Coastal residents jammed freeways and gas stations as they rushed to get out of the way of Hurricane Katrina, which grew into a dangerous Category 4 storm early Sunday as it headed for New Orleans and the Louisiana coast.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is not a test. This is the real deal,” New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin said at a news conference. “Board up your homes, make sure you have enough medicine, make sure the car has enough gas. Do all things you normally do for a hurricane but treat this one differently because it is pointed towards New Orleans.”
Let’s hope for a last-minute veer. Meanwhile here’s the TTLB Katrina aggregator page for links to lots of other blog posts. And this guy says he’s staying put, which strikes me as deeply unwise if true.
UPDATE: Via Terry Teachout, here’s a transcript of a report on how a major hurricane could affect New Orleans.