New Orleans facing hurricane alert on Katrina anniversary

Rescue workers were today considering evacuating New Orleans as it faced a hurricane threat three years to the day that Katrina devastated the city.

Tropical storm Gustav, which is expected to strengthen into a hurricane, hit Jamaica yesterday after leaving 67 people dead in Hispaniola, the island divided between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

The US states of Texas and Louisiana put their national guards on standby, and New Orleans said a mandatory evacuation might be necessary.

Forecasters warned that Gustav’s path remained uncertain.

“It is simply impossible to determine exactly where and when Gustav will make final landfall,” said Richard Knabb of the National Hurricane Centre in Miami.

“The chances of hurricane-force winds within the next five days are essentially the same at each individual location from the Florida Panhandle coast westward through the entire coastline of Louisiana.”

But with Hurricane Katrina’s third anniversary today, Louisiana was not taking any chances - governor Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency to lay the groundwork for federal assistance.

Texas Governor Rick Perry issued a disaster declaration, and together they put 8,000 National Guard troops on standby.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said he would order a mandatory evacuation of the city if forecasters predict a Category-3 strike – or possibly even a Category-2 - within 72 hours.

The storm was centred on Jamaica’s south-west coast today and forecasters said it could strengthen into a hurricane before slamming into the wealthy banking enclave of Grand Cayman.

There were no immediate reports of casualties in Jamaica, but many people lost power and the streets of Kingston were deserted as heavy winds and rain lashed the capital.

Even as tourists searched for flights off the islands, officials urged calm. Theresa Foster, one of the owners of the Grand Caymanian Resort, said Gustav did not look as threatening as Hurricane Ivan, which destroyed 70% of Grand Cayman’s buildings four years ago.

“Whatever was going to blow away has already blown away,” she said.

Oil prices peaked above 120 dollars a barrel before settling below 116 dollars in a session made volatile by fears that the storm could affect production in the Gulf of Mexico, home to 4,000 oil rigs and half of America’s refining capacity.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Hanna formed in the Atlantic, but it was too early to predict whether it could threaten the US east coast.