New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has ordered an immediate mandatory evacuation for the city, as Hurricane Katrina intensified Sunday to a dangerous Category 5 storm, the highest ranking on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
“As most of you know, the storm is intensifying and is still pointed toward New Orleans….I am this morning declaring that we will be doing a mandatory evacuation,” Nagin said at a news conference on Sunday. “I do not want to create panic, but I do want the citizens to understand that this is very serious and it’s of the highest nature and that’s why we’ve taken this unprecedented move.”
Gov. Kathleen Blanco, in joining the mayor, said President George Bush personally appealed for the mandatory evacuation for the city.
While thousands of Louisiana residents and tourists jammed freeways in a rush to get out of the storm’s path, up to 100,000 people reportedly lack the transportation to leave New Orleans. The Louisiana Superdome is being used as one of a number of shelters.
Katrina has resulted in at least seven deaths in Florida after it made landfall Thursday – and it was only a Category 1 hurricane at that point.
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