Hurricane Isaac is expected to hit over
southeastern Louisiana, possibly the New Orleans area, sometime Tuesday
night or early Wednesday and is gaining steam with sustained winds
swirling at 75 mph.
The center of the storm that was
about 75 miles from the mouth of Mississippi River at midday. Landfall
would come during the seventh anniversary Hurricane Katrina that
devastated the area. Isaac is expected to maintain hurricane strength,
making it the first to hit the Gulf Coast since Ike in 2008.
WHERE AND HOW STRONG?
As of Tuesday morning, the U.S.
National Hurricane Center predicted Isaac would maintain at least
Category 1 strength. Winds would be at least 75 mph and can be as high
as 95 mph.
Southeastern Louisiana is in its
crosshairs, but the track could still veer farther west, or to the east
in Mississippi. Regardless of where it hits, Isaac's reach is large and
it will dump heavy rain as far east as Florida.
DAMAGE
While people across the coast
were boarding up their homes to prepare for damaging winds, the even
bigger fear is potential flooding. Isaac could push storm surge as high
as 12 feet into parts of Louisiana and Mississippi, and 1 to 3 feet high
as far away as Florida's west coast.
Around New Orleans, residents hunkered down behind levees fortified after Katrina.
Isaac already left a trail of destruction in the Caribbean, most of it blamed on flooding that killed 24 people.
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION
Isaac veered well west of the
Republican National Convention site in Tampa, but it was soggy over the
weekend in the bayside city. The GOP pushed back the start of speeches a
day to Tuesday and protesters' ranks have been small, in part because
of the soaking brought on by Isaac and in part because of the huge
police presence in the city.
The coming storm has also
altered some Republican governors' plans to attend. Florida Gov. Rick
Scott canceled a speaking engagement, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal
and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley canceled their trips to Tampa.
EVACUATIONS
Officials in Louisiana's St.
Charles Parish near New Orleans and Terrebonne Parish that includes
Houma closer to the Gulf have told about 73,000 residents total to leave
ahead of the storm. Some coastal residents in Alabama have also been
told to evacuate. However, officials haven't ordered the kind of
evacuations that have in the past clogged interstates, with both sides
of the highway heading one direction. In New Orleans, Mayor Mitch
Landrieu said evacuations would not be ordered and told residents to
prepare carefully and ride it out.
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2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
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