Gustav to Hit as Cat 3 Storm by Midday

But blackouts and shortages await returning evacuees

(NEWSER) - All Hurricane Gustav evacuees are being allowed back into New Orleans after Mayor Ray Nagin abandoned a more drawn-out reentry plan, the Washington Post reports. Those returning had trouble locating supplies, and officials warned power outages would add to difficulties. "We'd like to say welcome back, but it's not the way we'd like to do it," one local official said. More»

Other Louisiana parishes allowing residents back today

(NEWSER) - People are returning to their southern Louisiana homes in the wake of a weaker-than-expected Hurricane Gustav, but New Orleans residents will need to wait until one minute before midnight, reports the Times-Picayune, running on an emergency generator. Mayor Ray Nagin warned the city is still "vulnerable" due to lack of power and medical personnel, but is allowing residents back in. More»

Oil, fishing industry slammed rains ease in New Orleans

(AP) - Hurricane Gustav left more than 1 million without power today as it tore roofs from homes, toppled trees, and flooded roads in the heart of Louisiana's fishing and oil industry, the AP reports. Many of the 2 million people who left coastal Louisiana watched TV coverage from shelters and hotel rooms. "They said it's bad, real bad," said a man who had called home to Chauvin, La. "There are roofs lying all over. It's all gone." More»

3 die in biggest evacuation in Louisiana history

(NEWSER) - The last bus out of New Orleans drove off at 3pm yesterday, leaving behind a virtual ghost town, reports the Houston Chronicle. An estimated 10,000 residents are left in the hurricane-threatened city, now subject to a strict dusk-to-dawn curfew. Some 1.9 million Louisianans have fled Hurricane Gustav—the biggest evacuation in state history. Three hospital patients died during the operation. More»

(NEWSER) - Gustav grew into a fierce Category 4 hurricane and slammed into Cuba this afternoon as the nation scrambled to evacuate its most populated areas, the AP reports. The storm, which had been upgraded to a Category 3 just hours earlier, now has 145mph winds and remains on path to hit the Gulf Coast on Monday. In New Orleans, lines at bus stations are growing, and highway traffic is thick. The city hasn't ordered a mandatory evacuation, but it's helping the elderly and most vulnerable get out. More»