Aug 29, 2012

Hurricane Isaac hits the gulf coast

Robert Hamilton 0 Comment Nation Alabama, French Quarter, Gulf of Mexico, hurricane, Louisana, Mississippi, national guard, New Orleans, Plaquemines Parish

45 photos

Hurricane Isaac, the slow-moving but powerful Category 1 hurricane, was felt along the Gulf Coast, threatening to flood towns in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana with storm surges of up to 12 feet and winds up to 80 miles per hour, according to reports by Reuters.

While not nearly as strong as Katrina – a Category 3 hurricane when it slammed into New Orleans on August 29, 2005 – Isaac was a threat that authorities said should not be underestimated.

: Airmen from the Louisiana National Guardsmen help rescue citizens from Braithwaite in Plaquemines Parish near New Orleans during Hurricane Isaac . (Cpt. Lance Cagnolatti/U.S. Army)

: A porta-potty is seen floating on a flooded street as Hurricane Isaac passes through New Orleans, Louisiana. (Jonathan Bachman/Reuters photo)

: A man stands in front of an uprooted oak tree on Louisiana Avenue as Hurricane Isaac makes land fall in New Orleans, Louisiana. Hurricane Isaac drove water over the top of a levee on the outskirts of New Orleans on Wednesday, but the multibillion-dollar barriers built to protect the city itself after the 2005 Katrina disaster were not breached, officials said. (Sean Gardner/Reuters photo)

: A fallen streetlight sits in a puddle of water in downtown New Orleans, Louisiana as Hurricane Isaac battered the city and surrounding region, flooding homes and driving stormy waters over the top of at least one levee. (Frederic J. Brown/GettyImages)

: People rest in a rescue truck atop a levee next to floodwaters after being rescued in Plaquemines Parish on in Braithwaite, Louisiana. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

: Rescue workers look out at floodwaters from a levee in Braithwaite, Louisiana. Dozens were reportedly rescued in the area in Plaquemines Parish after levees were overtopped by floodwaters from Hurricane Isaac. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

: A pedestrian walks through the rain of Hurricane Isaac on August 29, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Category 1 hurricane is slowly moving across southeast Louisiana, dumping large amounts of rain and knocking out power to Louisianans in scattered parts of the state. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Julia Wilson sits and watches as rain from Hurricane Isaac falls over Bourbon Street on August 29, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: A tree is blown over outside Tulane Medical Center during the rains from Hurricane Isaac on August 29, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

: A car drives beneath a fallen streetlight along deserted streets in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 29, 2012 as Hurricane Isaac battered the city and surrounding region, seven years to the day after Katrina devastated the city. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images)

: A fallen tree blocks a road in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 29, 2012, as Hurricane Isaac battered the city and surrounding region. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images)

: A street sign is turned upside down likely resulting from bricks falling overnight from a building along the deserted streets of New Orleans, Louisiana on August 29, 2012. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images)

: Rain from Hurricane Isaac falls over Bourbon Street on August 29, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Tim Janson drinks a vodka tonic at the Funky Pirate bar as a morning rain from Hurricane Isaac falls over Bourbon Street on August 29, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: The surf washes over the West Side Pier as Hurricane Isaac passes through Gulfport, Mississippi, August 29, 2012. (Michael Spooneybarger/Reuters)

: Boats are battered in the harbor as Hurricane Isaac passes through Pass Christian, Mississippi, August 29, 2012. The slow-moving but powerful Category 1 hurricane was felt along the Gulf Coast, threatening to flood towns in Mississippi and Louisiana with storm surges of up to 12 feet and top sustained winds up to 75 miles per hour. (Michael Spooneybarger/Reuters)

: A New Orleans police car navigates through debris as Hurricane Isaac passes through New Orleans, Louisiana, August 29, 2012. (Jonathan Bachman/Reuters)

: Debris lie on a road as Hurricane Isaac passes through New Orleans, Louisiana, August 29, 2012. (Jonathan Bachman/Reuters)

: Meteorology student Dylan Cooper of Monroe, Louisiana, shows a satellite photo of Hurricane Isaac on his phone while watching the storm in Lakeshore, Mississippi, August 28, 2012. (John Fitzhugh/Biloxi Sun Herald/MCT)

: A car drives down Canal Street during Hurricane Isaac on August 29, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Category 1 hurricane is slowly moving across southeast Louisiana, dumping large amounts of rain and knocking out power to Louisianans in scattered parts of the state. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

: Canal Street sits empty during Hurricane Isaac on August 29, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

: High winds and rain from Hurricane Isaac fall on the Louisiana Superdome on August 29, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

