Florida gears up for Tropical Storm Isaac

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
8/27/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Storm arrives on the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

Having learned their lesson almost seven years to the day after Hurricane Katrina, the state of Louisiana along with other gulf states is taking no chances with Tropical Storm Isaac. Feared to touch down on land by tomorrow, people are gassing up their vehicles and generators in New Orleans, preparing for the worst.

Emergency declarations are in effect for four states. Hurricane-tested residents are busying themselves by boarding up homes, stocking up on food and water or getting ready to evacuate.

Facebook Delicous MySpace

Twitter Stumble Digg

More Destinations

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Many think that the levees here in New Orleans are in far better shape than they were when Hurricane Katrina hit. "I think the state and local governments are much better prepared for the storm surge and emergencies," one local resident says.

Isaac blew past the Florida Keys and has rolled northwestward over the open Gulf of Mexico on Monday. The National Hurricane Center predicted it would grow to a hurricane with winds of between 74 and 95 miles per hour and touch down along a 300-mile stretch from the bayous southwest of New Orleans to the edge of the Florida Panhandle.

Experts wish to remind the public that Hurricane Katrina was a much stronger Category 5 storm with winds over 157 miles per hour. Isaac is expected to have top winds of around 90 miles per hour when it strikes.

Emergency declarations are in effect for four states. Hurricane-tested residents are busying themselves by boarding up homes, stocking up on food and water or getting ready to evacuate.

"If it comes in, it's just going to be a big rain storm. I think they overreacted but I understand where they're coming from. It's safety," an Alabama resident says.

Isaac has left eight dead in Haiti as it blew past the Florida Keys with little damage. Heavy rainfall but little more is expected in Tampa, where the planned start of the Republican National Convention was pushed back a day in case Isaac passed closer to the bayside city.

If Isaac hits during high tide, Isaac could push floodwaters as deep as 12 feet onto shore in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and up to six feet in the Florida Panhandle. Eighteen inches of rain could be dumped over the region, the National Weather Service warned.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal called a state of emergency, and 53,000 residents of St. Charles Parish near New Orleans were told to leave ahead of the storm. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley also declared states of emergency.

� 2012, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM

- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Tropical Storm Isaac, Hurricane Katrina, gulf states, New Orleans

NEWSLETTERS »

Rate This Article

Was this helpful to you? Very Helpful Somewhat Helpful Not Helpful at All

Would you be interested in more articles like this? Yes, I am Interested No, I am not Interested

Rate Article

1 - 1 of 1 Comments

Lonny D'Agostini
8 months ago
Although the disasters that are about to come are terrible and frightening - and they will come - the greatest disaster is that we die in mortal sin and lose our souls forever. As our Lord told Luisa (Libro di Cielo), "my daughter, it is necessary that scourges pour upon the world, otherwise, in order to spare the bodies, souls will be lost." and "I am not concerned about the cities, the great things of the earth - I am concerned about souls. Cities, churches and the like, after they have been destroyed, can be redone. Did I not destroy everything in the Flood? And then was it not redone again? But if souls are lost, it is forever - there is no one who can give them back to Me again."

In my own area, where we are prone to tornado activity (see “Tornado: How to survive when twisters strike”) we should have had two of them already this year but they were mitigated by prayer.

Comments submitted must be civil, remain on-topic and not violate any laws including copyright. We reserve the right to delete any comments which are abusive, inappropriate or not constructive to the discussion.

Though we invite robust discussion, we reserve the right to not publish any comment which denigrates the human person, undermines marriage and the family, or advocates for positions which openly oppose the teaching of the Catholic Church.

This is a supervised forum and the Editors of Catholic Online retain the right to direct it.

We also reserve the right to block any commenter for repeated violations. Your email address is required to post, but it will not be published on the site.

We ask that you NOT post your comment more than once. Catholic Online is growing and our ability to review all comments sometimes results in a delay in their publication.

Name *

Email *

Comment *

Send me important information from Catholic Online and it's partners. See Sample

Post Comment