Katrina's massive storm surge broke through protective levees on August 29, 2005, and flooded 80 percent of the city. New Orleans degenerated into chaos as stranded storm victims waited days for rescue.
The hurricane killed about 1,500 people along the U.S. Gulf Coast and caused $80 billion in damages, making it the costliest U.S. natural disaster.
There was bumper-to-bumper traffic on highways leading out of the city on Saturday, and six low-lying parishes -- the Louisiana equivalent of U.S. counties -- issued evacuation orders.
All major Louisiana interstates will allow only one-way traffic away from the coast starting at 4 a.m. CDT (5 a.m. EDT) on Sunday. The last flight out of the New Orleans airport is scheduled to depart at 6 p.m. CDT (7 p.m.) on Sunday.
In all, 11.5 million people are in the path of Gustav, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Walter Parker, a security guard who was trapped for eight days in his apartment during the Katrina flooding, lined up outside the Union Passenger Terminal as families with bags packed and children in tow waited for transportation.
"I don't want to see another Katrina, with dead bodies floating in the water," Parker said.
REUTERS
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