Governor says New Orleans needs to be evacuated

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — With water rising in the streets of New Orleans and conditions rapidly deteriorating, Gov. Kathleen Blanco said Tuesday that the tens of thousands of people now huddled in the Superdome and other rescue centers would have to be evacuated.

“The situation is untenable,” Blanco said at a news conference. “It’s just heartbreaking.”

Because of two levees that broke Tuesday, the city was rapidly filling with water, the governor said. She also said the power could be out for a long time, and the storm broke a major water main, leaving the city without drinkable water.