Much buzz building around the internets as
Hurricane Gustav approaches the US Gulf Coast. Gustav has in fact bashed through the Caribbean already, killing 78 according to the Associated Press. It whipped up to Cat 3
and then Cat 4 as
it made for Cuba's west coast. The National Hurricane Center feels it could well
spin up to Cat 5, and make landfall on Louisiana on Monday very near the mouth of the Mississippi River, right around the time the Republican National Convention is kicking off up at the Big Muddy's northern end, in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
From Cuba, National Hurricane Center projections show it traveling right at New Orleans; New Orleanians are
evacuating by the thousands.
Activity is building on the social networks to share information, and I suppose coordinate emergency response if it comes to that -- notably the
Gustav Info Center on Ning, set up by Andy Carvin.
The National Hurricane Center's latest advisory pins Hurricane Gustav at Category 3 intensity, with winds near 115 miles per hour/185 km/hr. It's advancing on the northern Gulf Coast at around 17 mph/27 km/hr, with tropical storm winds now hitting land. The NHC is also forecasting a huge and dangerous storm surge of 18-25 feet. 
