'll take a whole generation to build this back up. I won't be around."
Even in the city's French Quarter, the bravado of the business owners and residents who stayed in the face of Katrina's misery was gone.
The narrow streets and famed balconies were empty.
Bars, restaurants and cabarets were boarded up. The last time, many stayed open.
For potential holdouts, there were few options.
City officials insisted there was no place safe in New Orleans and those who failed to comply with orders to evacuate should not expect "rescue or refuge."
The Superdome, used as a massive relief center in 2005, was padlocked and the once chaotic Convention Center, where a woman was left to die in a wheelchair, was now operating as an orderly base for the National Guard.
In recent days, an estimated 1.9 million people have been evacuated from the Louisiana coast for shelters as far away as Alabama, Arkansas, Texas and Missouri.
"I never thought I'd be in this situation again," Tonya McBride, 37, said as she sat on a few pieces of luggage while she waited with her three kids for a bus out of town.
The last time, she spent several uneasy days in the Superdome after wading through filthy flood waters to get there.
"Thank God, I didn't have to swim here," she said. "I'm never making that mistake again."
"I'm not going through this again," said Claude Rollins, 47, as he packed his pickup truck in front of the Lower Ninth Ward home he was born into.
MCCAIN ORDERS REPUBLICAN CONVENTION CURTAILED FOR GUSTAV
"I don't want to hear people wailing 'Help me! Help me!' for days. I don't want to hear that again," said Rollins, who spent three days on his roof after Katrina struck three years ago.
What compelled many here to stick it out during Katrina - pride, tenacity, or the lack of help from authorities - is gone.
READ HELEN KENNEDY'S BLOG FROM NEW ORLEANS
The 2005 disaster is still raw in their minds.
Lessons have been learned.
LIVE: FOLLOW TROPICAL STORM GUSTAV'S PATH
Rollins stood at the corner of North Dorgenois and Charbonnet Sts., where his home was one of the few spared the wrath of Katrina.
His neighborhood is marked by large swaths of overgrown lawns and bare foundations where his neighbors' homes once stood.
Rollins decided to stay the last time in order to protect his home and everything in it from looters. This time, it's safety first.
"I sat there [on my roof] for days and nights thinking help would arrive at any minute," he said. "Then I gave up. I don't even want to feel myself let go again. It's hard to get over that."
Oneal Brock, 63, was another holdout in 2005, refusing to leave the home that's been in his family since 1957.
Sunday, his daughter picked him up and took him to Atlanta to ride out the storm.
He worked after Katrina to repair the damage from the storm and was one of the few to stay in the neighborhood.
Now, with the possibility of another deluge, Oneal, a retired dock worker, is not sure he could stand to rebuild.
"If it's like Katrina, I'm not coming back," he said. "I don't want to lose this house, but it'll take a whole generation to build this back up. I won't be around."
Even in the city's French Quarter, the bravado of the business owners and residents who stayed in the face of Katrina's misery was gone.
The narrow streets and famed balconies were empty.
Bars, restaurants and cabarets were boarded up. The last time, many stayed open.
For potential holdouts, there were few options.
City officials insisted there was no place safe in New Orleans and those who failed to comply with orders to evacuate should not expect "rescue or refuge."
The Superdome, used as a massive relief center in 2005, was padlocked and the once chaotic Convention Center, where a woman was left to die in a wheelchair, was now operating as an orderly base for the National Guard.
In recent days, an estimated 1.9 million people have been evacuated from the Louisiana coast for shelters as far away as Alabama, Arkansas, Texas and Missouri.
"I never thought I'd be in this situation again," Tonya McBride, 37, said as she sat on a few pieces of luggage while she waited with her three kids for a bus out of town.
The last time, she spent several uneasy days in the Superdome after wading through filthy flood waters to get there.
"Thank God, I didn't have to swim here," she said. "I'm never making that mistake again."
thank:http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/09/01/2008-09-01_unlike_in_05_new_orleans_residents_are_p-1.html More... »»
Crude Oil, Gasoline Advance as Gustav Cuts Production, Refining
Labels: News BloombergCrude Oil, Gasoline Advance as Gustav Cuts Production, Refining
By Gavin Evans and Margot Habiby
Sept. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil and gasoline futures rose as Hurricane Gustav approached the U.S. Gulf coast, halting most regional oil and gas output and shutting local refineries.
