Hurricane Gustav Continues March To Gulf

71 Dead In Caribbean; New Orleans Considers Evacuation As Potential Cat. 3 Hurricane Looms

(CBS/ AP)  Gustav became a hurricane again on Friday and moved through the Cayman Islands, the start of a buildup that could take it to the U.S. Gulf Coast as a fearsome Category-3 storm three years after Hurricane Katrina.

Gustav, which killed 71 people in the Caribbean, on Friday evening reached the Cayman Islands, a tiny offshore tax haven studded with resorts and cruise-ship souvenir shops, on track to next hit Cuba's cigar country and heading into the Gulf of Mexico by Sunday.

Well-heeled tourists fled Cayman hotels by air, while Katrina victims in Mississippi still living in emergency cottages and trailers were told to evacuate beginning this weekend.

Hotels on the Cayman Islands asked guests to leave, then after the airport closed prepared to shelter those who remained. Chris Smith, of Frederick, Maryland, said his hotel handed out wrist bands marked with guests' names and room numbers so that "if something happens they can quickly identify us."

"That was a little bit sobering," he said, standing outside the hotel with his luggage.

About 20 islanders waited for the storm in a high school gym.

"If people give you a shelter, you should take it," said Pamela Hall, 52.

The storm killed four people in a day-long march across the length of Jamaica, where it ripped off roofs and downed power lines. About 4,000 people were displaced from their homes, with about half relocated to shelters.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding said the government sent army helicopters Friday to rescue 31 people trapped by floods. At least 59 people died in Haiti and eight in the Dominican Republic.

Western Cuba is bracing for the expected assault by Gustav which could be a category 2 or 3 hurricane by the time it crosses the Isle of Youth, south of Havana, Saturday before hitting the famed cigar territory of Pinar del Rio, reports CBS News producer Portia Siegelbaum.

Cuban TV reports that over 12,000 residents of Pinar del Rio are being evacuated Friday night. The tobacco harvest has been moved to safe locations and the population is doing the best it can to secure the roofs of their home-palm thatched roofs are being tied down with rope in the hope of preventing them from being blown out.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Gustav could grow to a Category 3 storm, with winds above 111 mph, by the time it hits the U.S. Gulf coast next week. Gustav could strike anywhere from the Florida Panhandle to Texas, but forecasters said there is a better-than-even chance that New Orleans will get slammed by at least tropical-storm-force winds.

As much as 80 percent of the Gulf of Mexico's oil and gas production could be shut down as a precaution if Gustav enters as a major storm, weather research firm Planalytics predicted. Oil companies have already evacuated hundreds of workers from offshore platforms.

Retail gas prices rose Friday for the first time in 43 days as analysts warned that a direct hit on Gulf energy infrastructure could send pump prices hurtling toward $5 a gallon. Crude oil prices ended slightly lower in a volatile session as some traders feared supply disruptions and others bet the government will release supplies from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Late Friday night, Gustav was centered 25 miles west-southwest of Little Cayman Island, moving northwest near 10 mph. The hurricane center said top winds were to near 80 mph.

"Gustav could become a major hurricane near the time it crosses western Cuba," the hurricane center said.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Hanna was projected to curl westward into the Bahamas by early next week. It had sustained winds near 50 mph.

Along the U.S. Gulf Coast, most commemorations of the Katrina anniversary were canceled because of Gustav, but in New Orleans a horse-drawn carriage took the bodies of Katrina's last seven unclaimed victims to burial.

In St. Tammany parish, people are already fortifying their homes with sandbags, lining up for gas, buying water and generators and some are heading for higher ground, reports CBS News correspondent Hari Sreenivasan.

President Bush declared an emergency in Louisiana, a move that allows the federal government to coordinate disaster relief and provide assistance in storm-affected areas.

The U.S. Navy has put an amphibious task force consisting of three ships on alert in Norfolk, Va., about three days from the Gulf Coast, reports CBS News correspondent David Martin. A similar force was sent to New Orleans after Katrina to provide helicopters and medical care.