: Henry Tabbe checks out the damage in his neighborhood near Esplande Ave. as Hurricane Isaac pushes into the New Orleans metro area in New Orleans, Louisiana, August 29, 2012. (Sean Gardner/Reuters)

: Police stand watch over a French Quarter intersection as Hurricane Isaac hits New Orleans, Louisiana August 29, 2012. (Lee Celano/Reuters)

: Water floods a highway underpass as Hurricane Isaac hits New Orleans, Louisiana August 29, 2012. (Lee Celano/Reuters)

: Scott Burley runs from crashing surf on the Ken Combs Pier as Hurricane Isaac approaches Gulfport, Mississippi. (Michael Spooneybarger/Reuters photo)

: Jaylon Ragas, 5, plays with a gaming device at the Belle Chase Auditorium as Hurricane Isaac bears down on the Louisiana coast in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. (Sean Gardner/Reuters photo)

: Jason Preston, Jermaine McNair and James Hayes put up shutters on a house as Hurricane Isaac approaches Gulfport, Mississippi. (Michael Spooneybarger/Reuters photo)

: Jason Preston closes shutters as Hurricane Isaac approaches Gulfport, Mississippi. (Michael Spooneybarger/Reuters photo)

: Dam Ny, front, and his wife Kheav Simo wait for Hurricane Isaac to approach at Belle Chasse Auditorium, in Plaquermines Parish, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The area where they live is under mandatory evacuation. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

: Janette Taylor waits for Hurricane Isaac to approach at Belle Chasse Auditorium, in Plaquermines Parish, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The area where she lives is under mandatory evacuation. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

: Saeler Rogers, Christian Haas and Pam Metzler are sprayed as they walk at water’s edge in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, as Hurricane Isaac draws close. (Tim Isbell/Biloxi Sun Herald/MCT)

: Evan Stoudt faces strong winds while visiting the banks of Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans in Louisiana, where Hurricane Isaac has made landfall. (Frederic J. Brown/Getty Images)

: Bridgette Mooney, her daughter Skyler, 15 months, and husband Kevin watch from their home as Hurricane Isaac lashes their property with rain in Kiln, Mississippi. Many residents of the community, which suffered severe damage during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, decided to stay home and ride out the storm. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Ruffin Henry and Scout the dog swim in the rising water of Lake Pontchatrain as Hurricane Isaac approaches. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

: Brigette Mooney shops for two-for-one frozen items at Seal’s Marketplace in Kiln, Mississippi. Store owner Michael Seal said he put all his frozen items on sale, both for the benefit of his local clients and also to reduce his stock ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Isaac to the Gulf Coast area and possible power outages. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Kat Soulagnet hula hoops at a ‘Hurricane Party’ in the Upper Ninth Ward in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

: Juliane Fincher plays in the water of Lake Pontchatrain as Hurricane Isaac approaches. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

: Matthew Pettus holds a sheet open in the wind on the levee near Lake Pontchatrain as Hurricane Isaac approaches. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

: Residents stock up at Seal’s Marketplace in Kiln, Mississippi. Store owner Michael Seal said he put all his frozen items on sale, both for the benefit of his local clients and also to reduce his stock. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: A man walks on Canal Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans was bracing for the approach of Hurricane Isaac, now a Category 1 storm, which hit the city on August 29. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

: People make their way across Canal Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

: A group of men sit on a bench at the edge of Lake Pontchatrain as Hurricane Isaac approaches. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

: A National Guard Humvee patrols in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

: Claudia and Richard Launey board up their home before Hurricane Isaac, which still bears a marking from Hurricane Katrina,in New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans is bracing for the approach of Hurricane Isaac, now a Category 1 storm. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Hurricane Isaac drenches U.S. Gulf coast, tests New Orleans
Scott Malone and Kathy Finn | Reuters
3:34 p.m. EDT, August 29, 2012

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – Floodwater from Hurricane Isaac jumped a levee on the outskirts of New Orleans on Wednesday, but the multibillion-dollar barriers built to protect the city itself after the 2005 Katrina disaster were not breached, officials said.

The lumbering Category 1 hurricane was lashing the Gulf Coast, threatening to flood towns in Mississippi and Louisiana with a deluge of rain, storm surges of up to 12 feet and top sustained winds up to 75 miles per hour (120 kilometers per hour).

With the storm nearly stalled, rainfall accumulations totaling as much as 20 inches in some areas were expected.

“The federal levee system … is fine,” New Orleans Mayor Mitchell Landrieu told local radio.

“There are no risks. It is holding exactly as we expected it to and is performing exactly as it should. There are no people on rooftops from flooding that even approximates what happened during Katrina,” Landrieu said.

Hurricane Isaac hits the gulf coast

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