Hundreds of thousands lose power as Gustav pounds coast
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- Hurricane Gustav swirled violently ashore Monday, turning lights out across the Gulf Coast and sending water over the tops of New Orleans' levees, officials said.
Water from the Industrial Canal floods a road in New Orleans after Hurricane Gustav made landfall Monday.
1 of 3 more photos » The storm's eastern bands, which generally pack the most powerful winds, also hammered Mississippi as Gustav moved to the west of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Officials in Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, Long Beach and Biloxi reported that Gustav was flooding U.S. 90, making it impassable in parts.
In Pass Christian, Gustav blew vinyl siding off homes and damaged the recently repaired small-boat harbor. At least four boats docked there were swept onto the harbor access road, police Chief John Dubuisson said.
In Biloxi, iReporter Kevin Wise, who lives two blocks from the beach, said Gustav had pushed the Gulf waters into a highway about 100 yards from the normal shoreline.
"On the beach, it was blowing hard enough that you had to squat down to take a picture, it could pretty much throw you around," he said. Wise said he and his wife ignored mandatory evacuation orders for his area.
Entergy, the largest provider of electric power in Louisiana, said that more than 700,000 homes and businesses were without power in the region, including at least 114,000 in New Orleans. Repair crews may not get out until Wednesday because of high winds, spokesman Phil Allison said.
At 4 p.m. CT, Gustav was a Category 1 storm with sustained winds of 80 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. It was a Category 2 storm with 110-mph winds when it came ashore.
Winds were sending whitecaps over levees in New Orleans, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported no major problems. Watch Gustav ravage the coast »
There were reports of water going over the Industrial Canal levee near a railroad bridge, said Chris Macaluso, a spokesman for the Louisiana Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration. The Port of New Orleans will raise the bridge to ease pressure on the system, he said.
The Industrial Canal levee failed during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, devastating the Lower 9th Ward and neighboring St. Bernard Parish. Watch water spill over the levee »
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency said two Navy boats, each about 350 feet long, that were being scrapped at a facility on the canal broke away from their moorings Monday. Mayor Ray Nagin said the ships, and a barge that broke loose from its moorings, were pinned against a wharf in the Industrial Canal.
"If they get loose and they start to bang around on some of those canal walls, we could have a major problem," he said.
At least seven other barges had broken loose on the Mississippi River and were believed to have run aground on the West Bank, the Coast Guard reported. iReport: Watch winds rip New Orleans rooftop
Gustav made landfall Monday morning near the coastal town of Cocodrie, Louisiana, about 80 miles southwest of New Orleans.
Harvey Johnson, deputy administrator of FEMA, said that the evacuation of New Orleans and southern Louisiana "wasn't all pretty" but that as many as 40,000 people who needed government help were evacuated from the area.
President Bush, visiting the Texas Emergency Operations Center in Austin, Texas, praised government relief efforts.
"The coordination on this storm is a lot better than during Katrina," he said.
"What I look for is to determine whether or not assets are in place to help, whether or not there's coordination and whether or not there's preparation for recovery," Bush said. "To that end, I feel good about this event."
In total, almost 2 million residents evacuated the Louisiana coast, but some in New Orleans opted to brave the storm.
"It really didn't look as vicious as, obviously, Katrina did," Jack Bosma said. Watch gales batter home, reporter »
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iReport.com: See stories from around the region
iReport.com: Share your evacuation story
In Depth: Hurricane Gustav
He said the wind scattered his back gate across his yard, but his power was on, and neighbors had been congregating on his porch.
"It's really, quite honestly, basically, just like a bad storm. It doesn't seem that drastic at all," he said.
Nagin warned residents that although the storm may appear weak by Katrina standards, the New Orleans is "not out of the woods yet."
Nagin said that he had received no reports of major damage as of noon but that there still are storm surges, flooding and the risk of tornadoes.
