http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/storm/etc/cron.html

....Saturday, August 27

"The Storm is Headed Right for You"

Katrina becomes a Category 3 with 115 mph maximum sustained winds. By the end of the day it is 335 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River. The expected storm surge is 15 to 20 feet, locally as high as 25 feet.

FEMA Situation Update:
"Coastal residents jammed freeways and gas stations as they rushed to get out A direct hit could wind up submerging New Orleans in several feet of water At least 100,000 people in the city lack transportation to get out ... Louisiana and Mississippi make all lanes northbound on interstate highways..."

National Hurricane Center director Max Mayfield tells the Times-Picayune newspaper, "This is scary this is the real thing." A Louisiana State University computer model of a 115 mph storm strike shows the overtopping of levees protecting New Orleans and nearby areas. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin says he'll follow the state evacuation plan and will not call for mandatory evacuation until 30 hours before projected landfall. He also announces that the Superdome will be "a shelter of last resort for evacuees with special needs." Some parishes order mandatory evacuations.

Ray Nagin, mayor of New Orleans:
"I got a call, I think Saturday afternoon [from] Max Mayfield, the hurricane director. And he said definitively, "Mr. Mayor, the storm is headed right for you. I've never seen a hurricane like this in my 33-year career. And you need to order mandatory evacuation. Get as many people out as possible."

At that time, I thought we had done a pretty good job because we had gotten about 80 percent of the people out. I immediately hung up the phone, called my city attorney because they had always advised that you can't do a mandatory evacuation. And I said, "We're doing one in the morning."

Kathleen Blanco, governor of Louisiana:
She requests President Bush to declare a state of emergency in Louisiana.

"I went into New Orleans ... and stood beside Mayor Nagin and emphasized the need to leave. I gave people clues on how to pack. And we said, "Plan your route carefully. Pack carefully. Pack as though you're going on a camping trip. Bring enough to sustain yourself, your family, your children. "

Michael Brown, FEMA director:
"I at least wanted a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans and the surrounding parishes [on Saturday]. We've all feared a catastrophic hurricane striking New Orleans. That is why the first place we picked to do an exercise and planning was New Orleans. And based upon that ["Hurricane Pam" planning exercise], I knew they needed to evacuate. "....