Republican officials said yesterday that they are considering delaying the start of the GOP convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul because of Gustav, according to the Washington Post.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said an evacuation order was likely, though not before Saturday, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency said it expects a "huge number" of Gulf Coast residents will be told to leave the region this weekend.

Closer to the storm, workers at the Westin Causarina Hotel on Grand Cayman island shored up ground-floor rooms with sandbags.

"We've taken in all the balcony furniture, all the pool furniture, the marquees, tied up what needs to be tied up, cut down any coconuts," said hotel manager Dan Szydlowski.

Thunderstorms associated with Gustav already were bringing heavy downpours Friday to parts of central Cuba and evacuations were ordered in flood-prone areas.

Authorities in the tobacco-rich western Cuba, where Gustav is expected to cross the island, hauled 465,000 sacks of tobacco to higher ground for safekeeping and began distributing extra rations of milk and bread.

[patriot12436]

vinnie1939
Wou;d like to hear from you after you hav been exposd to some of the survivors of Katrina. I lived in San Antonio. They brought 14,000 there gave them free rent, foood, utilities for a year ad our crime rate went thru the roof. I moved out. Couldn''t go out side safely after dark.

[lloydbest1]

As of 0500 EDT, 30 Aug:

Gustav has nearly doubled in size since it left Jamaica. Top sustained winds are now 110 mph making it a strong Cat 2 storm. Central pressure is about 28.5 inches, dropping nearly 3/4 inch since this time yeaterday. This is major intensification. Gustav is moving northwest at about 12 mph, and is heading for Cuba''s western tip. With hurricane force winds extending 60+ miles from center, the Isle of Youth and the western capes should be seeing sustained winds in the 70 to 90 mph range by 10 AM today.
New moon is tomorrow and with the moon and sun pulling on us in the same direction we can expect abnormally high tides in late morning to early afternoon. It is not unreasonable to expect the storm surge to push water levels 10 to 15 feet above an already unusually high tide.
Forecast models still have Gustav targeting Terrebonne, St. Mary and Iberia Parishes early Tuesday. New Orleans, roughly 70 miles away would be in Gustav''s most dangerous northeast quadrant.
Strong winds, storm surge, new moon, high tide, wrong quadrant....It doesn''t look good.

[slim1h2o]

Posted by pirmin3 at 06:15 AM : Aug 30, 2008

Are you trying to say that "Hell has no wrath, then the fury of a woman scorned"?

I didn''t know has been scorned already.

[pirmin3]

Palin will go down to the gulf coast and tear Gustav a new one, finish rebuilding NOLA and be back in the twin cities in time for a GOP gourmet lunch that she shot herself. With 5 kids she can sure as heck change McSame''s diapers too.

[andor3]

wow...embarrass the Repubs at a key time by reminding everyone, and raise more concerns about safe oil drilling. God must be a Democrat.

[pirmin3]

Great opportunity for DHS/FEMA to hold some more faked news conferences.

[ssjoburg]

Hey, Republicans. You get a second chance! Talk about timing. This is your lucky week.

[ssjoburg]

Hey, Republicans. You get a second chance! Talk about timing. This is your lucky week.

[andrew_693]

well, these republican racists scum bags wish new orleans dissapear off the face of the earth....what else can you expect from the christians that help arm their camrades from al queada in the 80''s? lucky the US didn''t get to organiza the olympic games, otherwise we would have one of these jesus''s lovers blow it up like they did in atlanta 96. That''s their interpretation of humanity and compassion. The only compassion they know is owning a gun and arming themselves in compounds in order to hog all the food and forget sharing anything, since thats not in their bible.

[erasmus81]

You want to preach? Do it somewhere else.

[haoli25]

Simple, the talking snake (lucifer) has you exactly where he wants you. Posted by GarbageStopr



Since I don''t normally talk to snakes, be sure and give him my best wishes in your next conversation. I am sure that the snake prefers to talk with people like you, ignorant and gullible.

