Despite the assertion by Baton Rouge’s leading weather consultant that Hurricane Gustav is weakening, city officials are still prepared for the far-reaching effects of the storm’s strong winds and heavy rain.Officials said Baton Rouge will not serve as a shelter city, maintenance crews are on stand-by to restore losses and patrols are deployed to prevent looting.”This isn’t our first rodeo, but it’s going to be a hard eight-second ride,” said Sheriff Sid Gautreaux during a Sunday evening press conference at the East Baton Rouge Parish Emergency Operations Center.The storm has weakened but not enough to reduce the expected effects in Baton Rouge, said Jay Grymes, LSU AgCenter climatologist.”We anticipate 15 to 20 hours, possibly more, of tropical storm force winds,” Grymes said. “We could see impact of hurricane force winds for a brief period of time.”Gustav is a taking a slight move westward which is good for the city, Grymes said, a bit of “not-as-bad news.””Every 10-mile shift left or right translates to 10- to 20-mile-per-hour wind speeds,” Grymes said.He said Baton Rouge will endure four to six inches of rain throughout the city, with the possibility of more than 15 inches in isolated areas.Falling trees are the biggest issue in Baton Rouge, Grymes said. Potentially deadly and destructive, trees often fall on homes.”Before the storm, [we] can’t rule out the possibility of tornadic activity,” Grymes said.Mayor-President Kip Holden stressed East Baton Rouge will not serve as a sheltering parish in the aftermath of Gustav, unlike after Hurricane Katrina’s 2005 landfall.”East Baton Rouge will not be a shelter parish. Period,” Holden said.The city is working only to accommodate first responders, urban search crews, firemen and police officers, Holden said.Holden also said he does not expect Baton Rouge to be impacted from coastal storm surges, but heavy rains throughout Gustav will be Baton Rouge’s biggest problem.”We are ready for the storm,” Holden said. “We are a team and a family.”Holden said Entergy, the leading energy company for Baton Rouge, has set up staging centers in the city to begin restoration for any areas without power. Entergy has also recruited companies outside the state to help with the restoration and tree-removal process.Holden said the first priority for power restoration are areas with police and fire stations and hospitals. After those blocks have power, areas with denser populations will be the next priority.Gautreaux said police officers have been deployed in double shifts since Sunday morning, a practice which will continue throughout the storm.Gautreaux said his department has identified vulnerable areas and has deployed patrols to ensure those areas are safe.The East Baton Rouge Parish Prison has freed up 80 spaces for any offenders, Gautreaux said.He also advised people to call 911 only in emergencies and not if you “have a weed-eater missing.”Chief of Police Jeff LeDuff of the Baton Rouge Police Department said his department will start 12-hour deployments at 6 a.m. Monday.LeDuff said he had deployed anti-looting teams to prevent the ransacking of Baton Rouge businesses.”During Katrina, we had zero looting,” LeDuff said. “Our community behaved well.”Walter Monsour, the mayor’s chief administrative officer, said Baton Rouge officials know which areas within the city will need the most attention.”We will be able to respond much quicker,” Monsour said. “We are ready.”The Parish EOC also held a situation briefing about state departments’ preparations for Gustav:LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HOSPITALSLouis Minsky of DHH said the PMAC had 118 patients as of Sunday morning and the Huey P. Long Field House opened for patients at 5:30 p.m.The PMAC has 250 beds for patients and is close to full, Minsky said.Helicopters are being used to transport patients throughout southeast Louisiana. Minsky said these will stop this evening before Gustav’s strong winds affect the city.Hospitals in the area are beginning to be near capacity, Minsky said.BATON ROUGE METROPOLITAN AIRPORTAll flights will continue Sunday evening, but the airport will be closed Monday, an airport official said.The terminal and the control tower will remain open and be used as a facility for flights coming into south Louisiana originally destined for Gustav-affected airports.Flights are expected to resume Tuesday.LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKSA DPW official said crews are awaiting the storm and are prepared to clear any drainage and sewage problems as soon as the weather permits.—-Contact J.J. Alcantara at [email protected]