Hurricane Party or Gas War?

On the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Mississippi and Louisiana are trying to figure out an eerily familiar scenario. Although Fay pretty well fizzled before it could have much of an impact on central Mississippi, Gustav seems poised to provide a more credible threat to the region, especially for Louisiana. Even though Gustav is currently only forecast to become a Category 2 hurricane, many people are not wanting to take chances. Though the forecast landfall is still five days away and Jackson is three hours from the coast, it's amazing to see the social transformation of hurricane preparedness. People are saying that many stores are already out of bottled water and other common preparedness items. Long, long lines at gas pumps this morning have diminished now that prices have shot up by 20 or 30 cents per gallon and several gas stations have run out of supply.

From a scientific standpoint, it looks like we'll end up with three storms (Fay, Gustav, and Hannah) in a row exhibiting unusual (for the region) tracks with southerly wobbles.
And, at this rate, it looks like pretty much every stretch of coastline from Puerto Rico to Houston is liable to be impacted by a tropical cyclone this year!