Hurricane Gustav

In Mississippi, damage from Gustav was far less severe than that caused by Hurricane Katrina, with its 2005 storm surge of 27 ft (7 m); however, Gustav's storm surge was high as 15 feet (4.5 m) in places on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Sections of U.S. Route 90 (including Gulfport and Biloxi) were flooded and some houses were flooded.cite news|url=http://www.cbs42.com/news/local/27762854.html|title=Authorities Report at least Seven Deaths Related to Gustav|last=Staff writer|date=2008-09-02|publisher=Associated Press|accessdate=2008-09-03] Two people from Metairie, Louisiana died near Vicksburg in an automobile accident while evacuating from the storm.

In Alabama, scattered damage already reached multi-million dollar levels, with the destruction of the Dauphin Island berm (sand dune barrier) by storm surge waves, flood damage to island roads & homes, and extensive flooding around Bayou La Batre. The manmade sand berm took about two years to complete, and there is no official plan yet to construct another berm for Dauphin Island, which acts as a barrier island for the western Alabama coastline at Mobile Bay.cite web
title=Dauphin Island's Berm Wiped Out
author=Jene' Young, Meteorologist |publisher=WKRG.com (TV/web)
date=2008-09-02 | accessdate=2008-09-03
url=http://www.wkrg.com/hurricane/article/dauphin_islands_berm_wiped_out] A fuller assessment of damage can be expected when more residents return to the coastal areas and further insurance claims are filed.

Florida

The state of Florida was affected by both the Cuba landfall, with Gustav traveling past the Florida Keys, and the Louisiana landfall (September 1), affecting the Florida panhandle, with storm surge and outer band tornadoes and thunderstorms. Several tornado warnings were issued around the Pensacola area. Panhandle beaches had rip currents, and officials in Pensacola Beach had been passing out pamphlets warning of deadly rip currents that could continue for days.cite web
title=Dangerous Rip Currents At Fla. Panhandle Beaches - Florida
author=Associated Press reporters | publisher=WKRG.com (WKRG TV)
date=2008-09-01 | accessdate=2008-09-03
url=http://www.wkrg.com/hurricane/article/dangerous_rip_currents_at_fla_panhandle_beaches/17543/]

Four people died in a car accident on Interstate 20 near Carrollton, Georgia while evacuating from Louisiana. Two other people in the car were alive and airlifted to nearby hospitals.cite news|url=http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/08/31/gustav_evacuees_georgia.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab|title=Storm evacuees head to Georgia; 4 die in identcrash|last=MacDonald|first=Mary|date=2008-09-01|publisher=Atlanta Journal-Constitution|accessdate=2008-09-01]

Arkansas

Due to Gustav's slow motion across northwest Louisiana and Arkansas on September 2 and September 3, significant rainfall accumulation was seen statewide. The maximum amount in Arkansas, was at Hamburg, where convert|11.25|in|mm had fallen, [Michael Brennan. [http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/discussions/tcpat2.html PUBLIC ADVISORY NUMBER 41 FOR TROPICAL DEPRESSION GUSTAV.] Retrieved on 2008-09-03.] making Gustav the third wettest tropical cyclone to affect the state since 1972. [David M. Roth. [http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/tcgulfcoast.html Tropical Cyclone Rainfall for the Gulf Coast.] Retrieved on 2008-09-03.]

Political implications

United States

Hurricane Gustav was expected to make landfall near New Orleans almost exactly three years after Hurricane Katrina struck the same region. It also arrived in the midst of the campaign for the 2008 U.S. presidential elections and during the week the 2008 Republican National Convention was scheduled to start. The federal and state administrations, as well as the candidates for the 2008 presidential election were sensitive that Gustav was likely to remind U.S. voters of the "botched response" by state and local municipalities and subsequent federal aid authorities to the earlier storm. [cite web|last=Balz| first= Dan| title = The Hurricane In Question Is Still Called Katrina|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/31/AR2008083102069.html| publisher = Washington Post | date = 2008-09-01|accessdate=2008-09-01]

On August 30, President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney canceled their planned attendance at the 2008 Republican National Convention.cite news|url= http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/31/bush-unlikely-to-attend-opening-of-gop-convention/ |title=Bush, Cheney Will Not Attend GOP Convention Due To Hurricane |last=Staff writer |date=2008-08-31 |publisher=Fox News] Because of the expected U.S. landfall, governors and some other political leaders from Louisiana and other states chose to stay home from the 2008 Republican National Convention.cite news | author = Hughes, Siobhan | url = http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/08/30/hurricane-gustaf-forces-some-changes-in-gop-convention/ | title= Hurricane Gustav Forces Some Changes in GOP Convention | publisher = Wall Street Journal | date = 2008-08-30 | accessdate = 2008-08-30] As the hurricane approached the coast, presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain canceled all non-essential opening-day festivities at the conventioncite news | url = http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jQD-Ub1QQZgszKZ4ddpQBmVCevOQD92TG4K00 | author = Espo, D. | title = McCain orders convention curtailed for Gustav | publisher = Associated Press | date = 2008-08-31 | accessdate = 2008-08-31] and said that he might give his acceptance speech via satellite from the affected area.cite news | author = Allen, Mike & Jonathan Martin | url = http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/13013.html | title = Storm scrambles GOP convention | publisher = The Politico | date = 2008-08-30 | accessdate = 2008-08-30]

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and Vice Presidential nominee Joe Biden, monitoring the situation in the Gulf Coast, encouraged New Orleans residents to evacuate. [cite news | author = Marquardt, Alexander | url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/08/31/obama-and-biden-urge-gulf-coast-evacuation/ | title = Obama and Biden urge Gulf Coast evacuation | publisher = CNN | accessdate = 2008-08-31 | date = 2008-08-31] Obama also announced that he would ask his large network of donors and volunteers to contribute money, goods and work to assist victims of the storm according to what was most needed after the storm hits. [cite news|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=5695166 | title=Obama to Ask His Donors to Help Storm Victims | author=Charles Babington | publisher=Associated Press via ABC News | date=2008-09-01 | accessdate=2008-09-01]

Cuba

Fidel Castro addressed in a "reflection," published on September 1 in the official daily "Granma". "Two days ago ... out of 11 international press reports devoted to Cuba, none told about the hurricane that moved toward our island and the feverish efforts of our Civil Defense," Castro writes. Instead, the news services, "echoing a Yankee press organization dedicated to the media war and campaigns against Cuba," reported about the defection of TV actor Yamil Jaled. (The "Yankee press organization" appears to be an allusion to "El Nuevo Herald", which broke the news of Jaled's arrival in Miami.) "What a patriot! What a democrat! What a brilliant example," wrote Castro. "This way, the world is informed about a character a lot less known and important than Hurricane Gustav. They want to make a sacred cow out of him." [cite web|last=Pérez Pizarro| first= Renata| title = Is Jaled 'newsier' than Gustav?, Fidel asks|url=http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2008/09/is-jaled-newsie.html| publisher = Miami Herald | date = 2008-09-03|accessdate=2008-09-03]

ee also

* 2008 Atlantic hurricane season
* List of Atlantic hurricanes
* List of Atlantic hurricane seasons

References

External links

* [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2008/GUSTAV.shtml? National Hurricane Center's Archive for Hurricane Gustav]
* [http://www.fema.gov/media/multimedia/2008/gustav/index.html FEMA Hurricane Gustav Page]