Gustav, about 260 miles (415 kilometers) south-southeast of New Orleans, will make landfall along the Louisiana coast later today as a ``major'' hurricane, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Wind and sea conditions have reduced the chances of ``significant intensification,'' the center said.
``There are still some production rigs in the way'' of a major storm, said Gerard Burg, energy and minerals economist at National Australia Bank Ltd. in Melbourne. ``We're just going to have to wait and see what kind of impact it's going to have.''
Crude oil for October delivery rose $1.55, or 1.3 percent, to $117.01 a barrel in after-hours electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 8:40 a.m. in Singapore. Prices, which dropped 7 percent in August, are up 22 percent this year.
Gulf Coast refineries have cut at least 1.56 million barrels a day of production, about 9.8 percent of the U.S. total. Eight refineries have announced shutdowns, while another five have reduced capacity.
Personnel from more than 70 percent of the platforms and rigs in the Gulf have been evacuated as the storm approaches, the U.S. Minerals Management Service said in a statement on its Web site yesterday. About 1.25 million barrels a day of oil and 6.09 billion cubic feet of gas have been shut, or more than 96 percent of offshore oil output and 82 percent of gas production.
`Better Prepared'
Gasoline for October delivery gained 7.18 cents, or 2.5 percent, to $2.9260 a gallon on the exchange. Electronic transactions started early to allow market participants to respond to Gustav. Trades will be dated Sept. 2 because of today's Labor Day holiday in the U.S.
``We're more prepared for this storm than we ever have been for any hurricane that I remember,'' said Phil Flynn, senior trader at Alaron Trading Corp. in Chicago. ``We're better prepared, and demand isn't that strong anyway, so I'm about as optimistic as I can be in this type of disastrous situation.''
Brent crude oil for October settlement rose $1.35, or 1.2 percent, to $115.40 a barrel on the ICE Futures Europe Exchange today.
The Gulf of Mexico accounts for 26 percent of U.S. oil production and 14 percent of natural-gas output. The Gulf normally produces about 1.3 million barrels of oil and an estimated 7.4 billion cubic feet of gas a day, according to the agency, part of the U.S. Interior Department.
Natural Gas
Natural gas for October delivery fell 17.1 cents, or 2.2 percent, to $7.772 per million British thermal units.
Chevron's Sabine Pipe Line LLC began to shut its pipelines and the Henry Hub natural gas connection point in Louisiana as mandatory evacuations were declared. Henry Hub, in Erath, Louisiana, is the pricing point for Nymex natural-gas futures.
Hurricane Katrina struck the U.S. Gulf coast on Aug. 29, 2005, with winds near 130 miles-an-hour, flooding 80 percent of New Orleans, killing 1,800 people in Louisiana and Mississippi and causing more than $80 billion in damage.
The storm reached Category 5 status, the strongest type of hurricane, before hitting land. Oil rose as much as 5.4 percent on Aug. 30 to a then-record $70.85 a barrel after Katrina closed 95 percent of offshore output in the Gulf of Mexico.
Almost 19 percent of U.S. refining capacity was idled because of damage and blackouts caused by hurricanes Katrina and then Rita, which made landfall Sept. 24, 2005.
Gustav Forecast
Gustav, earlier downgraded from Category 4, was packing winds of 115 miles an hour, the hurricane center said in its 7 p.m. local time advisory. While the storm may strengthen as it heads toward Louisiana, continuing wind shear and its track away from deep, warm currents in the Gulf ``reduces the chances of significant intensification.''
Oil futures have fallen 20 percent from the record $147.27 a barrel reached on July 11 as the rising U.S. dollar reduced the appeal of commodity investments and on signs of slowing global economic growth.
Prices reached a three-month low of $111.34 a barrel on Aug. 15 before rising as diplomatic tensions increased over Russia's occupation of parts of Georgia.
``Fairly weak'' demand and the International Energy Agency's early commitment to free up reserves if needed has damped the reaction to Hurricane Gustav, Edward Meir, an analyst at MF Global Ltd. in Stamford, Connecticut, said in a Bloomberg television interview.
While major damage may push oil as high as $125 a barrel, prices are otherwise likely to quickly resume their slide after Gustav has passed, he said.
``If it's Category 3 without any major damage, $105 is possible'' by October, Meir said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Gavin Evans in Wellington at gavinevans@bloomberg.net; Margot Habiby in Dallas at mhabiby@bloomberg.net.
