SPECIAL WEATHER                    
 
Precautions Made for Gustav        
 
--Tropical Storm Gustav threatens to become a major hurricane in the 
Gulf of Mexico this weekend. The storm is forecast to make a 
potentially disastrous landfall early next week, likely between 
Houston and New Orleans. With the devastation of Hurricane Katrina of 
2005 fresh on many people's minds, Louisiana began making 
preparations for the storm on Wednesday. CNN reported that 
Louisiana's Governor Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency, 
putting the state in position to receive federal disaster assistance. 
Louisiana has also requested President Bush to make a "pre-landfall" 
declaration, so that the federal government could release personnel, 
ambulances and other assistance to prepare for Gustav's arrival. 
Jindal also stated that 3,000 National Guard members will be deployed 
today to vulnerable areas in Louisiana to assist with preparing for 
possible evacuations and securing shelters. New Orleans has a plan to 
use trains and buses to take evacuees to shelters located farther 
inland. The city estimates that 30,000 would need help evacuating, 
but only 7,000 people have signed up for assistance.