Tropical storm Isaac has officially attained Category 1 hurricane status as it closes in on New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast.
Hurricane Isaac currently boasts sustained maximum winds of 75 miles per hour and is expected to make landfall by Tuesday evening.
New Orleans’ Army Crops of Engineers is reportedly closing the gate to the West Closure Complex, one of the world’s largest pump stations, in preparation for the storm.
An emergency declaration for the state of Louisiana has been declared by President Obama with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal calling for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) to do the same. Federal funds have been released for use by the state.
“We have learned from past experiences that you cannot wait and you have to push the federal bureaucracy,” said Jindal.
Memories of Hurricane Katrina have prompted New Orleans residents to evacuate the area, with many fleeing to Baton Rouge. But experts claim that Isaac will not cause anywhere near the same amount of damage as Katrina did seven years ago, a prediction that many New Orleans residents also believe.
Hence, a fair number residents have reportedly chosen to weather out Isaac in their homes with supplies and backup generators.
Isaac has so far caused severe flooding in many parts of the Caribbean and 24 casualties in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Coastal areas along the Florida-Alabama line are under hurricane warnings, with the National Hurricane Center cautioning that Isaac could cause flooding along the Gulf Coast.