Isaac Upgraded to Hurricane--Headed for New Orleans

The Daily Mail reports:

'Many parts of the state could see 24 to 38 hours of tropical storm-force winds,' Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal told a news conference. 'We're going to see a lot of downed trees and power lines,' he said. 'We need people to stay safe.'

Hurricane Isaac has made landfall in southeast Louisiana with winds near 80 mph.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the storm's center reached land at 6:45 p.m. in Plaquemines Parish, about 90 miles southeast of New Orleans.

Brandishing automatic assault rifles to ward off any threat of looting, the troops in military vehicles took up positions on mostly deserted streets. Their arrival came as driving rain and stiff winds battered the city's famous tourist district, The French Quarter, and its boarded-up storefronts.

White-capped waves formed in Lake Pontchartrain.

Earlier, the Army Corps of Engineers closed for the first time the massive new floodgate on the largest storm-surge barrier in the world, at Lake Borgne, east of New Orleans. In other preparations, oil production in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico nearly ground to a halt, and ports and coastal refineries curtailed operations as Isaac neared.

At 5 p.m. CDT (2200 GMT), the Hurricane Center said Isaac was centered about 105 miles southeast of New Orleans with top sustained winds of 80 miles per hour.

The storm, becoming better organized as it nears land, was traveling at a relatively slow 8 mph. That pace is a concern for people in its path since slow-moving cyclones can bring higher rainfall totals.

Isaac was about 370 miles wide and due to make landfall at the mouth of the Mississippi River within the hour. Heavy rains and big storm surges were also forecast for parts of Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

Isaac spared Tampa, Florida, where the Republican National Convention began on Monday. But it forced party leaders to revamp their schedule. They may have to make further revisions so as not to be seen celebrating Mitt Romney's presidential nomination while Gulf Coast residents struggle through the storm.

President Barack Obama urged Gulf Coast residents to take cover and heed warning, saying, Now was 'not the time to tempt fate.' He issued emergency declarations for Louisiana and Mississippi earlier this week because of Isaac.

The president's stern warning comes as terrified New Orleans residents fear a repeat of the devastation inflicted by Hurricane Katrina after Isaac, which has now been declared a Category 1 hurricane, veers towards the Louisiana city.

Shop owners last night boarded up their businesses and the streets of the normally-bustling French Quarter are now eerily empty amid preparations for winds of over 100mph, which are predicted to hit the Gulf coast either this evening or tomorrow morning.

Although, the storm is currently generating surface gusts of 75mph, forecasters believe Isaac could pick up wind speed before it hits land in the same spot as Katrina, meaning roofs could be plucked from homes and cause extensive power outages in the city.

The shut-down of the refineries should jack up oil prices, which will further dampen the economy. The only thing that will bring us out of the economic doldrums will be cheap energy and fuel, which is anathema to the current administration.