In pictures: New Orleans evacuation

Hundreds of thousands of people have been fleeing the southern coast of the United States as one of the most powerful storms of the season, Hurricane Gustav, draws nearer.

Residents of the southern US city of New Orleans have been leaving in vast numbers to avoid the storm, which is now in the Gulf of Mexico and expected to make landfall in the US later on Monday.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ordered a mandatory evacuation, describing Gustav as "the storm of the century". He said residents who did not "get their butts out" would be left on their own.

Tens of thousands have since left the city, and its usually bustling streets are now eerily quiet.

Gustav, which earlier caused devastation in the Caribbean, is expected to bring a possible storm surge of up to 24ft (7.3m), double the height of the levees alongside the Mississippi river.

Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff toured the area as all along the Gulf coast, some two million people headed inland to seek safety.

A contraflow was put in place on the Interstate 10 highway, allowing traffic to leave New Orleans using all lanes.

The authorities have been providing transport for people who cannot get out by their own means.

The evacuation comes as New Orleans commemorates the third anniversary of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, which claimed hundreds of lives and caused $80bn in damages.

Some New Orleans residents, such as Dorothy and Lyndon Guidry, had only recently moved back into their rebuilt homes before they were told by the authorities to evacuate the city again.

The newly refurbished Louisiana Superdome - the stadium that symbolised New Orleans' suffering during Hurricane Katrina - was sealed off to stop people taking refuge there this time.

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