New Orleans Considers Evacuation AS TS Gustav Heads To Gulf

With Tropical Storm Gustav swirling near Cuba and likely to enter the Gulf of Mexico as a hurricane this weekend, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said an evacuation could begin as early as Friday -- three years to the day after Katrina inundated New Orleans.

Jindal said he had activated the state's catastrophic action team and could declare a state of emergency as early as Thursday. He also put the Louisiana National Guard on alert.

"We all need to be prepared and ready to respond, from the citizen level and at every level of government," Jindal said.

Jindal, elected as governor in October 2007, is hoping to avoid heavy criticism that fell on his predecessor, Kathleen Blanco, for not reacting quickly enough after Katrina.

Federal agencies and the New Orleans city government also faced the wrath of residents over their response to the disaster, while President George W. Bush was criticized for his role, including his initial decision to view the devastated city only from the air.

After Katrina, chaos broke out in New Orleans as stranded flood victims waited days for help. Many residents who fled the hurricane have not returned.

On Wednesday, Gustav drifted away from Haiti and the Dominican Republic after killing 16 people. Forecasters warned the storm may still become a dangerous hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, with their models showing it most likely on track to hit anywhere from the Florida panhandle to Texas.

Jindal said if the threat continues, his state could make 700 buses available for assisted evacuations, which could begin on Friday for people who need help due to medical or other conditions.

He advised other residents of the southern parishes to review their own emergency plans and be prepared to evacuate if an order is given.

The state's Office of Emergency Preparedness held a conference call on Wednesday afternoon with the presidents of all area parishes and emergency personnel to review current conditions and disaster plans.

The Louisiana SPCA announced it would shut down its shelter and begin evacuating the animals to other shelters.

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Tropical Storm Fay May Strengthen Into Hurricane Over Atlantic

TS Fey may gain strength once it crosses over Florida and goes into the Atlantic Ocean according to the National Hurricane Center which has issued a watch along the east coast of Florida and Georgia.

The storm's center is expected to move offshore after midnight New York time in the vicinity of Vero Beach, Florida, about 129 miles (208 kilometers) north of Miami, said Dan Kottlowski, expert senior meteorologist at private forecaster AccuWeather Inc. in State College, Pennsylvania.

``There is a good chance it will become a hurricane,'' Kottlowski said by telephone. ``There is very warm water in the Gulf Stream current off the coast; if it can get over that, some computer information says it could strengthen to at least a Category 1 hurricane.''

Fay was moving north-northeast at 8 mph and was located about 60 miles south-southwest of Melbourne, Florida, the hurricane center in Miami said in an advisory on its Web site at about 5 p.m. local time.

Kottlowski said models show the storm heading over the ocean then hooking back toward the west and making landfall in Georgia on Aug. 21 or 22.

Some models show the storm eventually re-emerging in the Gulf of Mexico, said Brian Wimer, a meteorologist for AccuWeather.

If Fay enters the Gulf, it may then make landfall between New Orleans and the Florida panhandle on Aug. 23, Jeff Masters, director of meteorology at private forecaster Weather Underground Inc., said on his blog.

Fay was forecast to bring as much as 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain to parts of Florida. Storm tides of 1 to 3 feet (0.9 meters) above normal are possible, as are isolated tornadoes, the hurricane center said.

A tropical-storm warning was in effect along parts of Florida's east coast as well as Lake Okeechobee.

Monroe, Collier, Lee, Hendry and Charlotte counties said on their Web sites that schools are closed today.

Caribbean Deaths

The storm killed more than a dozen people in the Caribbean, including some in Haiti, the Associated Press reported.

Fay killed five people in the Dominican Republic, the country's Emergency Operations Center said on its Web site.

A man was seriously injured by flying debris in Marathon Key, Florida, while preparing for the storm, according to the Monroe County Web site.

Orange juice prices fell, after yesterday touching the highest this month as the storm approached. Florida is the world's second-largest orange grower.

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