It killed six people in Haiti and was serious enough to delay the Republican National Convention in Tampa. The tropical storm Isaac is now heading towards Florida. New Orleans is on the edge as experts say Isaac will have a similar track and timing as the damaging Hurricane Katrina.
Late Sunday, forecasters issued warnings that the tropical storm Isaac will hit the landfall this Tuesday. Isaac is estimated to hit the Gulf Coast and likely New Orleans as a Category 2 hurricane. Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi Governors issued state of emergency, while residents of New Orleans are preparing for the worse.
Tropical storm Isaac lashed the Florida Keys this weekend with winds of 60 mph. As forecasters say it will hit the landfall this Tuesday, Isaac will turn into a category two hurricane and increase in intensity. It means states at risk will likely see wind gusts between 96 to 110 mph as well as a damaging and powerful storm.
Four states are now preparing to be hit by Isaac. Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant noted the tropical storm Isaac has an unfortunately similar track and timing. “It is difficult to realize that to the day – seven years after Katrina – another hurricane is headed our way” said Gov. Bryant. “It is important for Mississippians to take this storm seriously and prepare for potential impact” he added.
Robert Latham, Mississippi’s director of the state emergency management agency, urged residents not to take the warning lightly. “This is important to remember, this is a huge storm” he said. “I don’t have to tell you what a storm like that can do” Latham added.
In the meanwhile, people in New Orleans are on the edge. The thought that Isaac could hit just as hard as Katrina died is terrifying. “I sense a high level of anxiety” New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu told Reuters. “The timing, as fate would have it, on the anniversary of Katrina has everybody in a state of alertness, but that is a good thing” he added.
The New Orleans Mayor also told CNN that this time the city is “much, much better prepared structurally than before”. “The storm is somewhat uncertain. Out of an abundance of caution we will begin to take these precautions as quickly as we can” Mayor Mitch Landrieu told CNN.
