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Hurricane Isaac made landfall in Louisiana yesterday in almost exactly the same place that Hurricane Katrina did seven years ago. Some areas of New Orleans have flooded with up to 14 feet of water, leaving many residents who ignored evacuation orders to take refuge in their attics and await rescue. Despite the fact that Isaac was eventually downgraded from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm, its effects have been unexpectedly severe. Plaquemines Parish seems to have been the hardest hit on the coast and is not protected by federally built levees. Three thousand people apparently remain in that area, hoping that a locally built 9 foot tall levee will hold back the waters. <\/p>\n
Thousands of Gulf Coast residents have had to be rescued by state officials in Louisiana and Mississippi, and nearly 90 bus loads of people have been evacuated to shelters. More than three quarters of a million residents of Gulf Coast states are without power, the majority of them in Louisiana. So far there is one unconfirmed death linked to a fire on Wednesday being reported, and one confirmed death at midnight last night of a tow truck driver who was hit by a falling tree. According to the National Hurricane Center, Isaac will continue pounding the Gulf Coast with rain for at least another day or two. <\/p>\n
Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu was quick to emphasize that the government investment in infrastructure after Katrina’s devastation were paying off. Her brother, Mitch Landrieu, the mayor of New Orleans has expressed his “full confidence [that] the levees will hold.” President Obama has declared Louisiana and Mississippi major disaster areas. <\/p>\n