Megan Arseneaux, 19, said in an e-mail that phone service was spotty at her East Bank home, two blocks from the Mississippi River in Harahan, Louisiana, just outside New Orleans.
"My backyard is full of leaves and debris. The wind was very intense when I woke up around 6 a.m.," she said. "As I type this, the wind has actually picked up. The rain is very harsh too." Watch wind, rain batter Jefferson Parish »
There are concerns that if Gustav moves up the Mississippi River's estuaries, some levees may not hold, resulting in severe flooding. Although many levees have been repaired and heightened since Katrina struck in 2005, all of the work won't be completed until 2011, officials said.
Local Coverage
WDSU: Waters overtop floodwall
WWL: Army Corps says walls should hold
KPRC: Evacuees stream into Texas
WFTV: New Orleans residents evacuate to central Florida
The U.S. Geological Survey said Gustav has caused an almost 9-foot storm surge in Pointe a La Hache, Louisiana, about 40 miles southeast of New Orleans. Another 1 to 3 feet of surge could occur, the USGS said.
Forecasters warned that a surge of 10 feet to 14 feet would cause life-threatening flooding. Pointe a La Hache is a mere 3 feet above sea level. iReport.com: Did you stay? Share your story
Forecasters said Gustav could drench parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas in 6 to 12 inches of rain, with the possibility of 20 inches in isolated areas by Thursday.
Property damage from Gustav could total $8 billion, just 25 percent of Sunday's estimate, according to a federally supported computer projection issued Monday morning. See damage map »
Forecasters warned Monday morning that Gustav could stall over Louisiana and northeast Texas for several days, which would "exacerbate the threat of heavy rains and inland flooding."
Meanwhile, forecasters said Monday afternoon that Tropical Storm Hanna was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane as it passed through the Bahamas. At 5 p.m. ET, Hanna had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. The National Hurricane Center says Hanna could make landfall Friday near the Georgia/South Carolina border.
And in the far eastern Atlantic, Tropical Storm Ike formed Monday with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, the National Hurricane Center.
Water from the Industrial Canal floods a road in New Orleans after Hurricane Gustav made landfall Monday.
1 of 3 more photos » The storm's eastern bands, which generally pack the most powerful winds, also hammered Mississippi as Gustav moved to the west of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Officials in Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, Long Beach and Biloxi reported that Gustav was flooding U.S. 90, making it impassable in parts.
In Pass Christian, Gustav blew vinyl siding off homes and damaged the recently repaired small-boat harbor. At least four boats docked there were swept onto the harbor access road, police Chief John Dubuisson said.
In Biloxi, iReporter Kevin Wise, who lives two blocks from the beach, said Gustav had pushed the Gulf waters into a highway about 100 yards from the normal shoreline.
"On the beach, it was blowing hard enough that you had to squat down to take a picture, it could pretty much throw you around," he said. Wise said he and his wife ignored mandatory evacuation orders for his area.
Entergy, the largest provider of electric power in Louisiana, said that more than 700,000 homes and businesses were without power in the region, including at least 114,000 in New Orleans. Repair crews may not get out until Wednesday because of high winds, spokesman Phil Allison said.
At 4 p.m. CT, Gustav was a Category 1 storm with sustained winds of 80 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. It was a Category 2 storm with 110-mph winds when it came ashore.
Winds were sending whitecaps over levees in New Orleans, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported no major problems. Watch Gustav ravage the coast »
There were reports of water going over the Industrial Canal levee near a railroad bridge, said Chris Macaluso, a spokesman for the Louisiana Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration. The Port of New Orleans will raise the bridge to ease pressure on the system, he said.
The Industrial Canal levee failed during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, devastating the Lower 9th Ward and neighboring St. Bernard Parish. Watch water spill over the levee »
Getting, Giving Help
CNN Consumer Tips Blog
American Red Cross
Tell people you're safe, search for others
Impact Your World
See how you can make a difference
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said two Navy boats, each about 350 feet long, that were being scrapped at a facility on the canal broke away from their moorings Monday. Mayor Ray Nagin said the ships, and a barge that broke loose from its moorings, were pinned against a wharf in the Industrial Canal.
