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New Orleans largely spared by Gustav
New Orleans evacuees scattered across the United States were anxious to return home after their city was left largely unscathed by Hurricane Gustav, but Mayor Ray Nagin warned they may have to wait in shelters and motels a few days longer.
- Agencies
- Published: 23:15 September 2, 2008
- Power lines are down on Peters Road in Harvey, Louisiana, as Hurricane Gustav made landfall on Monday.
- Image Credit: AP
New Orleans: New Orleans evacuees scattered across the United States were anxious to return home after their city was left largely unscathed by Hurricane Gustav, but Mayor Ray Nagin warned they may have to wait in shelters and motels a few days longer.
The city's improved levee system helped avert a disaster like Hurricane Katrina, which flooded most of the city, and officials got an assist from a disorganised and weakened Gustav, which came ashore about 116 kilometres southwest of the city Monday morning. Eight deaths were attributed to the storm in the US after it killed at least 94 across the Caribbean.
80,000 without power
But New Orleans was still a city that took a glancing blow from a hurricane: A mandatory evacuation order and curfew remained in effect, and nearly 80,000 remained without power after the storm damaged transmission lines that snapped like rubber bands in the wind and knocked 35 substations out of service.
The city's sewer system was damaged, and hospitals were working with skeleton crews on backup power. Drinking water continued to flow in the city and the pumps that keep it dry never shut down - two critical service failings that contributed to Katrina's toll.
Gustav was downgraded to a tropical depression early yesterday, the National Hurricane Centre in Miami said. At 5am, the storm's maximum sustained winds had decreased to near 56 kilometres per hour.
The storm's centre was located about 217 kilometers northwest of Lafayette and was moving northwest at about 16 kilometres per hour.
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