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Thousands flee Hurricane Gustav Hurricane Gustav batters US coast
(about 11 hours later)
Hundreds of thousands of people have been fleeing the southern US coast as Hurricane Gustav approaches land. Hurricane Gustav has made landfall south-west of New Orleans, battering the US Gulf coast with torrential rain.
Authorities have ordered the evacuation of New Orleans and an estimated 1.9 million people along the Gulf coast have been heading inland. Despite being downgraded to a Category Two storm, Gustav snapped power cables and choked storm drains in New Orleans.
The Category Three storm is expected to make landfall at midday local time. A sea surge was feared and water was clearing levees, but they were expected to hold, according to officials.
The storm has prompted the Republicans to scale back their national convention where John McCain is due to accept the party's nomination for president. "We are cautiously optimistic... we won't see catastrophic wall failure," said Col Jeff Bedey, head of the unit responsible for flood defences.
President George W Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney have scrapped plans to address the event in St Paul, Minnesota on Monday. US President George W Bush has flown to Austin, Texas, about 400 miles (640km) west of where the storm made landfall in Louisiana, to oversee the government response.
Dangerous surges "This storm has yet to pass. It's a serious event," he said at a briefing by emergency officials. But he insisted that the emergency response to Gustav "is a lot better than during Katrina" - the hurricane that wreaked havoc three years ago.
At 0600 GMT on Monday, the eye of Gustav was about 125 miles (200km) south-east of the Louisiana coast. href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/americas_enl_1220198437/html/1.stm" onClick="window.open('http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/americas_enl_1220198437/html/1.stm', '1220198686', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=466,height=335,left=312,top=100'); return false;">Predicted route of Hurricane Gustav (31 August 2008) href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/americas_enl_1220198437/html/1.stm" onClick="window.open('http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/americas_enl_1220198437/html/1.stm', '1220198686', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=466,height=335,left=312,top=100'); return false;" >In pictures Mr Bush praised those who had heeded the warnings to evacuate, saying he understood how hard it was for citizens to "pull up stakes".
Forecasters at the US National Hurricane Center say that at the current speed, the centre of the storm would hit the coast by midday local time. Ghost town
The US National Hurricane Center warned Gustav was packing winds of 115 mph (185km/h) and could bring "extremely dangerous" storm surges 14ft (4.2m) above normal. Isolated tornadoes are also possible in the area. An estimated two million people have headed inland from the Louisiana coast to escape the hurricane - the largest evacuation in state history.
A dusk-to-dawn curfew is in force in New Orleans, which is described as being like a ghost town. The 7,000-strong Louisiana national guard has been mobilised and support requested from other states. The New Orleans mayor has warned looters will be sent to jail. Many New Orleans residents have fled, with only 10,000 residents left from a population of 200,000.
Crime was a major problem in the New Orleans area in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which hit the city three years ago, causing disastrous floods. Tens of thousands are also reported to have left coastal Mississippi, Alabama and south-eastern Texas.
The exodus of an estimated 1.9 million people from the Louisiana coast is said to be the largest evacuation in state history. The BBC's Kevin Connolly, who is in New Orleans, says in some streets the storm drains are already beginning to choke through the sheer weight of rain.
It is a ghost town - with only traffic lights at an intersection flickering from red to green and back again; there are no cars, our correspondent says.
The NHC said Gustav's winds could bring "extremely dangerous" storm surges of up to 14ft (4.2m) above normal. Isolated tornadoes are also possible in the area.
There aren't any windows but there are two sturdy doors so we feel secure; we're just drinking and watching TV and staying calm really Cian Heasley In a bar in New Orleans Hurricane Gustav as it happensIn pictures: Gustav's approachTracking Gustav on the web Levees in and around New Orleans were expected to hold, but the storm's surge could overtop the defences and partially flood the city, said Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman Harvey Johnson.
Damage from Gustav "will be a catastrophe by the time you add it all up," he told the Associated Press news agency.
"We don't expect the loss of life, certainly, that we saw in Katrina," he said. "But we are expecting a lot of homes to be damaged, a lot of infrastructure to be flooded, and damaged severely."
In 2005, three-quarters of New Orleans was flooded by a storm surge that claimed more than 1,800 lives in coastal areas.
The Category Three storm Katrina swept away the city's levees under a wall of mud and water.
