'A Big, Ugly Storm'

During his press conference, Nagin directed a special message at would-be looters. "Looters will go directly to jail," he said. "You will not get a pass this time." And those caught won't be shipped to a mere parish jail; they'll be sent to the state's notorious Angola Prison. "I want to make sure every potential looter understands that," said Nagin. "You will go directly to Angola Prison, and God bless you when you get there."

Though most eyes are on New Orleans, residents throughout the Gulf Coast region are scrambling to prepare for Gustav. Over in Port Arthur, Texas, which could get a direct hit from the hurricane, authorities also ordered a mandatory evacuation. The city was battered by Hurricane Rita in 2005, and this time around, few residents were willing to risk riding out the storm. "Trust me, around here, Rita is still fresh on everyone's minds," said Mike Free, a battalion chief with the Port Arthur Fire Department. On Saturday and Sunday, cars inched out of harm's way in bumper-to-bumper traffic along Interstate 10, as roadside marquees flashed the message "Hurricane season is here, keep your gas tanks full." Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced that travelers should take advantage of the more than 200 comfort stations providing water and restrooms that run all the way up to the Oklahoma border.

One Port Arthur resident determined to flee was Sidney Romero, a painter and freelance minister. In the wee hours of Sunday, he slung a backpack stuffed with clean clothes over his shoulder and pedaled his mountain bike to the Port Arthur civic center, where he hoped to land a seat on a bus. During Rita, he waited until the last minute and wound up stranded until he was finally rescued by a stranger in a pickup truck. "Last time, I almost got left behind," said Romero. "You can't run from your problems. But I ain't staying here!"

© 2008