Authorities evacuated at least 250,000 people from western Cuba, including Isla de la Juventud.
Gustav already has killed 81 people by triggering floods and landslides in other Caribbean nations.
According to the United States Minerals Management, 76.8 percent of the Gulf’s crude oil production and 37 percent of its natural gas production were closed.
New Orleans officials say 3,000 residents have voluntarily been evacuated on buses and another 17,000 are waiting to be transported out.
Thousands of other people are fleeing by car, clogging roadways headed out of the city.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, killing hundreds of people and causing more than $100 billion in damage.
Follow Gustav with this radar from Tornado Videos Net.
News updates here in the Gustav Information Center, a collective assembly of Gustav Information.
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(AP Photo/Brian Lawdermilk)