Thousands flee as Hurricane Lili roars to US coast
Date: 04-Oct-02
Country: USA
Author: Jeff Franks
Rains and rising winds were already lashing parts of Louisiana even though the storm was still 195 miles (312 km) offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.
Forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Lili appeared to be taking aim at Louisiana's central coast near the Cajun town of New Iberia, 150 miles (240 km) west of New Orleans.
A hurricane warning was posted from High Island, Texas, to the mouth of the Mississippi River, with Lili expected to come ashore yesterday.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami issued an urgent warning to finish preparations for Lili, which it classified as a dangerous Category 4 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale.
About 750,000 people along the coast were warned to seek higher ground ahead of what was expected to be a massive storm surge that could push 25 miles (40 km) inland.
Throughout the region, property owners boarded up windows and battened down the hatches in preparation for the storm. Major highways heading out were clogged with cars.
"Preparations to protect life and property in the hurricane warning area should be rushed to completion," National Hurricane Center said in an advisory. "Lili is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane."
A Category 4 hurricane, which reaches that classification when its winds reach 131 mph (210 kph), can cause extensive wind damage and bring a massive storm surge that floods inland for miles (km).
Winds up to 35 mph (55 kph) were reported in New Orleans, roiling Lake Pontchartrain at the city's edge. The city, much of which lies below sea level, is just outside the zone of greatest expected danger.
The weather was reminiscent of a week ago when Tropical Storm Isidore hit Louisiana with high winds and heavy rains, causing what officials said was about $100 million in damage.
STORM SURGE
The hurricane center warned that Lili would push seas 10 to 20 feet (3 to 6 metres) above normal and inundate a large area.
"The surge could spread as much as 25 miles (40 km) inland," it said. A similar storm, Hurricane Audrey, killed more than 400 people when it flooded the coast at Cameron in southwestern Louisiana in 1957.
Lili, which left at least six dead after pounding Jamaica and Cuba on its way to the Gulf of Mexico, was located 195 miles (312 km) south of New Orleans and heading north-northwest at 16 mph (26 kph).
As of 10 p.m. CDT (0300 GMT), Lili's center was at latitude 27.2 degrees north and longitude 90.6 degrees west, the hurricane center said.
Hurricane force winds extend 50 miles (80 km) from the eye of the storm, it said.'
In Grand Isle, Louisiana, south of New Orleans, local officials piled up sandbags around the low-lying town. Mayor David Camardelle said all residents were told to leave, but not everyone would.
"It's always hard to get everyone out of here. You've got a few people who stay, die-hards and some old-timers," he said. "We're not going to give up. We're going to be all right."
In Delacambre, just west of New Iberia, Dennis Hollier told reporters he would ride the storm out on his shrimp boat.
"We don't have no choice. We've got to protect our boats. It's all we have," he said. "All we can do is loosen up the ropes and hope for the best."
Oil workers manning offshore platforms were flown to safety and oil and gas production curtailed. About 25 percent of all natural gas produced in the United States comes from the Gulf.
Refineries along the coast shut down, as did the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, or LOOP, the largest U.S. oil port.
NASA postponed Wednesday's scheduled launch of the space shuttle Atlantis from Cape Canaveral, Florida, as Lili moved into the Gulf. The agency feared the hurricane could knock out communications at Mission Control in Houston.
Lili has followed a track similar to that of Isidore, which caused extensive flooding in Cuba's western tip only 11 days ago, before battering Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and then losing force a
