“This is not a test,” New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said at a midday news conference.
Katrina is a now a Category 3 hurricane, and could become a Cat 4 or even a 5. Current projections have it hitting metro New Orleans dead on. New Orleans has levees and most of the city is beneath sea level. Yikes.
Voluntary and mandatory evacuations have been ordered in Louisiana and Mississippi, with all lanes on Interstates 55 and 59 now being northbound only. The Superdome may be used as a shelter for those without cars who can not get out.