Katrina Category 3 Foreshadows Likely Damage as Hurricane Gustav May Reach Category 5

Isle of Youth Currently Affected by Category 4 Hurricane Gustav. Is Hurricane Hanna Not Far Behind?

Katrina Category 3 When It Did The Most Damage

Hurricane Katrina category 1 made landfall at the coast of southern Florida and then moved through the Gulf of Mexico increasing in force to a category 5 hurricane. It once again made contact with land in the southeastern portion of Louisiana, this time as Hurricane Katrina category 3.

Hurricane Gustav Category 4 Surpasses Force of Hurricane Katrina

Even as Hurricane Katrina was a category 5 hurricane for a brief period of time, it had been downgraded to a category 3 when it made landfall. In stark contrast stands Hurricane Gustav category 4 which is currently threatening Louisiana, a city that has not yet recovered from the aftermath of Katrina.

At this time New Orleans is under evacuation and Texas' Harris County is likely to follow suit. The LSU versus Appalachian State college football game changed its kickoff time from 4:00 PM to 10:00 AM to keep attendees from blocking Interstate 10, slated as a premier evacuation route. Once Hurricane Gustav reached hurricane category 4, the Army reported that responders had been put into place in Louisiana.

Residents are heeding the warnings and this time the number of those willing to ride out the storm is infinitesimally small. Instead, businesses, tourists, and also residents are packing up their belongings and following the local authorities' advice for leaving the area for the safer inland regions. Of course, the anxieties over what will be left of their only recently rebuilt homes and businesses weigh heavy.

NOAA warns at this time that a Hurricane Gustav may strike the northern Gulf Coast - including New Orleans as well as Lake Pontchartrain - within 36 hours of 5:00 PM ET 08-30-08. Concurrently, the Florida Panhandle is under a tropical storm watch. Change from a category 4 to a category 5 hurricane is highly likely.