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Weakened Katrina Still Packs a Punch

Posted on: Tuesday, 30 August 2005, 00:00 CDT

Hurricane Katrina was downgraded to a tropical storm Monday evening as it headed north, threatening Tennessee and the Ohio Valley with heavy rains.

At 8 p.m. EDT, the storm was 30 miles northwest of Meridian, Miss., moving north northeast at close to 21 MPH with winds at its center about 65 MPH, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

Katrina was expected to be over west and central Tennessee by early Tuesday, picking up forward speed during the night.

Although Katrina is no longer a hurricane, Katrina's winds are still capable of downing trees and creating hazardous conditions, the center warned.

A tropical storm warning for Lake Pontchartrain was expected to be lifted before midnight Monday.

But Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco asked refugees from the hurricane to stay away for the moment and said state police would block roads into New Orleans and coastal areas to all but emergency vehicles. Officials warned that those who return would find flooded streets, houses without power or telephone service and neighborhoods infested with venomous snakes and fire ants, CNN reported.

Please, I'm begging for patience, Blanco said at an afternoon news conference. We are working hard to get you home, but not until it is safe.

Source: United Press International

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