World | USA
Hurricane Gustav pounds Louisiana coast
Hurricane Gustav sends strong winds and lashing rains into Louisiana's coastal areas as nearly two million people flee to safety.
- Agencies
- Published: 12:34 September 1, 2008
- An abandoned outlet mall in Louisiana is now a state-run shelter for evacuees.
- Image Credit: AP
New Orleans: Hurricane Gustav sent strong winds and lashing rains into New Orleans on Monday, but weakened as it was expected to move ashore to the west.
Gustav weakened to a Category 2 hurricane shortly before making landfall, although it was already pounding Louisiana's coastal areas with torrential rain and strong winds.
Nearly two million people fled the Gulf Coast in one of the biggest evacuations in US history and only 10,000 were believed to have remained in New Orleans.
Police and several thousand national guard troops patrolled the empty city, sometimes in convoys of Humvees, as a curfew went into effect in a bid to prevent looting.
The US National Hurricane Center said Gustav was still likely toss up "an extremely dangerous storm surge" of up to 4.3 metres that could test the holding power of rebuilt levees that failed during Hurricane Katrina.
Gustave was expected to swamp parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas. Isolated tornadoes were also possible.
Hurricane Gustav began to lash southern Louisiana on Monday after a destructive march across the Caribbean where it smashed thousands of homes.
In Cuba, Gustav destroyed 86,000 homes, toppled trees and telephone poles and washed out roads, but no deaths were reported Sunday.
Gustav earlier killed 94 people by triggering floods and landslides in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.
Share this article
Related Articles
-
New Orleans evacuation ordered
Thousands to be evacuated in New Orleans ahead of hurricane
-
McCain, Palin team up as Gustav looms
McCain, Palin team up as Gustav looms
-
Gustav: 'Mother of all storms'
'Mother of all storms'
-
Gustav forces Bush to miss Republican convention
Gustav forces Bush to miss Republican convention
-
Gustav become Category 2 hurricane
Gustav become Category 2 hurricane off Cuba
-
Storm threat to Republican convention
Storm threat to Republican convention
News Editor's choice
-
A year after 173 defenceless people were killed
Mumbai itself is far from safe from another deadly attack, even though the level of security consciousness of the average Mumbaikar has been raised since 26/11
-
Nato supports Obama's plea
European and other allies to send around 6,000 troops to Afghanistan
-
Official confirms mayor is the suspect
Many witnesses have come forward, justice secretary says
-
Into an oasis of values
A place to snuggle in the warmth of old manners away from the bustle of city life
