Reply #10: New information:

[Horse with no Name]

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said he may call for the first-ever mandatory evacuation in city history after talking with the head of the Hurricane Center who said a storm surge of 20-25 feet could be expected with major hurricane Katrina.

Nagin said he would consider ordering evacuations by Sunday morning and may employ buses and trains to help get people out of the city.

In an interview on Eyewitness News, Nagin said his Saturday night dinner was interrupted by an urgent call from Governor Kathleen Blanco who asked Nagin to call the Hurricane Center.

Nagin said the Hurricane Center Chief told the mayor that if it was possible at all, he should order an evacuation due to winds that could reach 145 miles per hour sustained and 170 mile per hour gusts.

Nagin said he would put his wife and family on a plane and he urged everyone to do anything they could to get out.

“All models say this storm will land right on top of New Orleans,” he said.

Nagin said he would call churches and urge them to have their congregations adopt seniors or someone who doesn’t have transportation and get them out.

“I don’t want to wake up one day and not have done all I could do with a catastrophe on top of us.”

Nagin said anyone trying to stay in a city hotel or hoping for an opening of the Superdome might want to think again.

According to Nagin, if 18 to 20 feet of water came into the city it could be six or seven weeks to restore power and the Superdome and hotels would grow uncomfortable.

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWL082705nagin.b7724856.html