WEBVTT rtAS IRMA THREATENS FLORIDA,LEADERS HERE IN LOUISIANA METMONDAY TO MAKE SURE THE STATE ISPEOPLE IN NEW ORLEANS, LIKErtALEXA DOW, SAY THEY'RE READY.>> I ABSOLUTELY THINK IT ISIMPORTANT TO HAVE A PLAN INPLACE.TRAVERrtS: SO DOES GOVERNOR JOHNBEL EDWARDS, ESPECIALLY WHEN ITDEALS WITH PEOPLE GETTING TOHIGHER GROUND.>>rt THAT WE KNOW HOW WE ARE GOINGTO EVACUATE AND WHERE THOSEEVACUATION ROUTESrt WILL TAKEPEOPLE.TRAVERS: AND THE GOVERNOR SAYSRECENT STORM DAMAGE IN TEXASFROM HARVEY WILL NOT EFFECT ANYPOSSIBLE EVACUATIONS ORCONTRAFLOW HERE.>>rt AND ALMOST A CERTAINLY ITWILL NOT INCLUDE I-10 GOING INTOTEXAS.TRAVERS: IN FACT THE STATE SAYS, IF EVACUATIONS ARE CALLED,THEY WrtILL START IN LOW LYINGAREAS THROUGH NEW ORLEANS.MEANING THE AREAS IN RED WILL BEFIRST, THEN ORANGE AND THENMETRO NEWS ORLEANS, WHICH IS INYELLOW.THE NEXT STEP WOULD BECONTRAFLOW A LAST RESORT ACT.CONTRAFLOW IS WHEN ALL LANES OFINTERSTATE TRAFFIC FLOW ONE WAYrtAND THERE IS NO EXIT UNTILPEOPLE GET TO HIGHER GROUND.IF CONTRAFLOW IS USED TRAFFICWILL FLOW NORTH ON I-10 TO THESLIDELL AREA, WHERE I-12, I-59rtAND I-10 MEET.FROM THERE, PEOPLE CAN DECIDErtWHICH WAY THEY NEED TO GO.WESTBOUND CONTRAFLOW WILL TAKEPEOPLE TO BATON ROUGE, WHEREI-10 AND I-12 INTERSECT AND FROMrtTHERE IT WILL STOP.>> THE TRAFFIC THAT WOULDTYPICALLY GO INTO WEST TEXAS ANDIN AND GO NORTH ON I-49.TRAVERS: PEOPLE IN NEWrt ORLEANSNOT TAKING IRMA OR ANY OTHERSTORM LIGHTLY.>> I THINK IT IS HARD TO BE FROMTHIS AREA AND NOT BErt WARY,ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE HISTORY OFLOUISIANA WITH HURRICANES, WITHGUSTAV HITTING BATON ROUGE THEWAY IT DID, WITH KATRINArt HITTINGNEW ORLEANS, AND NOW WITH HARVEY