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Alan Diaz/AP/Press Association Images
Dr Rick Knabb, director of the National Hurricane Center, giving an update on Tropical Storm Isaac today.
Isaac
New Orleans braces for Isaac, seven years after Hurricane Katrina
The tropical storms is expected to build strength as it approaches America’s Gulf Coast.
ALMOST SEVEN YEARS to the day since Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc in New Orelans, weather forecasters are warning that Tropical Storm Isaac could strike America’s Gulf Coast with hurricane force.
The storm caused 24 deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, but caused little damage as it passed the Florida Keys today.
Around 60,000 people suffered a power cut in Florida as a result of the storm and the Republican Party cancelled the first day of its National Convention due to the storm warnings.
The latest projects from America’s National Hurricane Center suggest that the storm is heading straight for the Louisiana coast and could have built up to hurricane force by the time it makes land along the Gulf Coast:
The NOAA National Weather Service is warning of a “significant storm surge threat expected for the northern Gulf Coast” and hurricane warnings are currently in effect for the area east of Morgan City, Louisiana towards Destin, Florida, including metropolitan New Orleans.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been posting tips on Twitter for people preparing for the storm:
New Orleans residents have been stocking up on provisions and preparing their homes for the storm’s arrival:
YouTube: AssociatedPress
Earlier: Tropical storm Isaac heads towards Gulf Coast >
