Dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed
2008-08-31 20:04
New Orleans - The city of New Orleans imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew that was to begin at sunset on Sunday 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 was to have left at 15:00 on Sunday.
Gustav dropped from a Category 4 to a Category 3 storm overnight, but forecasters warned it could gain strength from the gulf's warm waters before making landfall as early as Monday.
Mayor Ray 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."
- AP