NEW ORLEANS --Jindal declares a State of Emergency for Bonnie, Evacuations
State and local officials said Thursday that they are keeping an eye on the tropical depression nearing the Gulf, and they said it's not too early for residents to stock up on supplies and be prepared.

Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency for Louisiana late Thursday. He said forecasters expect the storm to move through quickly, but it will be closer to the Louisiana coast than Hurricane Alex ever was.

"If this does strengthen and strike our state over the weekend, you could see local officials, especially in southwestern Louisiana, call for evacuations of low-lying coastal areas," Jindal said. "Those would be in-parish evacuations -- they won't have to leave the parish. For example, Cameron Parish, that's the one parish where people may be advised to leave the parish."

Jindal urged coastal residents to pay attention to weather forecasts through the weekend, and go to getagameplan.org to make sure their families are prepared.