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New Orleans residents, government officials ready for Hurricane Gustav
Labels: NY Daily NewsNew Orleans residents, government officials ready for Hurricane Gustav
BY HELEN KENNEDY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Hurricane Gustav rolls into New Orleans Sunday evening as city braces for biggest storm since Katrina.
Gustav is coming in at a category three with winds up to 125 mph. NOAA
Gustav is coming in at a category three with winds up to 125 mph.
NEW ORLEANS - Mayor Ray Nagin and President Bush promised the frightened people of New Orleans to get it right this time as the first licks of Hurricane Gustav lashed the evacuated Gulf Coast Sunday night.
More than 1.9 million people hit the roads for the safety of shelters far and wide, officials said.
MCCAIN ORDERS REPUBLICAN CONVENTION CURTAILED FOR GUSTAV
"This just shows that if you have a plan and you have the resources and everyone is on the same page, you can get the job done," said Nagin, who was roundly criticized - along with Bush - for the handling of the killer Katrina disaster in 2005.
Close cooperation among officials across the Gulf Coast, from Mississippi to Texas, had enabled the smooth evacuation, said Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. By last night, as the wind-swept rains blew in and the sky over Jackson Square suddenly turned black, the Big Easy was a ghost town. "It's the largest evacuation in Louisiana history," Jindal said.
READ HELEN KENNEDY'S BLOG FROM NEW ORLEANS
With the storm coming in as a monstrous Category 3, with winds of 125 mph, no one was sure if the partially rebuilt levees protecting the city would hold.
If New Orleans floods, or sustains dramatic damage, there are fears many of the evacuees will never return and the city of jazz and jambalaya could perish.
One thing does seem sure this time: The outrageous spectacle of people stranded and forgotten for days on the roofs of their homes, begging for help, likely won't be repeated.
LIVE: FOLLOW TROPICAL STORM GUSTAV'S PATH
Virtual ghost town
Most of New Orleans' poor were bused away, and Nagin estimated only about 10,000 people were left in the city of 300,000.
Jindal said 8,000 nursing homes and 27 hospitals had moved their patients, three of whom died in the evacuation, and 11,000 rescue workers stood poised to help the recovery. "This is the model now," Nagin said. "It's still a pretty scary storm, but I'm feeling much better about the number of people who have evacuated."
Nagin was notably relaxed, even jovial, in a flurry of local TV appearances after issuing so many grim warnings of doom.
Bush, whose popularity never recovered from his administration's bungled response to Katrina and his seeming indifference at the start of the catastrophe, took pains to tell evacuees that this time he was involved and ready to help.
"Know that the American people stand with you. We'll face this emergency together," said Bush, who canceled plans to attend the GOP convention and headed to meet with rescue workers in Texas.
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Hub residents with Gulf Coast ties wait, worry as storm looms
Labels: The Boston GlobeHub residents with Gulf Coast ties wait, worry as storm looms
By James Vaznis, Globe Staff
Hurricane Gustav could not have come at a worst time for Sherry West. The 36-year-old Boston resident was planning to move back to New Orleans in the next few months and had sent her 16- and 14-year-old sons there a few weeks ago to stay with her parents to begin their school year.
But Saturday night her parents loaded up a car, took her sons, and fled for Georgia, leaving behind a foundation recently poured for a new home to replace the one lost during Hurricane Katrina three years ago.
And now West is unsure about returning to the Big Easy.
"I'm so worried," said West, who along with her family stayed for several days in the convention center during Katrina. "I hope they make their way up here."
West was among local Hurricane Katrina survivors who were relieved today that relatives still living in New Orleans had left the city ahead of Gustav, but worried about them returning once the storm passes.
"Will they still have the energy to rebuild in an area that hasn't recovered yet from Hurricane Katrina?" said Deborah Barabino, 51,who relocated three years ago to Mattapan with her elderly mother and a nephew, now 12. "Three years later, they are still discussing the post-traumatic
stress of that storm."
Hurricane Katrina caused more than 1,400 deaths and billions of dollars of damage, forcing more than 1,100 evacuees to come to Massachusetts. Already, Gustav has killed more than 80 people and caused millions of dollars in damages as it passed through the Caribbean, and forecasters are predicting today that Gustav could deliver a powerful punch to the Gulf region.
"I think it's unbelievable that three short years after Katrina this community is faced with another horrific situation," said the Rev. Jeffrey Brown, a pastor at Union Baptist Church in Cambridge who has worked with Katrina evacuees.
