New Orleans Orders Evacuation
Approximately one day after thousands inhabitants of New Orleans decided to leave their homes before hurricane Gustav arrives, Mayor Ray Nagin called Gustav the “storm of the century” and told citizens to flee immediately.
In recent days and hours hurricane Gustav has developed from a category 4 hurricane into a category 5 one.
“This is the real deal, not a test,” Nagin said as he issued the evacuation order Saturday night. “For everyone thinking they can ride this storm out, I have news for you: that will be one of the biggest mistakes you can make in your life.”
Although Louisiania, New Orleans and the United States as a whole have learned a lot from hurricane Katrina, which hit N.O. only a few years ago, New Orleans residents and officials are right to be worried. After all, there was so much wrong with the evacutation and aide plans back then, that is hard to imagine that all problems have been solved. Additionally, Katrina caused the levies to break; one wonders in how far those levies have been improved.
Residents who were left behind when Katrina struck are now the first ones to get out. They were stuck on top of the roof of their home, without any food and water. Most of them lived like that for days. Afraid that something similar may happen this time around, these residents leave the city and go to relatives living in other parts of the country which will not be hit by the hurricane.
Meanwhile, most businesses suffer. New Orleans has been rebuild, at least to a degree, in the months and years following Katrina, but now everyone walks out - business has come to a standstill. If Gustav causes even 20% of the problems Katrina caused, many of those who rebuilt their homes and businesses will have to start all over again.
