Hurricane Gustav on September 1, 2008, with the deadly Hurricane Hanna in the Caribbean
was a major
hurricane that formed August 25, 2008 near Port-au-Prince,
Haiti, in the
Caribbean. Although it was a category 3 hurricane it downgraded to a category 1 on September 1 when it hit the
United States Gulf Coast states. It is estimated that it has resulted in the deaths of 96 people in Haiti, the
Dominican Republic,
Jamaica,
Cuba and the United States. Mandatory evacuation orders of 1.9 million people took place in the state of
Louisiana and 200,000 people in
New Orleans alone. "We want everybody... we want 100 percent
evacuation. If you decide to stay, you are on your own" New Orleans Mayor
Ray Nagin said.
[1] Evacuations along the
Alabama and
Mississippi Gulf Coast also took place. Louisiana
Governor Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency, activating between 3,000 and 8,000 members of the Louisiana National Guard. The states response was much more improved compared to the response to the 2005
Hurricane Katrina, with Governor Jindal saying, "our state is better prepared that it has been before."
[2] New Orleans' new and improved levees, which were still being rebuilt three years after Hurricane Katrina did not break, only having water sloshing over it for a period of time.
[3] There was however, severe
storm surge flooding in many parts of Louisiana.
Political Impact
Hurricane Gustav hit New Orleans on the start of the 2008 Republican National Convention. Because of this President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were unable to attend. The first day of the Republican convention focused almost entirely on Hurricane relief and raising money for organizations like the Red Cross. Former Democratic National Committee chairman Donald Fowler responded to the timing, saying:
"The hurricane’s going to hit New Orleans about the time they [Republican Convention] start. The timing is — at least it appears now that it’ll be there Monday. That just demonstrates that God’s on our side."
He would later apologize.[4] Popular filmmaker and liberal activist Michael Moore said on the Hurricane,
"Gustav is proof that there is a God in Heaven."[5]
Mon Sep 1, 2008, 3:25 AM, before "Hurricane Gustav", a man hauls bags down Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
See also
References
- ↑ http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/31/2351178.htm
- ↑ http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2008/08/gov_bobby_jindal_declares_pres.html
- ↑ https://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,414622,00.html
- ↑ http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gq6nPDr8rAx2DW8eaPVPDQy_WyYA
- ↑ http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/08/michael-moore-gustav-is-proof.html
External links
