New Orleans braced for direct hurricane hit
As many as two million people in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana have been told to move to higher ground as Hurricane Ivan moves relentlessly towards the three southern US states.
A state of emergency has been declared, with roads jammed and airports being closed, with the huge storm expected to make landfall tomorrow.
According to the BBC News website, forecasters say the hurricane will most likely strengthen to a category five storm once more before it reaches the Gulf Coast, with winds likely to reach 160 miles per hour.
Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour is quoted as saying: “I beg people on the coast: do not ride this storm out.”
New Orleans – many parts of which lie below sea level – is under the greatest threat, with warnings that a direct hit could “devastate the city for weeks”.
Parts of Florida are still under threat, despite the hurricane heading slightly away from the state in recent days, with one resident reportedly predicting: “If we get the kind of tidal surge they are saying, the fishing boats are all going to be in the trees.”
Meanwhile, the BBC reports, a quarter of the island of Grand Cayman is still under water after Ivan struck, while in Grenada, an Oxfam spokesman has spoken of “the worst devastation” he has ever witnessed.
Tim Forster reportedly said: “Ninety per cent of houses have been torn to pieces and there is waste strewn across the whole island.”
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd
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