Monday, September 1, 2008

Hurricane Gutsav claims 7 lives


Though the extent of the damage caused is not measured yet, the hurricane has claimed 7 lives and the re is expected to be more losses. Hurricane did not have a full impact on the coast of new orleans. Authorities are reporting seven deaths related to Hurricane Gustav.

They include four people fleeing the storm who were killed in Georgia when their car struck a tree. A couple in their 70s died when a tree struck their relatives' home in Baton Rouge. Another woman died in an accident driving between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.



Before arriving in the U.S., Gustav was blamed for at least 94 deaths in the Caribbean.

Gustav slammed into the heart of Louisiana's fishing and oil industries with 110 mile-an-hour winds today. It delivered only a glancing blow to New Orleans, three years after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

There was damage elsewhere in Louisiana. A levee in the southeast part of the state is on the verge of collapse. As many as 300 homes in Plaquemines (PLAK'-uh-minz) Parish are threatened. Officials are scrambling to fortify the levee.

At 8 p.m. Eastern time, Gustav had top sustained winds of 75 miles-an-hour. The National Hurricane Center says it's expected to weaken further during the next 24 hours.

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