"One of the things I was astounded by when the Katrina situation happened was the resiliency of the people and their faith in God that things would get better," Brown said. "With a tragedy as big as Katrina I thought they would be broken in faith. I imagine that faith will come through again."
Barabino said her family decided not to test fate with their lives by staying in New Orleans. This morning, two sisters drove to Atlanta and a third sister headed to Dallas. A brother, who requires regular dialysis for a failing kidney, left for Jackson, Miss., Saturday night.
"They learned their lessons," said Barabino.
During Katrina, the family got split up during evacuation. A sister went to get a Coca-Cola, just as the family was planning to leave. They searched for her, but could not locate her anywhere. With the storm quickly approaching, they made the painful decision to go.
The sister remained in the city through the storm and its aftermath, sleeping in Barabino's car, which was parked on the highest story of a parking garage -- out of reach of the flood waters -- and had been stocked with emergency supplies, including bottled water. Eventually, she left and reunited with the family.
Barabino, who came to Boston because a sister lived here, said she was happy that her family's evacuation this time around appeared to have gone smoothly.
"We believe God will take care of us, which he did the last time" Barabino said.
Throughout much of today, Pamela Gillard, 56, of Newton, prayed for her 23-year-old son, mother-in-law, and other family members as they left New Orleans, some bound for Dallas and others to Mississippi.
Mandatory evacuation along with media reports on Gustav's destruction in the Caribbean persuaded them to abandon their initial plans to hunker down in New Orleans.
It was a sharp difference from Katrina, when her approximately 90-year-old mother-in-law had to be taken out of her home by force.
"At least I know they are out of harm's way," Gillard said. "They've been keeping me abreast by cellphone. ... I feel a lot better than before."
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New Orleans Residents Flee as Gustav Closes In
Labels: Washington PostNew Orleans Residents Flee as Gustav Closes In
Mayor Nagin Orders a Curfew Following Evacuation; Hurricane On Track to Hit Gulf Coast Monday
By Dana Hedgpeth and Jacqueline L. Salmon
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, August 31, 2008; 12:18 PM
NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 31 -- Mayor Ray Nagin Sunday ordered a curfew for New Orleans that was to go into effect at sunset as the Gulf Coast awaited Hurricane Gustav, a deadly tropical storm packing winds of more than 120 mph that appeared to be on track to slam into the coast Monday.
Nagin, who has ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city, said that efforts were going smoothly and more than 14,000 people have been moved out of the city by bus or train. Those buses will cease operation this afternoon. He warned that looting will not be tolerated in the wake of the storm and anyone caught stealing would be sent immediately to the state penitentiary in Angola.
Thousands of residents of New Orleans and other coastal communities moved inland Sunday to escape Gustav.
The White House, citing the need to prepare for the hurricane, announced that President Bush and Vice President Cheney would not go to the Republican National Convention in Minnesota.
By late-morning Sunday, the storm was located about 325 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and was moving northwest through the central Gulf of Mexico at about 17 mph, according to the National Weather Service. Although the storm weakened a bit overnight, it is predicted to regain strength Sunday and could again become a Category Four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale before its expected landfall on Monday.
The National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning from Cameron, La., to the Alabama-Florida border, including New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain.
Local TV news stations reported Sunday that highways leading out of New Orleans were packed but no major problems were reported. Television images of Interstate 10 near Houston showed bumper to bumper traffic. Authorities also are advising people not to head east on I-10 toward Florida, Alabama or Mississippi because of 20-mile backups Saturday around Mobile, Ala., where officials there said they weren't prepared for the onslaught of people fleeing the storm.
Federal and local relief officials began preparations for the storm last week, and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff was expected to fly to Louisiana again Sunday. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, are scheduled to make a stop in Jackson, Miss., Sunday to be briefed on the preparations for the storm, which threatened to overshadow the Republican Party convention that begins Monday.
Nagin Saturday night ordered a mandatory evacuation of this city. "This is the real deal, not a test," Nagin said as he issued the order, effective 9 a.m. Eastern time Sunday for low-lying areas and 1 p.m. citywide. He warned residents that staying would be "one of the biggest mistakes of your life."
Sunday morning, Jefferson County Parish -- with more than 431,000 people living on low-lying land south and west of Orleans -- called for a mandatory evacuation for the first time in its history. Along with widespread flooding, forecasters are also predicting the possibility of tornadoes as Gustav pushes in.
