NEW ORLEANS — On the eve of Hurricane Katrina’s third anniversary, a nervous New Orleans watched Wednesday as another storm threatened to test everything the city has rebuilt, and officials made plans to evacuate people, pets and hospitals in an attempt to avoid a Katrina- style chaos.
Forecasters warned that Tropical Storm Gustav could grow into a dangerous Category 3 hurricane in the next several days and hit somewhere along a swath of the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle to Texas — with New Orleans smack in the middle.
Taking no chances, city officials began preliminary planning to evacuate and lock down the city in hopes of avoiding the catastrophe that followed the 2005 storm. Mayor C. Ray Nagin left the Democratic National Convention to return home for the preparations. Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency to lay the groundwork for federal assistance and put 3,000 National Guard troops on standby.
If a Category 3 or stronger hurricane comes within 72 hours of the city, New Orleans plans to institute a mandatory evacuation order. Unlike Katrina, there will be no shelter at the Superdome, a plan designed to encourage residents to leave.
Instead, the state has arranged for 700 buses to take people to safety.
At a suburban Lowe’s store, employees said portable generators, gas cans, bottled water and batteries were selling briskly.
Hotels across southern Louisiana reported taking many reservations as coastal residents looked inland for possible refuge.
Steve Weaver, 82, and his wife stayed for Katrina — and were plucked off the roof of their house by a Coast Guard helicopter. This time, Weaver has no inclination to ride out the storm.
“Everybody learned a lesson about staying, so the highways will be twice as packed this time,” Weaver said.
Katrina struck New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005, and its storm surge blasted through the levees that protect the city. Eighty percent of the city was flooded.
Although pockets of the city are well on their way to recovery, many neighborhoods have struggled. Many residents still live in temporary trailers. Others never returned, and the city’s population is roughly half what it was before the storm.
Gustav formed Monday and roared ashore Tuesday as a Category 1 hurricane near Jacmel, Haiti, with top winds near 90 mph. The storm triggered flooding and landslides that killed at least 22 people in the Caribbean. It weakened into a tropical storm and appeared headed for Cuba.
