Editing Hurricane Lili (section)

==Preparations==
[[File:Lili2002sep30NHCforecast.GIF|thumb|right|[[National Hurricane Center]] track forecast of Lili from September 30]]
Tropical storm watches were issued in parts of the Lesser Antilles on September 22. These were upgraded to warnings the next afternoon, and all advisories were dropped late on September 23 once the storm had passed.<ref name="TCR"/> Over the next week, the islands of [[Hispaniola]], Jamaica, Cuba, the Caymans, and the [[Yucatán Peninsula]] were all under advisories of some kind at different times.<ref name="TCR"/> Hurricane and tropical storm watches were issued for the Gulf Coast on October 1, and were upgraded to warnings the next morning.<ref name="TCR"/> They were discontinued after the storm moved past the following day.<ref name="nhcadv#49B">{{Cite web|author=Lixion Avila|title=National Hurricane Center Public Advisory #49B|publisher=National Hurricane Center|year=2002|access-date=2008-03-27|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2002/pub/al132002.public_b.049.html|archive-date=2016-03-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303184421/http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2002/pub/al132002.public_b.049.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Lili2002strikeprobabilities.gif|thumb|left|Strike probabilities associated with Lili while still out in the south-central Gulf of Mexico]]
Preparations in most of the Lesser Antilles were minimal as the storm only hit as a tropical storm. Two hundred people evacuated their homes in advance of the storm on the islands of [[Saint Vincent (island)|St. Vincent]] and [[Grenadine]].<ref name="caribmud"/>  In Jamaica, all schools and universities were closed in advance of the storm, and 17 public shelters were opened on the island.<ref name="jamaicamon">{{Cite web|author=Horace Helps|title=News: Caribbean: Tropical Storm Lili&nbsp;— September 2002, Hurricane Lili belts Caymans, 4 dead in Jamaica|publisher=Relief Web|year=2002|access-date=2008-04-06|url=http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/ACOS-64BEV8?OpenDocument&query=hurricane%20lili|archive-date=2024-06-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240616082736/https://reliefweb.int/report/cayman-islands/hurricane-lili-belts-caymans-4-dead-jamaica?OpenDocument=&query=hurricane%20lili|url-status=live}}</ref>

Preparations were extensive in Cuba. Military officials at the [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp]] prepared for the possibility of evacuating their [[Al Qaeda]] and [[Taliban]] prisoners.<ref name="guantanamo">{{cite news|agency=Reuters|title=United States to move Cuba base detainees if storm nears|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=2008-03-27|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/sep/25/1|location=London|date=2002-09-25|archive-date=2024-06-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240616082727/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/sep/25/1|url-status=live}}</ref> A total of 130,000 Cuban citizens, mainly in western portions of the island, evacuated their homes prior to the storm.<ref name="cubaevac">{{cite news|agency=Associated Press |title=Gulf Coast under Lili watch |newspaper=The St. Petersburg Times |year=2002 |access-date=2008-03-27 |url=http://www.sptimes.com/2002/10/02/Weather/Gulf_Coast_under_Lili.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231014611/http://www.sptimes.com/2002/10/02/Weather/Gulf_Coast_under_Lili.shtml |archive-date=2010-12-31 }}</ref>