"We don't have homes that were built to withstand this kind of system," said parish president Aaron Broussard.
Forecasters warned that it was still too soon to say whether New Orleans would take a direct hit from Gustav late Monday, but the storm's threat, coming three years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated a broad swath of the Gulf Coast, drew a hefty amount of wary respect from city, state and federal officials.
McCain: Hurricane Gustav May Suspend RNC
Labels: ABC NEWSAugust 30, 2008 4:08 PM
ABC News' Karen Travers reports: In an interview with Fox News' Chris Wallace that will air Sunday morning, Sen. John McCain indicated that the GOP convention could be suspended because of Hurricane Gustav."It wouldn't be appropriate to have a festive occasion while a near tragedy or a terrible challenge is presented in the form of a natural disaster," McCain told Wallace.
McCain said that he has been in touch with the governors of the Gulf Coast states—where Gustav is expected to make landfall—and that his campaign would continue to monitor the now-Category 4 storm.
"I'm afraid, Chris, that we may have to look at that situation and we'll try and monitor it. I've been talking to Governors Jindal [La.], Barbour [Miss.], Riley [Ala.], Crist [Fla.], I've been talking to all of them," McCain told Wallace. "So we're monitoring it from day to day and I'm saying a few prayers too."
A Republican convention official tells ABC News, however, that at this point, there are no plans to cancel the convention but there are several contingency plans that are being looked at in terms of delegation travel and the program of speakers. Both Crist and Jindal are scheduled to speak at the convention this week, but no decisions have been made yet on their plans to come to Minneapolis-Saint Paul.
This official says the Republican National Convention Committee is "still moving forward with opening the convention on Monday" as planned and notes that there is official business that has to happen at the convention, like the actual nomination of John McCain and the platform ratification.
The RNCC has issued the following statement from 2008 Republican National Convention President and CEO Maria Cino:
"Like all Americans, our prayers are with those who will be affected by Hurricane Gustav. We continue to closely monitor the movement of the storm and are considering necessary contingencies. We are in communication with the Gulf state governors to make sure the convention is taking all the appropriate steps as the hurricane progresses. The safety of our affected delegations is our first priority and preparing for Gustav comes before anything else."
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Gustav Crashing Party: McCain, GOP Say Hurricane May Slam Convention
Labels: ABC NEWSMcCains Keep 'Close Eye' on Hurricane, but RNC Not Considering Cancellation
With Hurricane Gustav bearing down on the Gulf Coast, Republican officials -- including presumptive presidential nominee Sen. John McCain and his wife, Cindy -- are suggesting that this week's Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., may get scaled back or even suspended.
"It wouldn't be appropriate to have a festive occasion while a near tragedy or a terrible challenge is presented in the form of a natural disaster," Sen. McCain told Fox News' Chris Wallace in an interview that will air Sunday morning.
Cindy McCain told ABC News' "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" in another interview to air Sunday that she and her husband are leaving all options on the table for restructuring the convention.
"We're keeping a very close eye on what this hurricane is doing," she said. "If it looks like it's going to hit, we will, obviously, drastically change our plans.
"This is not a time to celebrate."
However, a Republican convention official told ABC News today that the Republican National Convention Committee is "still moving forward with opening the convention on Monday" as planned.
The official noted that there is official business that is required to happen at the convention, like the actual nomination of John McCain and the platform ratification -- but added contingency plans are being considered regarding delegation travel and the program of speakers. Both Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal are scheduled to speak at the convention.
"Like all Americans, our prayers are with those who will be affected by Hurricane Gustav," 2008 Republican National Convention president and CEO Maria Cino said in a written statement. "We continue to closely monitor the movement of the storm and are considering necessary contingencies.
"We are in communication with the Gulf state governors to make sure the convention is taking all the appropriate steps as the hurricane progresses," the statement added. "The safety of our affected delegations is our first priority and preparing for Gustav comes before anything else."
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Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, superimposed in foreground, is talking about the possibility of adjusting the program at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., shown in background.
(ABC News Photo Illustration)"It wouldn't be appropriate to have a festive occasion while a near tragedy or a terrible challenge is presented in the form of a natural disaster," Sen. McCain told Fox News' Chris Wallace in an interview that will air Sunday morning.
Cindy McCain told ABC News' "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" in another interview to air Sunday that she and her husband are leaving all options on the table for restructuring the convention.