[no2zeebas]

What horrid things some of you people say. no2xeebas, do you really wish that N.O. would be wiped off the earth? That borders on sociapathic desires. What about the people? Are they included in your wish list? Also, you call it a ''''chocolate city''''. Are you really so inhuman as to believe that those people do not feel hurt, love, and fear, and hunger .. just as we ''''whities'''' do? And yes, I am a ''''whitie''''

Irregardless of color, they are very human. Unlike you, they have feelings.

And to the unbeliever .. trust me, your date has by no means cancelled. They will show up right on time. However, even the angles do not know the day
or time. But you better believe it is not long off!!

As to what this forun is really supposed to be about .. I hope and pray that no one else will be hurt by this storm. No matter the color.

Posted by Vinnie1939 at 12:18 AM : Aug 30, 2008

Their mayor is the one that dubbed it "chocolate city"...I prefer to call it a cesspool...And yea...if the fools refuse to leave then buh-bye to them too...

[lovesamerica]

vinne,what are you talkin'' about?

[no2zeebas]

What horrid things some of you people say. no2xeebas, do you really wish that N.O. would be wiped off the earth? That borders on sociapathic desires. What about the people? Are they included in your wish list? Also, you call it a ''''chocolate city''''. Are you really so inhuman as to believe that those people do not feel hurt, love, and fear, and hunger .. just as we ''''whities'''' do? And yes, I am a ''''whitie''''

Irregardless of color, they are very human. Unlike you, they have feelings.

And to the unbeliever .. trust me, your date has by no means cancelled. They will show up right on time. However, even the angles do not know the day
or time. But you better believe it is not long off!!

As to what this forun is really supposed to be about .. I hope and pray that no one else will be hurt by this storm. No matter the color.

Posted by Vinnie1939 at 12:18 AM : Aug 30, 2008

Their mayor is the one that dubbed it chocolate city...And yea...if the fools refuse to leave then buh-bye to them too...

[sparkie001]

I wish you hadn''t shown the woman filling gas cans in the rear of her SUV. That''s a very dangerous method. Always place them on the ground to avoid sparks from static electricity as well as overflows into your trunk like she had!

[vinnie1939]

What horrid things some of you people say. no2xeebas, do you really wish that N.O. would be wiped off the earth? That borders on sociapathic desires. What about the people? Are they included in your wish list? Also, you call it a ''chocolate city''. Are you really so inhuman as to believe that those people do not feel hurt, love, and fear, and hunger .. just as we ''whities'' do? And yes, I am a ''whitie''

Irregardless of color, they are very human. Unlike you, they have feelings.

And to the unbeliever .. trust me, your date has by no means cancelled. They will show up right on time. However, even the angles do not know the day
or time. But you better believe it is not long off!!

As to what this forun is really supposed to be about .. I hope and pray that no one else will be hurt by this storm. No matter the color.

[lovesamerica]

this is a serious tragedy, it not only effects those living in the effected areas, but also those that are ''safe'' in the north. Oil prices will be so high that folks will freeze, insurance prices, taxes, all have to pay for these storms. Whether people leave or not, we ALL will be paying, I guess as it should be. One nation under GOD or whom ever you belive in , with liberty and justice for all. I will be a popsicle this winter

[garbagestopr]

Oh goodie!!!! Now tell me the one about the talking snake.
Posted by haoli25 at 09:59 PM : Aug 29, 2008

Simple, the talking snake (lucifer) has you exactly where he wants you.

[garbagestopr]

Why don''''t you give it a rest.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by erasmus81 at 10:42 PM : Aug 29, 2008

Why don''t you worry about posts that were directed towards you, and not others.

It isn''t effecting your life one bit.

[funnyclown7]

FEMA4S wet dream

Are we going to watch this again, as Gustav roars to New Orleans?
http://media.portland.indymedia.org/images/2005/08/323754.jpg