Federal Emergency Management Agency chief David Paulison told reporters several
times at a briefing Saturday that the storm was strengthening into a Category 5
hurricane.

FEMA officials said Bill Read, the director of the National Hurricane Center,
interrupted an afternoon teleconference involving the agency, Gulf Coast states
and the National Weather Service to say he is going to issue a special advisory
statement raising Gustav to Category 5. That means winds greater than 155 mph
and a storm surge greater than 18 feet above normal.

Word about the Category 5 development reached FEMA shortly before Paulison
briefed reporters.

dxAce
Michigan
USA