US braced for "storm of the century"

President Bush is making his way to Texas to oversee hurricane relief and rescue efforts ahead of the expected landfall of Gustav. The hurricane swept across Cuba last night packing winds in excess of 240 Km/h. The storm which has been measured at a category 4 and has since dropped to category 3. But it may increase to a category 5 by the time it strikes the southern US coast early Monday morning. Thousands have been urged to leave New Orleans where the hurricane is expected and curfews have been put in place by Mayor Ray Nagin [BBC]. The mayor minced no words as he described the hurricane as the "storm of the century" and told residents to "get their butts out of New Orleans".

There are fears the hurricane might do devastating damage to the region’s oil facilities. The 4,000 rigs in the Gulf supply 25% of the US's crude oil and 15% of its natural gas. Around 100 were severely damaged by hurricane Katrina three years vago and there are fears that any significant damage will greatly affect fuel prices [BBC].

Speaking tonight, President George W Bush said it was, “Very important to listen to instructions made by officials“ and asked residents not to “take unnecessary risks”. He said he would travel initially to San Antonio but would not immediately travel to Louisiana until the “situation allowed” [CNN / Sky News].