PRESS RELEASE

South Lafourche Levee District Director Urges Lafourche Residents to Evacuate Immediately
LAROSE, La. (August 31, 2008) – The director of the South Lafourche Levee District is urging all Lafourche Parish residents to evacuate the area in advance of landfall of Hurricane Gustav.

Windell Curole, who is also the interim director of the Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District says the parish hurricane protection levees in South Lafourche are not capable of withstanding the storm surge force of a Category 3 or stronger hurricane.

Gustav is expected to make landfall in the Terrebonne-Lafourche area as an extremely dangerous Category 3 or stronger hurricane Monday, Sept. 1.

“People need to evacuate lower Lafourche,” Curole said. “The lower Lafourche levees have never faced the kind of storm surge expected to be brought by Hurricane Gustav.”

Curole said Gustav is an extreme threat to the area. Overtopping of the lower Lafourche levees is expected.

For the latest information on Hurricane Gustav, you can visit emergency.louisiana.gov or call the state's emergency hotline at 1-866-288-2484 to listen to a recorded message with the most up-to-date information.

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