Powerful winds and rain lashed the Gulf Coast early Monday as a slightly weakened Hurricane Katrina charged toward this low-lying city with 155-mph winds and the threat of a catastrophic storm surge.
The sheer force of Katrina, which was downgraded from a Category 5 storm to a strong Category 4 as it approached land, had earlier prompted residents to flee in bumper-to-bumper traffic or huddle in the Superdome for safety.
Mayor Ray Nagin said he believed 80 percent of the city's 480,000 residents had heeded an unprecedented mandatory evacuation as Katrina threatened to become the most powerful storm ever to slam the city. [read more]
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