Hurricane Gustav: Best Routes Out of New Orleans

Hurricane Gustav became a dangerous Category 4 hurricane Saturday with sustained winds of 150 miles per hour. The National Weather Service predicts that the path of Hurricane Gustav will impact the Louisiana coast directly by late Monday or early Tuesday. Hurricane Gustav is currently devastating Cuba's west coast.

New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin earlier today urged a voluntary evacuation of the city but this evening upgraded it to a mandatory evacuation beginning Sunday at 8 am. New Orleans residents are being urged to evacuate before that time to ensure that everyone can get out of the city before Hurricane Gustav hits.

Here is some critical information about the Hurricane Gustav evacuation of New Orleans:

1. As of 4 am Sunday, all interstates surrounding New Orleans will be one way traffic flowing outwards from the city. This will ease some of the anticipated traffic congestion.

2. There are 17 sites available in New Orleans to shuttle those residents without transportation alternatives to the Union Passenger Terminal, where buses and trains will transport residents inland. Those who are able to get directly to the Union Passenger Terminal should do so immediately. Once mandatory evacuation has begun, lineups will be longer and eventually transportation will be cut off as the storm approaches.

3. New Orleans' Louis Armstrong International Airport will remain open until 6 pm CT Sunday for those wishing to leave by airplane. Book flights immediately as they will fill quickly as the evacuation proceeds. Delta and AirTrans have both confirmed that they will continue flights out of New Orleans until the airport is closed.

4. Interstate 10 towards Texas is clogged with traffic. Traffic is building on Interstates 55 and 59 heading north. Plan your route carefully before setting out and listen to local radio stations for current traffic congestion. Again, the early you leave, the less likely you will be stuck on the Interstate when Hurricane Gustav hits. Seek out secondary direct routes if main highways are congested. Currently, Interstate 55 North is the best route but that can change quickly as more New Orleans residents evacuate.

5. There will be no shelter of last resort in New Orleans as there was during Hurricane Katrina. If you miss the evacuation, you will have to shelter on your own. Because of the size of Hurricane Gustav, there is a high likelihood that the levees will be insufficient to hold back flooding. Leaving New Orleans immediately is the best course of action.

This article will be updated as new information becomes available.
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UPDATES:
5 pm CT
-New Orleans is under hurricane warning and Gustav will make landfall in the early morning
-Mayor Ray Nagin has imposed a dusk to dawn curfew in New Orleans starting today in order to curtail looting
-shuttles out of New Orleans have now ended and the airport is scheduled to close down in one hour
-anyone remaining in New Orleans should seek immediate shelter on high ground and take with them supplies to last a minimum of 72 hours

8 am CT
-mandatory evacuation has begun
-Florida Avenue bridge has been raised and is inaccessible to traffic
-St. Claude Avenue bridge will remain open to vehicular traffic until Gustav's landfall
-shuttle buses will be operative until noon Sunday

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