Mayor of New Orleans speaking at 6

[Mattie]

http://www.wtix690am.com/live.html

Tulane game on Sunday in Superdome has been postponed -

The last time a hurricane this size threatened Louisiana was Betsy - 35 years ago.

Airlines have cancelled flights as of tonight - a couple flights out tonight - but that is it.

Even if it hits within 75 miles - New Orleans will feel quite a bit of it.

So, all in all, (and for those who "poo poo" these things) be prepared for anything.

I was in Baton Rouge for Betsy and the results are not pretty that far north of New Orleans.

Just a disclaimer - no w*casting, p*ssing contest, etc. - just what I hear

[Us 2 cajuns]

Where is the Mayor? 6:10 PM and still waiting. Boy, this anxiety and anticipation is a bit much.

[Mattie]

for me too

[Windy]

Still time to listen -- it hasn't started yet. Fascinating to listen to either way.

[Windy]

Mayor says that the window to leave NO is rapidly closing -- they will be closing all roads out of town by 12 noon tomorrow at the latest, with no way out of the city after that.

[Us 2 cajuns]

Mayor of NO speaking now. Asking for medical personnel to assist the area (Drs, nurses, EMS, etc). Flood gates are closing at midnight. He stated "Strike point has changed in our favor - good new" - not do good news - 8-10" rain expected. He called the interstate a "parking lot". Baton Rouge also having heavy congestion of traffic. Storm still has a high degree of uncertaincy.

[HurricaneQueen]

Is he nuts??? I'm assuming he is not up for re-election. How can you not issue evacuation orders and then trap people in a city that is below sea level.

Lynn

[Mattie]

Governor has declared "state of emergency" which allows people to evacuate.

The main reason is that there's no gas. . . the city has to be secured . . . . and the people were given quite a bit of notice. That's why the gridlock is so awful tonight. They won't physically stop you from leaving of course, but it will be definitely be a LOOOOOOONG trip out of town that may prove fruitless for some people. . .

These 8-12 inches will cause heavy flooding (and a normal 2-3 inch rainfall causes major rainfall flooding in some parts of the city) if that is ALL they get.

[Traveler]

Did he say WHY they were closing ALL of the roads out. The local Mets in Lafayette and Alex sure gave it a sugar coating ON the evening news just now, saying that there MAY be as high as 75 mile winds in NO and 40 mile winds in Baton Rouge. How can that be?

[Mattie]

My PERSONAL opinion is that they are erring on the side of caution until things change for sure.

There are too many people who will have serious concerns should they wait too late. Because New Orleans is so vulnerable to storm surge, it is definitely better to "scare people out of town now" than to wait and say they weren't notified.

Being a veteran hurricane runner - I have never regretted leaving because I have first hand knowledge of what destruction lies ahead for a direct hit.