Hurricane Ike Set To Bypass Keys, But Gulf Coast Worries

(09-08) 15:23 PDT Key West, Fla. (AP) --

Residents in the Florida Keys breathed a sigh of relief Monday as a fierce Hurricane Ike turned west on a path away from the low-lying island chain. But Gulf Coast states watched anxiously to see if the storm was gunning for them instead.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center warned that, after passing into the Gulf of Mexico sometime Tuesday night, Ike could make landfall in the U.S. over the weekend near the Texas-Louisiana border, possibly not far from Houston.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry pre-declared disasters in 88 counties to aid storm preparation and put 7,500 National Guard members on standby.

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With the current forecast models, Jindal said he doesn't anticipate the sort of mass evacuations forced by Gustav, which emptied out most of south Louisiana, including the New Orleans area. A curfew that had been put in place as Gustav approached was lifted by New Orleans officials on Monday.

With Ike, coastal communities vulnerable to tidal surges and larger areas of southwest Louisiana would likely be asked to seek refuge away from their homes.

"Roughly speaking, they think there's about a one in three chance that the storm will make landfall in Louisiana," Jindal said. "We're just getting ready for the worst-case scenario."

MORE... AP: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/09/06/national/a142859D46.DTL

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