Significant action was taken along the Gulf Coast as the threat the storm posed, predicted to come ashore at Category Four strength, became more urgent. Over a half million people evacuated their homes in [[Texas]] and Louisiana, including everyone in [[Iberia Parish]].<ref name="latxevac">{{cite news|author=Jeffrey Gettleman|title=Thousands Seek Safety as Hurricane Nears Gulf Coast|work=The New York Times|access-date=2008-03-27|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01EFDA1E38F930A35753C1A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1|date=2002-10-03|archive-date=2024-06-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240616082728/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/03/us/thousands-seek-safety-as-hurricane-nears-gulf-coast.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A total of 200,000&nbsp;people evacuated in Louisiana.<ref name="latxevac"/><ref name="cnn">{{cite news|author=Cable News Network |title=Red Cross shelters thousands from the storm |publisher=Cable News Network |access-date=2008-03-27 |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WEATHER/10/03/lili.states/index.html |date=2002-10-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080405105201/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WEATHER/10/03/lili.states/index.html |archive-date=2008-04-05 }}</ref> At least 2,000 volunteers staffed 115 Red Cross shelters in Louisiana, Texas, [[Mississippi]], and [[Alabama]].<ref name="redcross2000">{{Cite web |author=Bonnie Gillespie |title=Team Louisiana Weathers Hurricane Lili |year=2002 |publisher=The Red Cross |access-date=2008-04-03 |url=http://www.redcross.org/news/ds/hurricanes/021008lili.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313110129/http://www.redcross.org/news/ds/hurricanes/021008lili.html |archive-date=2008-03-13 |url-status=dead }}</ref> More than 20,000&nbsp;people stayed in those shelters.<ref name="cnn"/> The Red Cross also sent over 160,000 meals to the area.<ref name="redcross2000"/> A total of 3,000 prison inmates in Texas were evacuated to safer inland locations.<ref name="latxevac"/> The launch of [[Space Shuttle Atlantis]] was delayed for five days when the [[Kennedy Space Center]] was threatened by the storm, the first time a launch in [[Florida]] had been delayed because of weather in [[Houston]].<ref name="atlantis">{{cite magazine|author=David Cohen|date=2002-10-02|title=Hurricane Lili closes shuttle Mission Control|magazine=New Scientist|access-date=2012-04-21|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2873-hurricane-lili-closes-shuttle-mission-control.html|archive-date=2014-08-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824205936/http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2873-hurricane-lili-closes-shuttle-mission-control.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Stores across the warning area were very busy in advance of the storm. In [[New Iberia, Louisiana]], hardware stores ran out of stock,<ref name="hardwareIb">{{Cite web|author=KXAS|title=Hurricane Lili Makes Landfall Into Louisiana Coast|publisher=National Broadcasting Company|year=2002|access-date=2008-03-28|url=http://www.nbc5i.com/news/1698445/detail.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021016113739/http://www.nbc5i.com/news/1698445/detail.html|archive-date=2002-10-16|url-status=dead}}</ref> and businesses in [[Lafayette, Louisiana]] reported similar shortages.<ref name="lafprep">{{cite news|author=Mike Brassfield |title=Hurricane Lili runs out of steam |newspaper=The St. Petersburg Times |year=2002 |access-date=2008-03-28 |url=http://www.sptimes.com/2002/10/04/Worldandnation/Hurricane_Lili_runs_o.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523072130/http://www.sptimes.com/2002/10/04/Worldandnation/Hurricane_Lili_runs_o.shtml |archive-date=2011-05-23 }}</ref>

Collegiate activities were also affected by the storm. [[Southern University]] canceled four days of classes because of Lili,<ref name="SU">{{Cite web|author=Gabrielle Maple|title=Back to Back|publisher=The Southern Digest|year=2002|access-date=2008-03-27|url=http://media.www.southerndigest.com/media/storage/paper950/news/2002/10/08/News/Back-To.Back-2233030.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070607060016/http://media.www.southerndigest.com/media/storage/paper950/news/2002/10/08/News/Back-To.Back-2233030.shtml|archive-date=2007-06-07}}</ref> and 20 [[Texas A&M University]] [[Galveston, Texas]] students evacuated to the school's [[College Station, Texas|College Station]] location.<ref name="A@M">{{Cite web|author=Jeremy Osborne|title=Texas Task Force Sent to Galveston|publisher=The Batt|year=2002|access-date=2008-03-27|url=http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2002/10/03/FrontPage/Texas.Task.Force.Sent.To.Galveston-515455.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130816082216/http://www.thebatt.com/2.8500/texas-task-force-sent-to-galveston-1.1212064%23.Ug3hCX3LfK4|archive-date=2013-08-16}}</ref> The [[University of South Alabama]] canceled two athletic events in advance of the storm.<ref name="USA">{{Cite web|author=Jeff Roper |title=Hurricane Lili cancels two games |publisher=The Vanguard |year=2002 |access-date=2008-03-27 |url=http://media.www.usavanguard.com/media/storage/paper973/news/2002/10/07/Sports/Hurricane.Lili.Cancels.Two.Games-2618639.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202034504/http://media.www.usavanguard.com/media/storage/paper973/news/2002/10/07/Sports/Hurricane.Lili.Cancels.Two.Games-2618639.shtml |archive-date=2016-02-02 }}</ref>