Hurricane Local Statement

Headline	Hurricane Local Statement
Description	Lafayette, Rapides, St. Landry, Upper St. Martin. The Following Watches and Warnings are Currently in effect For this Area: Hurricane Wind Watch. Residents are Encouraged to Continue Making Preparations to Protect Life and Property. Acadia. A Voluntary Evacuation is in effect for Residents North of Interstate 10. a Mandatory Evacuation is in effect for All Residents South of Hwy 92, and for Mobile Homes South of Interstate 10. Allen. A Voluntary Evacuation is in Effect. a Recommended Evacuation will Start at 6am Sunday. Jefferson Davis. A Mandatory Evacuation is Planned on Sunday. Lafayette. A Voluntary Evacuation is in Effect. Upper St. Martin. A Voluntary Evacuation is in Effect. Tropical storm Force winds will Begin to Affect the area 10 to 12 Hours Prior to Hurricane Force winds. on Gustav's Current Path, Tropical storm Force winds Are Expected to Begin Impacting the Louisiana Coast During the Pre - Dawn Hours Monday Morning, then Continue to Spread Inland As Gustav Moves to the Northwest. Tropical storm Force winds Will Start to Impact the Lafayette and Crowley Areas Shortly After Sunrise, and Impact the Alexandria area by Mid Afternoon. Hurricane Gustav is Expected to Make Landfall Along the South Central Louisiana Coast Mid Monday Morning As an Extremely Dangerous Category 4 Hurricane, with Sustained winds of 150 MPH and Gusts Up to 180 MPH. The Following Damage Can be Expected Along the Path of the Eye Wall of a Hurricane of this Strength. Houses of Poor to Average Construction will be Severely Damaged or Destroyed. Well Constructed Homes will Have Substantial Roof and Exterior Damage. More severe Damage to Homes with Gabled Roofs May Occur. Many Industrial Buildings will be Destroyed, Others will Have Partial Roof and Wall Damage. Wood Framed Apartments will be Severely Damaged. Complete Destruction of Mobile Homes Is Likely. Electricity and Water will be Unavailable for Days, And Perhaps Weeks, After the storm Passes. Many Trees will be Snapped And/or Uprooted. St. Martinville. Tropical Storm, 79 Percent. Hurricane, 32 Percent. Lafayette. Tropical Storm, 77 Percent. Hurricane, 29 Percent. Opelousas. Tropical Storm, 76 Percent. Hurricane, 27 Percent. Marksville. Tropical Storm, 73 Percent. Hurricane, 20 Percent. Ville Platte. Tropical Storm, 73 Percent. Hurricane, 23 Percent. Jennings. Tropical Storm, 69 Percent. Hurricane, 23 Percent. Oberlin. Tropical Storm, 67 Percent. Hurricane, 20 Percent. Alexandria. Tropical Storm, 67 Percent. Hurricane, 16 Percent. 10 to 15 Inches of Rainfall, with Locally Higher Amounts, Will be Possible Across South Central Louisiana. Rainfall of This Magnitude will Likely Result in Flooding. this Statement will be Updated around 5am Sunday Morning. At 1000pm CST...the Center of Hurricane Gustav was Located Near Latitude 23.1 North...longitude 83.8 West...or over The Southeastern Gulf of Mexico About 90 Miles West of Havana Cuba...and About 530 Miles Southeast of the Mouth of the Mississippi River. Gustav is moving toward the Northwest near 15 MPH...and This Motion is Expected to Continue for the Next Couple of Days. On this Track...the Center of Gustav is Forecast to Move Into The Central Gulf of Mexico on Sunday...and then Make Landfall on The Northern Gulf Coast on Monday. Maximum Sustained winds are near 140 MPH...with Higher Gusts. Gustav is a Category Four Hurricane on the Saffir-simpson Scale. While Gustav has Weakened During Passage over Cuba...it is Forecast to Re-intensify During the Next 24 Hours As It Moves over the Warm Waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Fluctuations in Strength are Likely After That Time...but Gustav is Forecast to Remain a Major Hurricane Through Landfall Along the Northern Gulf Coast. Hurricane Force winds Extend Outward Up to 70 Miles from The Center...and Tropical storm Force winds Extend Outward Up to 175 Miles. The Estimated Minimum Central Pressure is 948 Mb...or 27.99 Inches.
Expires	9/1/08 3:00 AM
Message ID	71980
County/Area	Lafayette, LA (latitude: 30.2159, longitude: -92.0904)