Gustav Continues Trek into Gulf; Riley Urges Alabamians to Prepare

Gov. Bob Riley says state agencies are keeping a close watch on Tropical Storm Gustav as its spins its way toward the Gulf of Mexico.

Riley urges residents on the Alabama coast to be in storm-preparation mode and review their personal emergency plans.

In a statement Wednesday, the governor said Alabama Emergency Management Director Brock Long has been in contact with FEMA and the National Hurricane Center to make sure state officials are
ready to deal with Gustav.
 
Tropical Storm Gustav has rapidly gained strength Thursday morning and is almost a hurricane again.

The storm is on its way to Jamaica, and forecasters say it’ll become a hurricane by Thursday morning. Earlier forecasters were saying that wouldn’t happen until Friday.

So far Gustav is blamed for 23 deaths on the island of Hispaniola.

Cities all along the Gulf Coast are hoping that what’ll again be Hurricane Gustav won’t bear a resemblance to Hurricane Katrina. But with the third anniversary of Katrina looming, they’re also not taking any chances.

In Louisiana, National Guard troops are standing by while batteries and water bottles are selling briskly in stores from south Texas to Florida’s panhandle. Forecasters say Gustav could make landfall anywhere along that span as a major hurricane near the end of Labor Day weekend.

In New Orleans, officials have begun preliminary planning to evacuate and lock down the city in hopes of avoiding the catastrophe that followed Hurricane Katrina. They’re also warning there won’t be a massive shelter at the Superdome this time.

Instead, the state has arranged for buses and trains to take about 30,000 people to safety. Nearly 8,000 people are already signed up for transportation help.