As Tropical Storm Isaac slammed the Florida Keys with winds of close to 100 kilometres per hour on Sunday, a string of hurricane warnings was issued for an area stretching from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana.
In a bulletin released Sunday evening, the National Hurricane Center reported that a hurricane warning was in effect for Louisiana stretching from east of Morgan City to New Orleans.
Forecasters warned that by the time Isaac makes landfall over the northern Gulf late Tuesday or early Wednesday, it could develop into a Category 2 hurricane with winds of at least 154 kilometres per hour.
On Sunday, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency as the state braced for Isaac. The Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness is now authorized to provide support to the state if needed.
In Mississippi, Gov. Phil Bryant also declared a state of emergency late Sunday.
Evacuations had not yet been ordered but were likely, especially in areas vulnerable to storm surge, said Greg Flynn, spokesperson for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
Residents in the Florida Keys boarded up windows to guard against the high winds. Isaac was expected to turn northwest and strike as a Category 2 hurricane somewhere between the New Orleans area and the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday, the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
The U.S. government announced that offshore oil and gas rigs were evacuated over fears they could end up in Isaac’s path.
Before reaching Florida, Isaac was blamed for 10 deaths in Haiti and two more in the Dominican Republic, and downed trees and power lines in Cuba.
Convention delayed
Meanwhile, organizers of the Republican National Convention taking place in Tampa fear that Isaac could dampen the party’s plans at a critical time in the presidential campaign.
CTV’s Joy Malbon said continuing with the Republican convention may be damaging to the party’s image.
“It’s hitting the Florida Keys. If it moves up the Gulf, possibly even New Orleans on the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, there’s a lot of fear that the optics won’t be good,” Malbon told CTV News Channel from Tampa on Sunday.
As the storm hit Florida, Republicans delayed the convention by one day. However, Malbon said there is a lot of “talk behind closed doors” on how to proceed with the convention, which is now scheduled to begin Tuesday.
“Can you just see Republicans with their party hats and partying and the split screen being a trail of misery left by Hurricane Isaac?” said Malbon.
However, she added that delaying the convention even further could be “disastrous” for the party.
“It’s all about messaging. Mitt Romney is seen as being wealthy, and they want him to reconnect with the people, with the base. They want to tell his story.”
Delegates in Tampa said they are tired with all the campaign distractions thus far and they want to talk about issues central to the party.
“I want to hear about the economy,” said New York Republican Larry Mendillo. “I don’t care about social issues. As far as the economy goes we’re headed in the wrong direction.”
