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Florida gears up for Tropical Storm Isaac

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
August 27th, 2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

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.

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.

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