Katrina: Catastrophe feared
2005-09-02 14:48
New Orleans - A massive evacuation of New Orleans was underway on Sunday amid fears of a catastrophic hit by Hurricane Katrina, which barreled toward the low-lying southern US city with winds of 280km/h.
"We are facing the storm that most of us have feared," said New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin as he ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city.
"I do not want to create panic. But I do want the citizens to understand that this is very serious and it's of the highest nature," he said.
Katrina, which looked set to make landfall early on Monday, has reached a rare and "potentially catastrophic" category five, the highest on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane intensity scale, the national hurricane centre (NHC) said.
It only ranked at category one when it slammed ashore on Thursday in south Florida, where it killed seven people before heading out to the oil-rich Gulf of Mexico.
"We need to pray, of course, very strongly, that the hurricane force would diminish," said Louisiana state governor Kathleen Blanco.
State of emergency
US President George W Bush declared a state of emergency that clears the way for federal aid to the southern state, and urged people to get out of the hurricane's path.
"We cannot stress enough the dangers this hurricane poses to Gulf Coast communities.
"I ask citizens to put their safety and the safety of their families first by moving to safe ground," Bush said in a statement from his Texas ranch.
Major routes out of New Orleans were gridlocked on Sunday as residents fled to safety.
Because much of the city of 1.4 million is below sea level it is highly prone to flooding, and Nagin expressed fears levies would not withstand the ferocity of the hurricane.
At the city's Louis Armstrong airport, residents and tourists anxiously awaited outbound flights.
Authorities also ordered the evacuation of other areas along the Gulf Coast, as Mississippi and Alabama braced for the impact of the monster storm, which gathered energy from the warm Gulf of Mexico as it neared land.
Oil prices
There was also concern Katrina's wrath could dramatically impact oil prices, which already reached record highs on Thursday amid fears the hurricane would affect oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.
Katrina was expected to rage dangerously close to offshore oil platforms, most of which have been evacuated.
"This is a very dangerous time," said Governor Blanco.
"There may be intense flooding ... which would be ultimately the most dangerous situation that many of our people could face," she said, adding that water levels could rise by more than 6m. .
The deadly storm wrought havoc in Miami and other areas of south Florida after it slammed ashore on Thursday night, uprooting trees, flooding entire neighbourhoods, downing power lines and sending a highway overpass crashing down.
About half a million people remained without electricity on Sunday.
Only three category 5 hurricanes in 150 years
Katrina is the 11th named Atlantic storm this year and among the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record.
Records going back to 1851 show that only three category five hurricanes have hit the United States in over 150 years.
Hurricane Andrew killed more than two dozen people when it slammed into south Florida in 1992, while Camille caused more than 250 deaths in Mississippi in 1969, and "Labour Day" killed about 600 people in the Florida Keys in 1935.