Isaac lashed south Florida with strong winds and heavy rain on Sunday after battering the Caribbean, and officials said the tropical storm could strengthen into a hurricane by midweek as it heads toward New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
Emergency management and law enforcement officials in Key West ordered visitors and residents to remain indoors as the storm moved through the island chain. “You’ve chosen to remain in the Keys during this storm and the only safe place for you to be is indoors,” said Monroe County Emergency Management Director Irene Toner. “Stay off roads and don’t go outside.”
Isaac caused weekend havoc in Cuba, where it downed trees and power lines. Before that, Isaac was blamed for seven deaths in Haiti.
Isaac was still a tropical storm Sunday evening with 60 mph winds as it moved over the Florida Keys and headed into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Forecasters warned that Isaac could be upgraded to a Category 2 hurricane – capable of sustained winds of 96-100 mph – as it hits the northern Gulf Coast somewhere between Florida and Louisiana later this week.
The governors of Mississippi and Louisiana declared a state of emergency as officials prepared for Isaac.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal urged residents in low-lying areas of several southeastern parishes to voluntarily leave ahead of the storm. He said mandatory evacuations would likely be ordered on Monday. The governor also activated 4,000 National Guard troops and informed other states that Louisiana might need assistance if hit by Isaac.
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu declares a state of emergency for the city of New Orleans in advance of Tropical Storm Isaac.
“We’re all going to err on the side of being overprepared,” Jindal said. He added that he may skip his speaking engagement at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., this week if his state is still threatened by the storm.
In the city of New Orleans, which was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina seven years ago, Mayor Mitch Landrieu also declared a state of emergency. “I’ll remind everybody that we thought Katrina would be a wind and rain event,” Landrieu said.
