NEW ORLEANS: Isaac was on the verge of becoming a full-blown hurricane yesterday morning as it rolled over the Gulf of Mexico toward Louisiana, where residents in four states left boarded-up homes for inland shelter and New Orleans waited behind flood-defense levees strengthened after the devastating Katrina struck exactly seven years ago.
Forecasters predicted the tropical storm would power up to hurricane strength, which starts at winds of 74 mph (119 kph), later in the day and become at least a Category 1 hurricane by the time it reaches the swampy coast of southeast Louisiana early today.
The focus has been on New Orleans as the massive, slow-moving storm takes dead aim at the city, but the impact will be felt well beyond the city limits, especially in expected storm surges of up to 12 feet (3.6 meters) in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. The storm's winds could be felt more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the storm's center.
The storm has churned into the middle of the tight US presidential election, with Republicans this week meeting nearby in Florida to nominate Mitt Romney to challenge President Barack Obama.
Obama, mindful of how his administration's response to the storm could be judged, spoke on Isaac from the White House yesterday morning before departing on a three-state campaign trip.
“Now is not the time to tempt fate,” he said. “You need to take this seriously.”
Early yesterday, Isaac was a large and potent tropical storm with top sustained winds of 70 mph (113 kph). The storm system was centered about 105 miles (168 kilometers) south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River just before 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT) and moving northwest at 7 mph (11.26 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
Although Isaac's approach on the eve of the Katrina anniversary invited obvious comparisons, the storm is nowhere near as powerful as Katrina was when it struck on Aug. 29, 2005. Katrina at one point reached Category 5 status, with winds of more than 157 mph (252 kph), and made landfall as a Category 3 storm.
Isaac on verge of becoming hurricane
