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Residents streamed inland in bumper-to-bumper traffic in an agonizingly slow exodus amid dire warnings that Ivan could overwhelm New Orleans with up to 20 feet of filthy, chemical-polluted water. About three-quarters of a million more people along the coast in Florida, Mississippi and Alabama also were told to evacuate.
Forecasters said Ivan, blamed for at least 68 deaths in the Caribbean, could reach 160 mph and strengthen to Category 5, the highest level, by the time it blows ashore as early as Thursday somewhere along the Gulf Coast.
With hurricane-force wind extending 105 miles from its center, Ivan could cause significant damage no matter where it strikes. Officials ordered or strongly urged an estimated 1.9 million people in four states to flee to higher ground.
Alabama resorts shuttered
In Alabama, Gov. Bob Riley ordered the evacuation of coastal resorts. “This is a serious storm that requires serious action to get people out of harm’s way,” he said.
In Gulf Shores, Ala., the heart of the “Redneck Riviera,” the sugary white beaches and offbeat tourist spots were largely deserted. Workers at Souvenir City, where tourists enter by walking through the mouth of a huge shark, packed up glass figurines for storage in a warehouse.
Other parts of Louisiana were under voluntary evacuation orders, and the state continued preparing for Saturday’s election, including a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriages.
All over low-lying southern Louisiana, residents made plans to leave. “All of my guests have left,” said Theresa Vegas, manager of the Sand Dollar Motel on vulnerable Grand Isle, south of New Orleans. “Most of the fishing boats have left the marina or are in the process of leaving.”
Storm may strengthen, forecasters say
Forecasters warned that Ivan still could strengthen before hitting shore. They also said it could slow down or stall over the Appalachians this weekend, raising the risk of serious flooding.
Oil and gas rigs in the Gulf of Mexico had been evacuated.
The Coast Guard had not restricted traffic on the lower Mississippi River below New Orleans, but shipping companies voluntarily stopped operations late Monday and early Tuesday and ordered their vessels tied down.
The storm, one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to hit the Caribbean, swept past Cuba’s western tip Monday, drenching farm fields while simultaneously sending 20-foot waves toward shore.
Florida Panhandle residents, needing no more reminders of the perils that accompany powerful hurricanes, participated Monday in what’s become an all-too-familiar drill - stocking and shuttering homes in preparation for a storm. Hurricanes Charley and Frances caused billions in damage and were blamed for more than 50 deaths statewide; Ivan may still make landfall as the triumvirate’s most powerful.