New Orleans Empties as Gustav Closes In

Three Years After the Katrina Disaster, Few Seem Reluctant to Leave Town

NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 30 -- Hundreds of thousands of residents along the Gulf Coast began evacuating from their homes Saturday ahead of Hurricane Gustav, which swelled from an already deadly tropical storm into a monster depression with winds of more than 150 mph.

The threat of Gustav, coming three years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated a broad swath of the Gulf Coast, drew a hefty amount of wary respect from city, state and federal officials, all of whom urged residents to head north well ahead of the storm's landfall, expected late Monday or early Tuesday.

Gustav has already killed 81 people in the Caribbean. On Saturday, it slammed into western Cuba, knocking out power in Havana. The Cuban government said that it had moved 190,000 people from low-lying areas.

In New Orleans, local officials said they would turn all lanes of traffic on major highways into one-way routes headed away from the city, starting early Sunday morning.

But many residents were not waiting to leave. By dinnertime Saturday, St. Charles Avenue, the main drag through the residential Garden District, was all but deserted. National Guard troops patrolled the street, walking by a few celebrants of Southern Decadence, an annual Labor Day weekend event that draws thousands of gays and lesbians.

Jackson Square, a part of the French Quarter that is regularly lined with horse-drawn carriages and street artists, was abandoned, as well, save for a few palm readers and homeless people. Private security guards wearing bulletproof vests and bristling with semiautomatic weapons were out in force in front of the InterContinental Hotel, which was preparing to evacuate all guests and close its doors Sunday morning.

The hurricane threatened to disrupt oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico, energy analysts warned, and companies with offshore rigs in the gulf said they had significantly cut their production. Oil refiners also reduced their operations.

After clearing the Cayman Islands, Gustav gained strength Saturday and became a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Forecasters are predicting that the storm will reach Category 5 -- the strongest level -- with winds higher than 155 mph before hitting the Gulf Coast states. The National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch for Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas's eastern coast.

At Union Passenger Terminal, this city's Amtrak station and one of 17 evacuation centers, residents said they were wiser about the danger of Gustav after going through the ravages of Katrina.

"We didn't get out last time and it was a mistake. I'm not sure where we're going, but I'm happy to get out of here," said Maria Cooper, who stood in line with 10 family members for evacuation to designated shelters in north Louisiana and beyond. Cooper stayed home during Katrina, only to get forced out when levees broke and flooded her neighborhood. She ended up at the city's convention center, where supplies of food and water ran out.

Benjamin Turner, 53, said he didn't hesitate to heed the call from city officials to leave. A disabled laborer, Turner said he tried to ride out Katrina with his then-8-year-old son, Benjamin Jr., and 6-year-old daughter, Special. But when flooding forced them to leave their 8th Ward neighborhood, Turner said his little girl fell and drowned as the family waded through chest-high water.

"I'm not going through that again," Turner said, choking up as he spoke. "Katrina cost me a lot. It cost me everything."