RNC leaders said no matter what happens with Gustav, the convention will go on as planned next week. A spokesman said they have a contingency plan for speakers just in case some are unable to come. -wcco.com
As of this writing, Hurricane Gustav is a category 4 storm, pushing winds up to 145 miles-an-hour and heading for a landfall somewhere on the gulf coast late Monday.
"There are no plans for any postponement," said Mike Miller, director of operations. "We plan to start when we're going to start and end when we're going to end." -AP wire
The theme of the convention's first day is "service." Let me tell you about service.
The volunteer camp where we usually stay in Bay Saint Louis has already been evacuated; the quonsets that were left behind by the Alaska National Guard in 2005 are no match for winds as strong as Gustav's. The cook trailer has been hauled inland to Hattiesburg, and the volunteer crews have put away their tools and convoyed out to Kiln. That's only 15 miles from the beach, but at least there are no trees around.
The Emergency Operations Center is already running; several friends are staying to man the radios and computers. They're a tad worried about the roof; the EOC is housed in the old police station, which was condemned after Katrina. And to get to the "war room," they actually have to go outside the building.
"We continue to closely monitor the storm’s movement - and understand that some may need to remain home to prepare their states for it," Matt Burns, a spokesman for the Republican convention, said in an email late Friday. "While we intend to gavel to order our convention on Monday afternoon, our convention places country first, and ensuring the safety of its citizens is of paramount importance." Wall Street Journal online
You want to honor "service," you tone-deaf idiots? Wait a couple days.