Katrina victims keep eye on Ernesto

WHAT should have been a weekend of remembrance of Hurricane Katrina’s destruction became a weekend of worry as Ernesto became the first hurricane of the Atlantic season yesterday.

Forecasters said it would strengthen as it headed toward the Gulf of Mexico, where it could menace a wide swath of coastline including New Orleans.

The National Hurricane Centre in Miami said the storm could grow by Thursday into a hurricane as strong as Katrina, which struck the city a year ago today.