Louisiana Preps for Possible Visit from Gustav

Officials in New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana are taking no chances with Gustav.

Just three years after Hurricane Katrina left death and destruction, authorities have made preliminary plans to evacuate people, pets and hospitals as Gustav moves towards the Gulf of Mexico.

Gustav could form into a dangerous Category 3 hurricane in the next several days and hit somewhere along a path of the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle to Texas — with New Orleans right in the middle.

Gov. Bobby Jindal on Wednesday issued a state declaration of emergency in preparation for Hurricane Gustav, which could potentially make landfall in Louisiana by early next week.

The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) will keep the Crisis Action Team (CAT) activated to monitor Hurricane Gustav.

"We are continuing to monitor this storm as state government agencies, including the State Police and the Louisiana National Guard, have been put on standby so we are ready to quickly respond if the storm heads our direction," Gov. Jindal said. "GOHSEP officials are working with parish leaders to ensure they have their emergency plans in order, and I encourage all Louisiana families again to review their gameplans, go to GetAGameplan.org and make sure you have the supplies you need and a plan in place should a hurricane come to your area. The time to act is now. We all need to be prepared and ready to respond, from the citizen level and at every level of government."

Louisiana residents are reminded to visit www.GetAGameplan.org - a Web site for residents to use to prepare their homes and their families for a hurricane. The Get a Gameplan Web site contains information and tools needed to prepare for a possible hurricane.

Gustav began as a tropical depression in the eastern Caribbean Sea on Monday and quickly intensified into a Category 1 hurricane with winds of about 90 miles (145 kilometers) an hour.

Gustav hit shore Tuesday in Haiti and has been blamed for at least 17 deaths there and the neighboring Dominican Republic.

By early Saturday, Gustav is projected to be just off the coast of western Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane, with winds ranging from 110 and 130 miles (177 and 209 kilometers) an hour.