(September 1, 2008)—Hurricane Gustav weakened to a Category 1 storm Monday as it moved toward New Iberia and Lafayette on a course toward East Texas.
The hurricane’s remnants could produce rain as early as Tuesday in parts of Central Texas.
Gustav came ashore Monday morning as a Category 2 Hurricane and dealt New Orleans only a glancing blow, which raised hopes the city will fare better than it did when Hurricane Katrina crashed ashore in 2005.
Gustav was moving toward the northwest at near 16 miles per hour Monday afternoon with maximum winds of about 90 miles per hour.
The storm is expected to produce rainfall totals of as much as 12 inches over portions of Louisiana, southern and western Mississippi, Arkansas and northeastern Texas.
Isolated totals of as much as 20 inches are possible.
Hurricane Gustav crashed into the all-but-deserted Louisiana coast Monday morning as the storm's eye came ashore southwest of vulnerable New Orleans.
The storm reached shore with top sustained winds of near 110 miles an hour, making it a Category 2 hurricane.
The Army Corps of Engineers says the federal flood protection system that safeguards New Orleans should hold up.
Spokesman Rene Poche said Monday the Corps doesn't expect any storm surge flooding.
The report came as other officials around New Orleans offered early reports that levees were holding, although water was rising in the city's Industrial Canal, occasionally splashing up against the edge.
But St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro said the flood walls along the canal were containing the floodwater from Lake Pontchartrain.
FEMA's deputy director, Harvey Johnson, says the storm's surge could at least partially flood the city.
He said the agency expects "a lot of homes to be damaged” and there were reports of wind damage to buildings Monday morning.
Johnson says because so many people evacuated this time, Gustav shouldn't cost as many lives as Hurricane Katrina, but he told The Associated Press that Gustav "will be a catastrophe by the time you add it all up."
FEMA says it's ready to distribute cartons of food, water, blankets and other supplies to sustain 1 million people for three days.
Ten thousand special needs residents have been evacuated from southeast Texas and the state was prepared to accommodate as many as 45,000 evacuees from Louisiana.
State personnel and resources also have been used to help evacuate some 1,000 Louisiana residents with health issues.
The governor's office says 27 buses carrying Louisiana residents who could not evacuate themselves were on their way to the Dallas-Fort Worth area Sunday afternoon.
Nearly 2,000 Louisiana guard troops were staged at the New Orleans Convention Center over the weekend.
New Orleans, Mayor Ray Nagin ordered a mandatory evacuation, starting at 8 a.m. Sunday, for what he calls the "storm of the century."
The city of New Orleans imposed a dawn-to-dusk curfew that was to begin Sunday at sunset ahead of Hurricane Gustav's devastating winds and rains that were on a path to strike the Gulf Coast.
The last bus carrying residents to safety left at 3 p.m. Sunday.
Nagin also warned that looting, one of the chronic problems after Hurricane Katrina, would not be tolerated.
"Looters will go directly to jail. You will not get a pass this time," he said. "You will not have a temporary stay in the city. You will go directly to the Big House."
Gov. Rick Perry earlier scrapped plans to attend the Republican National Convention, focusing instead on preparations, and he joined President Bush Monday to review the federal response and to meet with evacuees.
On Friday, Perry ordered state resources deployed in anticipation of the hurricane’s potential landfall, including as many as 7,500 National Guard troops.
Expanded Forecast Center Storm Resources
Situation Reports From Governor’s Office Of Emergency Managment
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National Hurricane Center Web Site
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Texas Preparations
(Source: Texas Governor’s Office)
Texas Military Forces: Up to 7,500 guardsmen, 15 aerial resources, and six C-130 aircraft have been activated, some of which have begun deploying to transport medical special needs evacuees from New Orleans to Austin today.
Texas Engineering Extension Service: Texas Task Force 1 and Texas Task Force 2 are preparing assets and will be mobilized today to provide search and rescue capabilities as needed. A team of 40 members of Texas Task Force 1 are deploying to Louisiana today to assist evacuation efforts.
Department of Public Safety: Commercial Vehicle Enforcement troopers have inspected buses that are being used for evacuations.
Texas Department of State Health Services: The agency is providing oxygen tanks at each of the temporary fueling stations in East Texas for evacuees. A respiratory therapist is at each of the stations. DSHS is providing health-related evacuation suggestions on its website (www.dshs.state.tx.us)
Health and Human Services Commission: The state's 2-1-1 information and referral network has responded to thousands of calls for information about shelter locations and evacuation routes.
Department of Family and Protective Services: The agency has provided information to foster parents in the evacuation areas and activated a hotline, 800-252-5400, where caregivers can report their new locations once they reach a safe area.
Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs: Hurricane housing resources for communities are on the agency's website (www.tdhca.state.tx.us). TDHCA is reminding all affordable housing rental owners statewide to keep their apartment vacancy information current as they supply information to TDHCA. TDHCA will contact community action agencies in the projected path of the storm and advise them that they may be called upon to serve additional persons based on the events transpiring.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice: The TDCJ LeBlanc Unit in Beaumont completed the evacuation of 1,100 inmates to units in Huntsville and Livingston. TDCJ Gist State Jail in Beaumont also completed the evacuation of 2,080 inmates to units in the Palestine and Huntsville areas.
Texas Department of Agriculture: The agency has identified commodities that are available for distribution, and is coordinating with the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross.
Texas Animal Health Commission: TAHC is coordinating with its member agencies and other animal care agencies to shelter animals.
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality: TCEQ is authorizing fuel waivers as necessary and is prepared to respond to impacts from Hurricane Gustav. A strike team capable of handling hazardous materials is on standby. TCEQ is working with local agencies to be prepared to address any environmental impact issues that may result from Gustav.
Texas Public Utility Commission: The Public Utility Commission is prepared to coordinate a significant response into potential affected areas in order to restore power in a timely and effective manner.
Texas Education Agency: School districts in the interior part of the state are making preparations to open as shelters, if needed. The TEA webpage, www.tea.state.tx.us/gustav/, is providing school officials with the latest school-related hurricane information.
Texas Department of Information Resources: A DIR Texas Computer Security Incident Response Team remains on standby.
Texas Department of Insurance: TDI continues to monitor Hurricane Gustav and remain in contact with its insurance stakeholder group, the Texas State Disaster Coalition. TDI is also encouraging Texas consumers to prepare for the storm and offering insurance tips (www.tdi.state.tx.us). TDI has contacted the Louisiana Department of Insurance to begin coordinating assistance to Louisiana insurance consumers who may be heading to Texas.
Texas Department of Transportation: Previously planned lane closures for I-10 in the Houston area have been cancelled through Monday, Sept. 1. All previously planned lane closures in the Houston and Beaumont area are currently suspended. Major construction on U.S. 59 entering the city of Lufkin from Houston has been suspended. Dynamic message signs are being used to urge residents along the coast to fuel up their vehicles. TxDOT personnel are also sweeping roadside shoulders and patching pavement along potential evacuation routes.
Fuel Team: The Fuel Team has ensured the availably of fuel in the evacuation areas and potential impact areas of Gustav.
Volunteer organizations throughout Texas are working with local officials to shelter evacuees from Texas and Louisiana.
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