As he prepared to leave the Democratic National Convention in Denver to head back to New Orleans and make plans for Gustav, Mayor Ray Nagin told CNN “a whole different strategy” will be in place to help evacuate residents if needed.

WWL-TV

Mayor Ray Nagin

In an interview Wednesday evening with CNN anchors Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper, Nagin said he is “cautiously optimistic,” and hopes the storm veers away from south Louisiana at the last minute.  But he urged residents to have evacuation plans in order, and help elderly neighbors make a plan as well. 

“The big question is ‘What shape are our levees in?’  With all the work the Corps of Engineers has done, is it sufficient enough to handle what is projected to be a Category 3 that right now is poised and headed for New Orleans?”

Unlike Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Nagin said there will be no shelter of last resort, such as the Superdome or Morial Convention Center, and residents will be transported out of the city on buses and trains.  He said, if Gustav is greater than a category 2 storm and the predicted storm surge is greater than the levee height of approximately 17 to 20 feet, then a mandatory evacuation would be ordered.

When asked about the city’s plan for evacuating special needs residents, the mayor said only 7,000 people have registered through the city’s 311 hotline.  “That’s part of the challenge going forward.  But even the ones we have not identified, we will still go out into the community and try to bring them in.”