"If they get loose and they start to bang around on some of those canal walls, we could have a major problem," he said.
At least seven other barges had broken loose on the Mississippi River and were believed to have run aground on the West Bank, the Coast Guard reported. iReport: Watch winds rip New Orleans rooftop
Gustav made landfall Monday morning near the coastal town of Cocodrie, Louisiana, about 80 miles southwest of New Orleans.
Harvey Johnson, deputy administrator of FEMA, said that the evacuation of New Orleans and southern Louisiana "wasn't all pretty" but that as many as 40,000 people who needed government help were evacuated from the area.
President Bush, visiting the Texas Emergency Operations Center in Austin, Texas, praised government relief efforts.
"The coordination on this storm is a lot better than during Katrina," he said.
"What I look for is to determine whether or not assets are in place to help, whether or not there's coordination and whether or not there's preparation for recovery," Bush said. "To that end, I feel good about this event."
In total, almost 2 million residents evacuated the Louisiana coast, but some in New Orleans opted to brave the storm.
"It really didn't look as vicious as, obviously, Katrina did," Jack Bosma said. Watch gales batter home, reporter »
Don't Miss
Gustav prompts major changes to RNC agenda
iReport.com: See stories from around the region
iReport.com: Share your evacuation story
In Depth: Hurricane Gustav
He said the wind scattered his back gate across his yard, but his power was on, and neighbors had been congregating on his porch.
"It's really, quite honestly, basically, just like a bad storm. It doesn't seem that drastic at all," he said.
Nagin warned residents that although the storm may appear weak by Katrina standards, the New Orleans is "not out of the woods yet."
Nagin said that he had received no reports of major damage as of noon but that there still are storm surges, flooding and the risk of tornadoes.
Megan Arseneaux, 19, said in an e-mail that phone service was spotty at her East Bank home, two blocks from the Mississippi River in Harahan, Louisiana, just outside New Orleans.
"My backyard is full of leaves and debris. The wind was very intense when I woke up around 6 a.m.," she said. "As I type this, the wind has actually picked up. The rain is very harsh too." Watch wind, rain batter Jefferson Parish »
There are concerns that if Gustav moves up the Mississippi River's estuaries, some levees may not hold, resulting in severe flooding. Although many levees have been repaired and heightened since Katrina struck in 2005, all of the work won't be completed until 2011, officials said.
Local Coverage
WDSU: Waters overtop floodwall
WWL: Army Corps says walls should hold
KPRC: Evacuees stream into Texas
WFTV: New Orleans residents evacuate to central Florida
The U.S. Geological Survey said Gustav has caused an almost 9-foot storm surge in Pointe a La Hache, Louisiana, about 40 miles southeast of New Orleans. Another 1 to 3 feet of surge could occur, the USGS said.
Forecasters warned that a surge of 10 feet to 14 feet would cause life-threatening flooding. Pointe a La Hache is a mere 3 feet above sea level. iReport.com: Did you stay? Share your story
Forecasters said Gustav could drench parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas in 6 to 12 inches of rain, with the possibility of 20 inches in isolated areas by Thursday.
Property damage from Gustav could total $8 billion, just 25 percent of Sunday's estimate, according to a federally supported computer projection issued Monday morning. See damage map »
Forecasters warned Monday morning that Gustav could stall over Louisiana and northeast Texas for several days, which would "exacerbate the threat of heavy rains and inland flooding."
Meanwhile, forecasters said Monday afternoon that Tropical Storm Hanna was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane as it passed through the Bahamas. At 5 p.m. ET, Hanna had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. The National Hurricane Center says Hanna could make landfall Friday near the Georgia/South Carolina border.
And in the far eastern Atlantic, Tropical Storm Ike formed Monday with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, the National Hurricane Center.
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