Few remainFew remain
Roads out of New Orleans - much of which lies below sea level - were crammed with traffic throughout Sunday. FLASHBACK TO KATRINA Katrina struck US Gulf Coast in August 2005 as a category three storm, killing more than 1,800 peopleNew Orleans was 80% flooded after storm surge breached protective leveesUS Government was blamed for slow, botched response that exacerbated disasterHundreds of thousands of people were displaced class="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/americas/05/katrina/html/default.stm">Flashback: Hurricane Katrina Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal issued a final plea on Sunday to those who decided to stay and ride out the storm.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal appealed to residents: "If you're hearing this, seeing this, if you've not evacuated, please do so. There's still a few hours left." In New Orleans, a dusk-to-dawn curfew is in force. The 7,000-strong Louisiana National Guard has been mobilised and support requested from other states.
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin told local TV only about 10,000 residents remained in the city, where rain began falling at sunset on Sunday. href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/americas_enl_1220283858/html/1.stm" onClick="window.open('http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/americas_enl_1220283858/html/1.stm', '1220284061', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=600,height=478,left=312,top=100'); return false;">The storm threatened protective walls as it approached New Orleans href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/americas_enl_1220283858/html/1.stm" onClick="window.open('http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/americas_enl_1220283858/html/1.stm', '1220284061', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=600,height=478,left=312,top=100'); return false;" >Enlarge Image Crime was a major problem in the New Orleans area in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which hit the city three years ago, causing disastrous floods.
He said the first storm winds could hit New Orleans at daybreak on Monday and Gustav could reach Category Four strength. The New Orleans Mayor, Ray Nagin, has warned looters will be sent to jail.
The BBC's Kevin Connolly, in New Orleans, says the mood among the city's remaining residents is of hope and fear. Our correspondent says the mood among the city's remaining residents is of hope and fear.
Sandra Taylor, from Lafayette, Indiana, is visiting her daughter, who had a baby nine days ago.Sandra Taylor, from Lafayette, Indiana, is visiting her daughter, who had a baby nine days ago.
"Where we live it's not in a flood zone, and we're quite sheltered," she said. "There's a few that have battened down, and sealed all the windows and stuff and disappeared. But there's a lot of other neighbours around, so I think we're just going to play the three little pigs - if one house blows away, we'll shift to the next one.""Where we live it's not in a flood zone, and we're quite sheltered," she said. "There's a few that have battened down, and sealed all the windows and stuff and disappeared. But there's a lot of other neighbours around, so I think we're just going to play the three little pigs - if one house blows away, we'll shift to the next one."
In 2005, three-quarters of New Orleans was flooded by a storm surge that claimed more than 1,800 lives in coastal areas. Cian Heasley, who has joined a few other friends at a bar in New Orleans, says he is "waiting out the storm with two generators, a lot of liquor and food".
All eyes will now be on the city's levees, which Category Three storm Katrina swept away under a wall of mud and water. "We feel quite safe at the moment. There aren't any windows but there are two sturdy doors so we feel secure. We're just drinking and watching TV and staying calm really," he said.
The storm has already claimed the lives of more than 80 people in the Caribbean, causing widespread damage in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica over the past week. Levee worry
At least 300,000 people were evacuated in Cuba as the storm brought extensive flooding and some severe damage, but no reports of deaths. Restaurant worker Dustin Goza agreed. FLASHBACK TO KATRINA Katrina struck US Gulf Coast in August 2005 as a Category Three storm, killing more than 1,800 peopleNew Orleans was 80% flooded after storm surge breached protective leveesUS Government was blamed for slow, botched response that exacerbated disasterHundreds of thousands of people were displaced class="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/americas/05/katrina/html/default.stm">Flashback: Hurricane Katrina
"In some ways it's good that people are being given a chance to prepare but I think it's also an overreaction," he said.
"I've put some tape up in preparation around windows but that's it."
Concern for those facing the hurricane has prompted the Republican party to scale back its national convention where Senator John McCain is due to accept the party's nomination for president at the event in St Paul, Minnesota later this week.
Mr McCain told his party that "this was one of those moments in history where you have to put America first. We will not see the mistakes of Katrina repeated".
There will be no political speeches on the first day of the convention but Laura Bush, the first lady and Cindy McCain, John McCain's wife, will speak about contributing to a relief effort.
Out in the Gulf of Mexico, most oil production has been shut down. Three years ago, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged the region's oil infrastructure and sent oil prices soaring.
Gustav has already claimed the lives of more than 80 people in the Caribbean, causing widespread damage in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica over the past week.
In Cuba, the storm brought extensive flooding and some severe damage, but no reports of deaths.
Have you been affected by Gustav? Are you preparing for its arrival? Send us your comments and experiences using the form below.Have you been affected by Gustav? Are you preparing for its arrival? Send us your comments and experiences using the form below.
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