Earth Equity News

Preparing for Mass Exodus as Gustav Gathers Strength. By Jacqueline L. Salmon and Spencer S. Hsu, WashPost, August 29, 2008. "Determined to avoid the mistakes made when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, officials began preparations for massive evacuations if it becomes clear that Tropical Storm Gustav will sweep over the region with the same force as Katrina... Most estimates projected that Gustav, which is expected to strengthen into a hurricane, would strike between Texas and Florida early next week... About 3,000 National Guard troops were on standby in Louisiana, 5,000 were readying in Texas and about 65,000 were available across the Gulf states, Guard officials said... Plans call for the evacuation of tourists in New Orleans and of sick, disabled and elderly people in Texas to begin 60 hours before the projected landfall of a major hurricane, to be followed by orders for the general population living in low-lying or flood-prone coastal areas, said R. David Paulison, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. For many residents of the New Orleans area, the memories of Katrina, which devastated the city and killed more than 1,800 people, are still fresh... New Orleans officials were prepared to order the evacuation of all 325,000 city residents, providing transportation for 30,000 people... Gustav struck Jamaica on Thursday, two days after it slammed into Haiti as a Category 1 hurricane. It triggered massive flooding and landslides that killed at least 59 people in Haiti and eight more in neighboring Dominican Republic. After it clears the Jamaican coast, the storm is expected to again become a hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. Another tropical storm, Hanna, has formed farther east in the Atlantic Ocean. It was too early to predict whether it could threaten the United States."