Posted on 09/20/2005 4:12:29 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
GOVERNOR Kathleen Blanco declared a state of emergency in western Louisiana today and urged people to evacuate parts of the state due to the new threat of Hurricane Rita.
"I have put the state on alert. We've declared another emergency ... for southwest Louisiana," Ms Blanco said. "We're urging people to evacuate," she said as Rita barrelled near southernmost Florida, gaining strength and heading west on a track that could take it close to the devastated Louisiana city.
Emergency services have already begun evacuating residents of New Orleans, which is still a disaster area following Hurricane Katrina's August 29 hit, Mayor Ray Nagin said.
"We have had an influx of evacuees that have made their way to the convention centre. We've already evacuated two busloads of individuals," Mr Nagin said.
Officials were quick to emphasise that the convention centre would function only as a staging place for people to board buses, not as a shelter.
Tens of thousands languished without food, water and sanitation for days after fleeing to the facility during Katrina.
The National Hurricane Centre forecast a track that would have Rita making landfall in Texas over the weekend, but a "cone of probability" in the forecast indicates the storm might slam ashore anywhere between northeastern Mexico and the swamplands of southern Louisiana, west of New Orleans.
"We're watching Hurricane Rita very, very closely. If you've had a chance to see what has happened last night it was aiming at Galveston, Texas ... This morning it's a little more westerly. It can move in any direction based on the winds. And so that concerns us," Ms Blanco said.
A decision on mandatory evacuations will be made tomorrow as officials, who came under fire for their slow response to Katrina, monitor the new hurricane.
"If the storm becomes a threat, we will start to strictly enforce the evacuation process tomorrow," Mr Nagin said.
Katrina killed close to 1000 people in four states, including 676 in New Orleans, which was 80 per cent under water after the storm broke levees protecting the low-lying city.
Mr Nagin already suspended on Monday his controversial plan to allow some 180,000 residents to return to the city by the end of the month to check on their properties.
"I know there are lots of people ... anxious about coming home. And I know that some of you were prepared to come back to New Orleans. Just hold on for a little longer," he said.
Gov. Blanco....Bless her little heart.
This one is headed for Texas. If Louisiana gets anything it will be rain, not much wind.
Sure you don't need 24 hours to think about it first?
And Blanco was able to do this all by herself, even without calls from the POTUS and Director of National Hurricane Service.
Color me unimpressed.
Am I reading that right? Does she think that the wind is what pushes the hurricane in a given direction?
Prayers for our Texan friends, too.
Texas will get wet, which is something they apparently need this summer.
Perhaps General Honore helped speed up her thought process.
Did you learn from the first one - that was 'declared' for you?
You make me sick, you dumb beotch.
LVM
She's not doing this herself - she's not that bright.
Her strings are being pulled by the clinton nitwit that's advising her on how to manage the katrina cleanup while filling her pockets and blaming Bush.
"We have had an influx of evacuees that have made their way to the convention centre. We've already evacuated two busloads of individuals," Mr Nagin said."
Glory be!
He's figured out what to do with the buses!
Ping!
I wouldn't bet on it! not with Nagin blasting the Admiral just today a few short hours ago....Sounds like they have seen the light! too much to expect of them to have a little common sense, but better that than ignoring safety again.
Those winds are caused by Halliburton, dontcha know?
Is true that Mayor Nagin is leaving NOLA to go home to dallas for the weekend to help unpack and get the family settled?
Even Governor Blanco is capable of learning };-)
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