"We're keeping a very close eye on what this hurricane is doing," she said. "If it looks like it's going to hit, we will, obviously, drastically change our plans.
"This is not a time to celebrate."
However, a Republican convention official told ABC News today that the Republican National Convention Committee is "still moving forward with opening the convention on Monday" as planned.
The official noted that there is official business that is required to happen at the convention, like the actual nomination of John McCain and the platform ratification -- but added contingency plans are being considered regarding delegation travel and the program of speakers. Both Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal are scheduled to speak at the convention.
"Like all Americans, our prayers are with those who will be affected by Hurricane Gustav," 2008 Republican National Convention president and CEO Maria Cino said in a written statement. "We continue to closely monitor the movement of the storm and are considering necessary contingencies.
"We are in communication with the Gulf state governors to make sure the convention is taking all the appropriate steps as the hurricane progresses," the statement added. "The safety of our affected delegations is our first priority and preparing for Gustav comes before anything else."
New Orleans Mayors Warns of 'Storm of the Century'
Labels: ABC NEWS Unlike most of his neighbors, New Orleans resident Larry Denny isn't worried enough about Hurricane Gustav to leave.
Never mind that his house flooded during Hurricane Katrina, the stress cracks in his roof have yet to be fixed and he and his wife felt it was necessary to get two guard dogs and an armory of weapons to ward off looters that roamed their street back in 2005.
Denny says that there is "no way" he and his wife Charlotte will evacuate New Orleans.
"Why do we stay?" asked Denny, who was raised in Louisiana and returned to New Orleans 15 years ago to settle in Orleans Parish, just north of the French Quarter. "Because we know the government won't protect our house, so we have to."
As of early Sunday morning, the National Hurricane Center reported that Gustav had weakened slightly overnight from a Category 4 hurricane to a Category 3, and had sustained wins of 120 mph. The hurricane is predicted to regain strength as it moves north Sunday.
"I won't be coming back to a shell," said Denny, who added that just like he rode out Katrina he'll do it again for Gustav, which is predicted to make landfall on the northern Gulf Coast on Monday at its current clip of 16 mph.
In a press conference Saturday evening, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin had strong words for his citizens who might be too stubborn to evacuate despite warnings and, as of early Sunday morning, mandatory evacuation orders.
"This is going to be the storm of the century," said Nagin, admitting that while he's usually "very calm," this time is different.
"You need to be scared," said Nagin. "This is the mother of all storms, and I'm not sure we've seen anything like this."
In the surrounding states, evacuations are also under way. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley declared a mandatory evacuation for much of the state, and areas of Mississippi and Texas were also preparing to move people north in anticipation of the storm.
Contraflow is in effect in both Louisiana and Mississippi to help last-minute stragglers drive north.
According to Texas Gov. Rick Perry's office, the state was preparing to house the overflow of Louisianans as they head north. Perry estimates that as many as 45,000 evacuees may seek shelter in Texas, many of whom the state plans to fly to northern cities such as San Antonio and Dallas/Fort Worth.
Mayor, Residents Doubt Readiness of City, Levees
As the National Hurricane Center predicts Gustav will bring water surges between 18 and 25 feet, Nagin did not hesitate to cast doubt in the mind of citizens who might think the city's levees, which have been under construction since they failed during Katrina, would ward off the hurricane.According to Nagin, the levees simply won't be tall enough.
"This is the real deal," said Nagin. "The levees [in the city of New Orleans] are probably 8 to 10 feet high."
By EMILY FRIEDMAN
NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 31, 2008
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Travel/story?id=5694076&page=1
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New Orleans to impose dusk-to-dawn curfew
Labels: USA TODAY
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin says the city will impose a dusk-to-dawn curfew when the sun sets today at 6:23 p.m. local time.
"Looting will not be tolerated," he says. "We have double the police force, double the Nation Guard force we had for Katrina and looters will go directly to jail. You will not get a pass this time. As a matter of fact, anybody who's caught looting in the city of New Orleans will go directly to Angola -- directly to Angola. You will not have a temporary stay in the city. You go directly to the big house, in general population."
The city-assisted evacuation plan is due to end at noon, but Nagin says they'll continue relocating people out of the city until the middle of the afternoon.
He has asked members of the City Council to join key staffers to Baton Rouge, where they will set up a "governmental station" so "we can pass ordinances and government can continue to function."
(Photo by Rob Curtis, USA TODAY.) More... »»
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