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Katrina Downgraded to Category 1

August 29, 2005

Katrina Downgraded to Category 1
Aug 29, 2005 – As of 3 p.m. ET, Monday, Aug. 29, Hurricane Katrina was centered about 20 miles west-southwest of Hattiesburg, Miss., the National Hurricane Center said.

The NHC said the storm had degraded to Category 1 status on the Safir-Simpson scale with maximum sustained winds near 95 mph. Hurricane force winds extended for 125 miles. Katrina came ashore Monday morning in southeastern Louisiana with winds topping 140 mph before moving on to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The Gulf region is home to many National Tour Association members, and our thoughts and prayers are with those members and their families as this catastrophic storm hits the U.S. coastline. NTA has contacted the state tourism offices and many of its convention and visitor bureaus in the southeast region and is awaiting any information the organizations have available.

Below is a brief update regarding airports and flights. When necessary, NTA will put periodic updates on This Just In.

  • Flights have been suspended at six airports – New Orleans; Baton Rouge; Gulfport-Biloxi, Miss.; Pensacola, Fla.; Mobile, Ala.; and Fort Walton Beach, Fla., – and major disruptions are occurring today at more than a dozen airports in the path of the storm.
  • Other airports in the southeast should see major delays and cancellations – if not outright shutdowns – as Katrina moves inland and toward the Ohio Valley. In Texas, Houston Bush Intercontinental was reporting delays as a result of poor weather caused by Katrina.
  • Memphis; Nashville; Jackson, Miss.; Birmingham, Ala.; and Baton Rouge were among the large airports forecast to be in Katrina’s path during the next 24 hours.
  • In addition to the airports in its immediate path, Katrina is creating major disruptions today in Atlanta, where delays of more than an hour are already being reported.

    The storm will likely cause delays all across the country for the next few days, and to keep abreast of airport-related updates, go to the Federal Aviation Administration Web site at http://www.fly.faa.gov/flyfaa/usmap.jsp. The status information provided on this site indicates general airport conditions; it is not flight specific. Please check with your airline to determine if your flight is affected.

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