Headed to hurricane country? Read this first
Here’s what you need to know if you’re headed to hurricane country.
Many hotels are sold out in Louisiana because of Hurricane Gustav. If you’re driving to — or through — the Creole State, it’s going to be a long trip.
The best site for determining the latest on Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Storm Hanna, which may threaten Florida, the southern Atlantic coast or the Gulf Coast late this week, is the National Hurricane Center.
Other sites may provide more weather information, but this is the grand-daddy of them all — where all of the media, like The Weather Channel and local TV stations, get their meteorological information about the storms.
You can even sign up for podcasts, access the information on a mobile device, and find tons of links to official government services and information about storm preparedness and evacuations. This is one case of the government doing something right.
Other sites for travelers and those who want to follow the storm and its impact, going from east (Mobile, Ala.) to west (Houston), include:
- Alabama Live
The (Biloxi, Miss.) Sun Herald
WWL-TV, New Orleans, which performed brilliantly during Hurricane Katrina (and crushed the local newspaper Web site, which was appallingly bad last time around).
NOLa.com, the site affiliated with The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune, which is performing much better this time than during Hurricane Katrina.
ContraflowMaps, a site outlining travel “contraflow” directions on various highways in the area.
The official City of New Orleans hurricane evacuation and information page
2TheAdvocate, the Web site of The Advocate and its sister TV station, WBRZ, in Baton Rouge.
The Advertiser, the daily newspaper in Lafayette, La.
The American Press, in Lake Charles, La., which links out to some traffic cameras (but was loading very slowly on Sunday morning).
For Texas Gulf Coast coverage, and news of the Louisiana evacuations, the Houston Chronicle site is probably your best bet.
You may also be interested in these articles
- Expect major travel disruptions as monster hurricane churns toward Louisiana
- Hard choices as Hurricane Gustav heads for New Orleans
- A nation fixated by Hurricane Gustav — but what about Hanna?
- Traveling with Edouard: everything you need to know about today’s twister
- The Perfect Storms: Gustav, Hanna foil Labor Day travel plans
Comments
Please share your thoughts...