FEMA: Gustav Now A Category 5 Storm, Strongest

Landfall Possible Anywhere From Galveston, Texas To Mobile, Ala.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) Gustav swelled into a fearsome Category 5 hurricane with winds of 155 mph on Saturday as Cuba raced to evacuate more than 240,000 people and Americans to the north clogged highways fleeing New Orleans.

The storm that hit Cuba Saturday could reach landfall along the Gulf Coast by early Tuesday.

The National Hurricane Center on Saturday called Gustav an "extremely dangerous" storm. The increase in the storm's intensity comes as people line up for buses to take them out of New Orleans. Traffic was also heavier on main highways out of the city as residents head north.

New Orleans has yet to call for a mandatory evacuation, but began ushering out the sick, elderly and those without their own transportation. Mayor Ray Nagin said at least 1,500 law enforcement officers and 1,500 national guard members were on hand -- double the amount that was in place for Hurricane Katrina. Nagin said they would continue to work until evacuations overnight ahead of the eye of the storm.

"It's going to be a tough one," Nagin said. "But New Orleaneans are very tough and resilient and we will get through this."

Gustav could strike the U.S. Gulf coast anywhere from the Florida Panhandle to Texas, but forecasters said there is a better-than-even chance that New Orleans will get slammed by at least tropical-storm-force winds.

Three years ago Hurricane Katrina drowned New Orleans and the city is still recovering. It appeared likely to get slammed again, by at least tropical-storm-force winds if not worse.

Most commemorations of the Katrina anniversary were canceled because of Gustav, but in New Orleans a horse-drawn carriage took the bodies of Katrina's last seven unclaimed victims to burial.

President Bush declared an emergency in Louisiana, a move that allows the federal government to coordinate disaster relief and provide assistance in storm-affected areas. In an attempt to prevent another Katrina-style situation, Bush was checking in with Gulf Coast governors and federal officials to make sure to be ready for Hurricane Gustav.

New Orleans officials announced possible evacuation plans and some people began leaving the city early. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it expects a "huge number" of Gulf Coast residents will be told to leave the region this weekend.

As much as 80 percent of the Gulf of Mexico's oil and gas production could be shut down as a precaution if Gustav enters as a major storm, weather research firm Planalytics predicted. Oil companies have already evacuated hundreds of workers from offshore platforms.

Retail gas prices rose Friday for the first time in 43 days as analysts warned that a direct hit on Gulf energy infrastructure could send pump prices hurtling toward $5 a gallon. Crude oil prices ended slightly lower in a volatile session as some traders feared supply disruptions and others bet the U.S. government will release supplies from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Gustav rolled over the Cayman Islands Friday with fierce winds that tore down trees and power lines.

At first light Saturday, Associated Press journalists found that Grand Cayman island was spared major damage. Big surging waves pounded at the island, but there was little flooding, and wind damage was limited because islanders had removed signs and other items that could blow away.

It was expected to cross Cuba's cigar country Saturday and head into the Gulf of Mexico by Sunday.

Gustav first struck Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, the smaller easternmost "Sister Islands" in the chain. Storm surge and heavy rains flooded the streets.

Two people were knocked down by huge waves as they tried to take pictures of the storm on Little Cayman, but there were no other immediate reports of injuries, said Hemant Balgobin, disaster manager for the Red Cross in the British territory.

"Things weren't really as bad as they could have been," he said.

More than 1,100 people spent the night in government shelters in the three islands as high waves and heavy winds battered the chain, the National Emergency Operations Center said in a statement. Most people hunkered down in private homes or hotels.

By early Saturday, Gustav's eye had left the Caymans behind and was about 225 miles (360 kilometers) east-southeast of the western tip of Cuba and just 85 miles (135 kilometers) east of the Isla de Juventud. It was expected to be moving northwest near 12 mph (19 kph).

The storm killed four people in a daylong march across the length of Jamaica, where it ripped off roofs and downed power lines. About 4,000 people were displaced from their homes, with about half relocated to shelters.

At least 59 people died in Haiti and eight in the Dominican Republic.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Hanna was projected to curl westward into the Bahamas by early next week-and could eventually threaten Cuba. It had sustained winds near 50 mph (85 kph) early Saturday.

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Gustav swelled into a fearsome Category 5 hurricane with winds of 155 mph on Saturday as Cuba raced to evacuate more than 240,000 people and Americans to the north clogged highways fleeing New Orleans. CBS