Weakening Gustav still "extremely dangerous"
Hurricane Gustav weakens to category one in Louisiana - but forecasters say storm still "extremely dangerous"
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Monday, 01, Sep 2008 09:58
Hurricane Gustav is weakening after making landfall in Louisiana, but forecasters have warned the storm still poses a serious threat.
The storm is now classed as a category one hurricane after passing just west of New Orleans.
Up to two million people are understood to have moved away from the coast, while New Orleans itself has turned into a ghost town after all but 10,000 of its 180,000 residents responded to a mandatory evacuation order.
The storm has already killed up to 90 people passing through the Caribbean, prompting fears it could mirror the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, which struck New Orleans this time three years ago.
In its latest update the United States national hurricane centre (NHC) said Gustav was weakening but was still lashing Louisiana with winds of up to 145kmph.
"Gustav is moving toward the north-west [at] 26kmph and this general motion is expected to continue with a decrease in the forward speed during the next couple of days," a statement said.
Forecasters said warnings over an "extremely dangerous" storm surge of up to 15ft remained in place, while 12in of rain has been forecast in Louisiana.
In 2005 1,800 people died in and around New Orleans when the city's levees broke, but the industrial canal that protects the city is expected to withstand the surge.
President George Bush, in the region on Monday after cancelling a planned appearance at the Republican convention in St Paul, Minnesota, said the Gustav emergency coordination had been "a lot better".
"It's been a huge evacuation," he told reporters.
"It's hard for a citizen to pull up stakes and move out of their home and face the uncertainty that comes when you're not at home. And I want to thank those citizens who listened carefully to the local authorities and evacuated."
Meanwhile, the NHC said tropical storm Hanna had strengthened into a hurricane off the coast of the Bahamas.