Gustav becomes hurricane after blasting Jamaica
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) — Gustav reached hurricane strength Friday, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.
The storm blasted Jamaica earlier in the day, and its is expected to take it to Grand Cayman soon, according to the National Hurricane Center.
At least 51 people died in southwestern Haiti and eight were killed in neighboring Dominican Republic as Gustav, then a tropical storm, passed through Wednesday, officials there said.
But fear and uncertainty about Gustav’s position and strength by Monday sent emergency officials and politicians in the United States scrambling to prepare for a possible landfall of a major hurricane somewhere along the Gulf Coast. Watch how New Orleans prepares for Gustav
As of 2 p.m. ET Friday, Gustav was 125 miles (200 kilometers) east-southeast of Grand Cayman and about 425 miles (685 kilometers) east-southeast of Cuba’s western tip, the hurricane center said.
The storm was moving west-northwest at about 11 mph (19 km/h), the center said said. Forecasters expected it to turn toward the northwest later Friday and continue on that track over the weekend. On that path, The center of Gustav will pass near or over the Cayman Islands later today, over the western portions of Cuba on Saturday, and into the southern Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, the center said. See Gustav’s projected path
Gulf of Mexico conditions also appear conducive to a major hurricane, the forecasters noted.
Beyond Jamaica, oil companies began to pull workers off drill rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, and Mississippi joined Louisiana in declaring a state of emergency as forecasters warned of a U.S. landfall next week.
Federal and state agencies along the U.S. Gulf Coast were activating plans and moving resources in anticipation of what Gustav may bring, with mandatory evacuations possible as soon as Saturday in some coastal areas lying in the cone of uncertainty issued by the hurricane center.
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said Hurricane Katrina victims living in government-issued trailers or mobile homes along his state’s coast will begin evacuating this weekend. The process will begin Saturday, with notices going out to people living in Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers or mobile homes as well as people living in more permanent structures known as Mississippi Cottages.
The evacuation will begin in Harrison and Hancock counties on Sunday morning, Barbour said. Evacuation in Jackson County will begin Monday, he said. About 4,300 families live in FEMA trailers or mobile homes, while some 2,800 live in Mississippi Cottages, the governor’s office said. He said he would urge people living in privately owned mobile homes to evacuate as well.
The hurricane center’s five-day chart places a possible landfall anywhere from Corpus Christi, Texas, eastward to Panama City, Florida, with Gustav being a Category 3 storm by Tuesday evening. New Orleans, Louisiana, devastated by Hurricane Katrina three years ago Friday, is at the dead center of the projected path. Watch the homeland security secretary’s warning to residents
Forecasters, however, stressed their uncertainty in a discussion published late Thursday.
Since track forecasts are always subject to large errors at three to five days, it is simply impossible at this time to determine exactly where and when Gustav will make final landfall, the hurricane center’s forecasters said.
Still, it would be no surprise if rapid intensification occurred and Gustav became a Category 4 or 5 hurricane by 72 hours, they said.
While Gustav will go nowhere near St. Paul, Minnesota, where the Republican National Convention is set to begin Monday, the political implications of a Gulf Coast landfall could rain on Sen. John McCain’s celebration.
Republican officials said their convention might be delayed by a major hurricane making landfall.
President Bush was criticized for attending political events — including a brief stop to mark McCain’s birthday — after Hurricane Katrina left most of New Orleans flooded in 2005.
Bush is set to speak Monday at the GOP convention. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters that Bush is keeping an eye on developments but said it is premature to discuss any changes to his schedule.
We need to see where this storm is headed, she said. Things change.
State officials along the Gulf Coast have begun warning residents to prepare for the storm. About 3,000 Louisiana National Guard troops began reporting for duty Thursday, and the state put another 2,000 on alert and has issued requests for assistance from other states if needed, Jindal said.
In addition, National Guard satellite communication teams will be assigned to emergency operations centers in coastal parishes to ensure those centers can remain in touch with state officials in Baton Rouge, Jindal said. And if the storm continues on its current track, evacuation calls could go out as early as this weekend, he said.
The Greater New Orleans Community Data Center said Friday that Gustav threatened more than 1 million people in the New Orleans metropolitan area.
Louisiana and Mississippi are still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, which killed more than 1,800 when it slammed ashore near the state line on August 29, 2005. In New Orleans, resident Russell Brown said he cut short a vacation to stock up on food and water at a local Rouse’s supermarket ahead of the hurricane.
I think everyone’s definitely more aware and not trying to wait until the last minute, trying to be ahead of the game a little bit, said Brown, who moved to the city after Katrina. Watch New Orleans’ mayor say his city is ready for Gustav
Authorities in Mississippi, Texas and Alabama also began activating storm plans and urging residents to keep an eye on the weather. Barbour joined Jindal in declaring an emergency Thursday afternoon, urging residents to please take this storm seriously. Watch how Houston residents aren’t taking any chances
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Hanna formed from a tropical depression northeast of Puerto Rico on Thursday, making it the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.
