Nearly 7 years to the day Hurricane Katrina struck… Tropical Storm Isaac churned toward the northern Gulf Coast early Monday and promised to give the Republican National Convention a good drenching after lashing the Florida Keys and Miami area with wind and rain. The National Hurricane Center predicted Isaac would grow to a Category 2 hurricane over the warm Gulf of Mexico and possibly hit late Tuesday somewhere along a stretch that starts west of New Orleans and runs to the edge of the Florida Panhandle. That would be one day shy of seven years after Hurricane Katrina struck catastrophically in 2005. A Category 2 hurricane has sustained winds of between 96 and 110 mph and a strong storm surge. 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 and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley also declared states of emergency, while oil companies began evacuating workers and cutting production at Gulf offshore rigs in Isaac’s projected path. Several area governors have altered their plans for this week’s GOP convention in Tampa. Bentley has canceled his trip, and Jindal said he’s likely to do so unless the threat from the storm subsides. Florida Gov. Rick Scott gave up a chance to speak. A hurricane warning was in effect for an area that covers a roughly 300-mile stretch of the Gulf Coast in four states from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle. Tropical storm warnings were effect for a section of Louisiana’s Gulf Coast from Morgan City to Intracoastal City. Tropical storm warnings were also in effect for many areas along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Our prayers are definitely with the people of the Gulf Coast region. Hopefully this storm will lose strength and stop short of doing any serious damage. Source Twitter
