Weather

 

We are now en route to Lafayette from Baton Rouge.  We encountered an enormous amount of traffic along Interstate-10, about 30 miles east of Lafayette. I snapped some shots of the accident that caused the backup.

It appears there were two big-rigs, used to help restore power, involved in a crash with a car.  The backup stretched eastward for miles.

At one point, we saw people getting out of their cars to walk around, stretch, and take in the scenery.

Just before the backup started, we drove through an intense rain band.  No doubt it was one of Gustav's lingering bands.

CBS 11 Photojournalist Mike Lozano did a great job navigating through the downpour, as we could barely see a foot in front of us.

Reporter Jay Gormley pulled out the camera and shot video from the back seat.  You can catch a bit of that on CBS 11 News at 5pm.  We'll be coming to you live from Lafayette, Louisiana.

CBS 11 producer Stuart Boslow, who is traveling across Louisiana with reporter Jay Gormley and photojournalist Mike Lozano.

We are in Baton Rouge now.  There is quite a bit of minor damage all over the city.  Trees are downed all over the place ... even the bigger trees were no match for Gustav.

Power is out everywhere and traffic is very slow going.  We were actually diverted off the highway because of concerns over a downed power line; however, we did not see anything as we passed by on a side road.

We are now snaking our way through the city, shooting video of some of the things we find.  We are trying to make our way back to the highway, but it’s very slow going.  There are a lot of people on the roads today, and we wonder if it’s because that's the only place they can get air conditioning. 

When covering storms like this, our crews carry spare gasoline, which is usually strapped to the top of the news unit. Twice now, we've been asked where we found the gas.  They were both disappointed to learn it was from 8 hours away in North Texas.

Stuart Boslow

The outskirts of Baton Rouge

Road closed in Baton Rogue after some minor flooding.

We are now headed out of the City of New Orleans.  As we drove through the city to catch I-10 west, we didn't see a lot of dramatic damage ... just limbs down, windows shattered and awnings torn.

City leaders say they are trying to get the city cleaned up before welcoming residents back home.  Officials hope to be able to open the city back up on Wednesday.

We are now on I-10 heading for Baton Rouge to survey the damage there. 

Two people were reportedly killed there when a tree fell on their home. 

We also hear a majority of the city is without power. 

We'll see what we can find.

Stay with CBS 11 News and cbs11tv.com for more updates.

-- CBS 11 producer Stuart Boslow, who is traveling with reporter Jay Gormley and photojournalist Mike Lozano. 

The center of Hurricane Gustav is currently located about 35 miles to the north-northwest of Lafayette Louisiana. Maximum sustained winds are at 75 mph. 

Current radar shows the heaviest weather is to the north of the center of circulation. This area, which contains very heavy rains and wind gusts to near hurricane force, will pass through Alexandria and central Louisiana in the next several hours. It will then head in the vicinity of Shreveport by tomorrow morning.

There are several feeder bands rotating into the system on its east side, and storms within these bands have produced isolated tornadoes today.

IR Satellite continues to show a weakening system as cloud tops continue to warm as the system moves further inland. This weakening trend will continue with the hurricane being downgraded to a tropical storm later this evening or early Tuesday morning. It then could be a depression by late Tuesday or early Wednesday.

Kristine Kahanek

President Bush poses with Lackland Air Force Base personnel at the Alamo Regional Command Reception Center Sept. 1, 2008. (Image source: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

President George Bush is in Austin today, keeping close tabs on preparations and relief efforts for Hurricane Gustav.

President Bush says he feels good about the hurricane preparations, and that the coordination among state and federal governments has been much better than during Hurricane Katrina.

The president also visited a command center in San Antonio today.

(Image Source: NASA)

The center of circulation is now moving over Lafayette.  Here in New Orleans we haven't had a lot of rain but the gusty winds continue, although not as strong as earlier today.  Winds are gusting to about 40 to 50 mph now.  Those people who stayed are beginning to emerge from their homes.  There is a lot of garbage and palm frawns laying in the streets as well as debris from roofs and other loose items that got blown around.

Looking at the radar there are some feeder bands that will move through New Orleans this evening that will produce some heavy downpours and gusty winds.

Larry