Governor Declares State of Emergency for Gustav

Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency Wednesday in anticipation that Gustav, now a tropical storm, might slam into the Louisiana coast as a Category 2 hurricane.

The governor also said "contraflow" plans, closing inbound lanes of highways into New Orleans so that they could be used for people trying to evacuate, are readied but not activated.

Gustav has begun to reorganize after taking a battering in the islands of the Caribbean and is forecast to become a powerful storm as it tracks over the hot, energy-building waters of the Gulf of Mexico and toward the Louisiana coast during the weekend.

The storm could come ashore late Monday or early Tuesday, according to Wednesday's projections.

The National Hurricane Center forecasts Gustav will grow into at least a Category 3 hurricane with 120 mph winds by Sunday afternoon.