Between Editions

The South Arkansas Chapter of the American Red Cross last night began receiving nearly 200 evacuees from Louisiana. Two shelters within the city — at College Avenue Church of Christ and St. John Missionary Baptist Church — are already filling up, according to Shannon Robinson, director of volunteer services and public affairs for the SACARC.

That’s not counting the number of evacuees in the city’s hotels.

“It’s been very hectic,” said Robinson, who spoke to Between Editions via telephone today. “We have served lunch, and most people are trying to sleep now because they’ve been driving all night.”

Robinson said that Barkingham Acres has agreed to board pets.

Volunteers, please call (870) 918-2188 for more information.

According to a bulletin from the National Weather Service, tornados, damaging wind gusts and flooding are all possible as the remnants of Gustav head our way.

Already, clouds from the far outer edges of the storm are visible in South Arkansas. Gustav is still a powerful category 3 storm, although the latest data shows the wind speed down slightly to 115 miles per hour.

The storm has weakened to a category 3 but will likely strengthen again before landfall.

The track hasn’t changed. Click here for the latest.

According to media sources, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin told residents today at a press conference: “You need to be scared. You need to be concerned. You need to get your butt out of New Orleans. This is the storm of the century.”

Not exactly how I would have put it. I don’t think it’s the mayor’s place to tell people they need to be scared. None-the-less, this storm is shaping up to be very serious. Perhaps even worse than Katrina. Time will tell. Here’s the latest satellite imagery from the National Hurricane Center:

AND, the latest track has the storm coming ever closer to South Arkansas. Keep in mind that heavy rains and steady winds are a high possibility by mid-week.