A massive evacuation of New Orleans was underway Sunday amid fears of a catastrophic hit by Hurricane Katrina, which barrelled toward the low-lying southern US city with winds of 280 kilometers (176 miles per hour).
"I do not want to create panic. But I do want the citizens to understand that this is very serious and it's of the highest nature. And that's why we take this unprecedented move," said New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, as he ordered the mandatory evacuation of the city of 1.4 million.
Katrina, which looked set to make landfall early Monday, reached a rare and "potentially catastrophic" category five, the highest on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane intensity scale, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
It only ranked at category one when it slammed ashore Friday in south Florida, where it killed seven people.
"We need to pray, of course, very strongly, that the hurricane force would diminish," said Louisiana state governor Kathleen Blanco.
Major routes out of New Orleans were gridlocked early Sunday as residents and tourists headed out of the city. Because much of New Orleans is below sea level it is highly prone to flooding, and Nagin expressed fears the levies would not withstand the ferocity of the hurricane.
The southern US states of Mississippi and Alabama also braced for the impact of the monster storm, which gathered fuel from the warm Gulf of Mexico as it neared the US coast.
There was also concern Katrina's wrath could dramatically impact oil prices, which already reached record highs on Thursday amid fears the hurricane would affect oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.
Katrina was expected to rage dangerously close to offshore oil plaftorms, most of which have been evacuated.
"This is a very dangerous time," said Governor Blanco.
US President George W. Bush has issued a state of emergency in Louisiana, clearing the way for federal aid to those affected.
"He is concerned about the impact that this hurricane would have on our people," said Blanco.
She stressed the need "to get as many people out as possible."
"There may be intense flooding ... which would be ultimately the most dangerous situation that many of our people could face," she said adding that water levels could rise by more than six meters (20 feet).
At 1500 GMT, the eye of the storm was located 360 kilometers (225 miles) south-Southeast of the Mississippi river, with hurricane-force winds extending 170 kilometers (105 miles) outward.
"Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion, said Richard Pasch, a forecaster at the Miami-based NHC.
The deadly storm wrought havoc in Miami and other areas of south Florida after it slammed ashore on Thursday night, uprooting trees, flooding entire neighbourhoods, downing power lines and sending a highway overpass crashing down.
About half a million people remained without electricity on Sunday.
Katrina is the 11th named Atlantic storm this year and among the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record.
Records going back to 1851 show that only three category five hurricanes have hit the United States in over 150 years.
Andrew killed more than two dozen people when it slammed into south Florida in 1992, Camille caused more than 250 deaths in Mississippi in 1969, and "Labour Day" killed about 600 people in the Floirda keys in 1935.
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