August 27th 2005

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Hurricane Katrina is headed for Louisiana after killing seven people in southern Florida last week. Katrina is expected to hit land as early as Sunday afternoon.  Hurricane watches and warnings have been posted for parts of the Louisiana coast.  Most at risk are low-lying parishes.

At 11 a.m. on Saturday, the hurricane was 405 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River.  Katrina is moving west at about 7 miles per hour (MPH).  The projected path could see Katrina coming ashore anywhere between the Florida Panhandle and the Louisiana Coast west of New Orleans / Baton Rouge. 

Maximum sustained winds are about 115 MPH making Katrina a category three Hurricane. Winds are expected to increase making Katrina a category four on the Saffir-Simpson scale by the time it makes landfall.  The storm will be stronger than it was when it hit Florida on Thursday.

A watch means that a hurricane is expected within 24 hours and a warning means it is expected within 36 hours.  There is a complete forecast at the National Weather Service for affected areas here. 

According to AP by Saturday, power had been restored to about 40 percent, according to Florida Power & Light Co., the main electricity company in the area. Around 867,000 customers, or roughly 1.7 million people, were still sweltering in the summer heat without power.

National Guard troops dispensed ice and bottled water and directed traffic at intersections where the signal lights were out in the Miami area.  Key west experienced it’s firth wettest day on record since the late 1870’s with 2 feet (60cm) of floodwater. 

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By Dan Wilson
Best Syndication Staff Writer

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Keywords and misspellings:  Hurricane Huricane Katrina Catrina