Hurricane Ivan Tears Into U.S. Gulf Coast

A bridge over Escambia Bay north of Pensacola, Fla., is cut in two by Hurricane Ivan with a tractor-trailer rig swallowed by the gap. (Rick Wilking - Reuters)

On Wednesday evening when Ivan struck, the storm created a world of noise in Pensacola. Outside shelters, boarded-up homes and the taped windows of motel rooms in this town of 56,000, the wind whistled through door frames and rain gusts whipped so hard and steadily that it sounded like the Daytona Speedway was next door. Everywhere, things moaned and rattled and creaked.

As it slammed ashore in the early hours of Wednesday, Ivan lifted powerful waves onto the genteel island retreats of Alabama's Mobile Bay. Its approach had scattered nearly 2 million people in search of higher ground from Florida to New Orleans.

They had cause for alarm. Ivan had reached Category 5 hurricane status, with winds exceeding 160 mph, as it rampaged through the Caribbean, causing 68 deaths.

The maddeningly difficult-to-track storm, once expected to land as far east as Miami, punched its first hurricane-force winds onto the fragile marsh towns at the toe-tip of Louisiana's distinctive boot-shaped frame Wednesday afternoon before finally coming ashore.

Ivan's hurricane-force winds targeted a region of seaside resorts, high-rise casinos, historic downtowns and oil refining behemoths. The imposing storm built 12-foot waves that cascaded onto Alabama's barrier island shield and shut down the miles-long casino strip along Mississippi's Gulf Coast.

The 84-degree waters of the Gulf of Mexico helped strengthen the storm, keeping its winds at 135 mph as it approached land. That made Ivan just as powerful as Charley, which blew apart retirement towns on Florida's Gulf Coast last month, and it was just as big as Frances, the hurricane that spread over nearly the entire state of Florida earlier this month. Ivan's hurricane- and tropical storm-force winds sprawled over an astonishing 300 miles, imperiling most of the Gulf Coast.

Oil and gas companies shut down their platforms in the Gulf in advance of the hurricane, and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham told the Reuters news service that the Bush administration would consider tapping the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve if supplies run short.

President Bush promised a quick and widespread relief effort.

"I told all four governors the people of this country are praying for their safety," Bush said Wednesday. "We pray that the storm passes as quickly as possible without any loss of life or loss of property."

A hurricane warning for New Orleans was lifted Thursday morning. The city was still expecting some flooding from the outer edges of the storm, but nothing approaching the huge pounding that could have happened if the city's below-sea-level streets had taken a direct hit from a major hurricane. Flooding fears prompted a mass exodus from the city on Tuesday, rivaling the evacuation ahead of Hurricane Georges in 1998 when an estimated 325,000 fled.

For those who stayed, Mayor Ray Nagin could offer little more than advice because relief agencies refused to set up shelters in his city, fearing for the lives of their volunteers. Nagin called for a "vertical evacuation," urging stranded residents to seek the upper floors of buildings. He suggested they carry tools to cut their way out if they become trapped by rising waters.

Nagin, who was criticized Tuesday for not moving faster to allow cars leaving the city to travel on both inbound and outbound highway lanes, found himself in another controversy on Wednesday. After residents complained that he was allowing only hospital patients dependent on electricity to seek refuge in the Louisiana Superdome, he reversed himself and allowed the general public in.

Finding safe spots was a problem across the length of the Gulf Coast. A third of Mobile County's emergency shelters were full on Wednesday afternoon. Just to the west, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) asked people to open their homes to family and friends.

"Hundreds and thousands of people live on the Gulf Coast and we currently only have shelters for 80,000," he said.

Mississippi's long history of hurricane scars is still visible, with broken boats from Hurricane Camille in 1969 sitting as tourist attractions in Gulf Coast towns. Camille -- which killed 262 people -- was one of three Category 5 hurricanes to hit the U.S. mainland since 1900. The others were Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and the unnamed storm that wiped out the overseas railway to Key West in 1935.

In Mobile, Mayor Michael Dow told CNN early Thursday morning that the city had dodged the worst effects of the storm. "We caught a bullet with our teeth," he added. Dow said much of the city was without power and there had been severe erosion from the storm, but no fatalities were reported and no major problems were evident early in the day in the port area, which had been a serious concern for city officials.

A major hurricane blast in Mobile could have created a severe impact on the shipping industry. Mobile is the nation's 16th busiest port, accounting for 37 million tons of freight every year, most notably forest products and coal. On Wednesday, there was only one commercial vessel left in the port.

Roig-Franzia reported from New Orleans. Staff writer William Branigin, special correspondent Catharine Skipp and staff writer Michael Grunwald contributed to this report.