Hurricane Gustav

Hurricane Gustav on September 1, 2008

Hurricane Gustav is a major hurricane that formed August 25, 2008 near Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and later hit the Caribbean. Although it was a category 3 hurricane it downgraded to a category 1 on September 1st when it hit the United States Gulf Coast states. It is estimated that it has resulted in the deaths of 96 people in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Cuba and the United States. Mandatory evacuation orders of 1.9 million people took place in the state of Louisiana and 200,000 people in New Orleans alone. "We want everybody... we want 100 per cent evacuation. If you decide to stay, you are on your own" New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said. Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency, activating between 3,000 and 8,000 members of the Louisiana National Guard. Evacuations along the Alabama and Mississippi Gulf Coast also took place. The governments response has been compared to the response to the 2005 Hurricane Katrina, with Governor Jindal saying, "our state is better prepared that it has been before."

Political Impact

Hurricane Gustav hit New Orleans on the start of the 2008 Republican National Convention. Because of this President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were unable to attend. The first day of the Republican convention focused almost entirely on Hurricane relief and raising money for organizations like the Red Cross. Former Democratic National Committee chairman Donald Fowler responded to the timing, saying:

"The hurricane’s going to hit New Orleans about the time they [Republican Convention] start. The timing is — at least it appears now that it’ll be there Monday. That just demonstrates that God’s on our side."

He would later apologize. Popular filmmaker and liberal activist Michael Moore said on the Hurricane,

"Gustav is proof that there is a God in Heaven."

See Also

• Hurricane Katrina