Hurricane Isaac on Tuesday made landfall in Louisiana and barreled towards New Orleans, seven years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the “Big Easy” and killed 1,800 people on the US Gulf Coast. Isaac, which reached hurricane strength earlier in the day and was packing maximum sustained winds of 80 miles (130 kilometers) per hour, lashed the area with heavy rains and strong winds, as residents hunkered down. The US National Hurricane Center said the category one storm had generated a “dangerous storm surge” along the northern Gulf Coast, with a surge of 10.3 feet (3 meters) reported in Louisiana. States of emergency were declared in Louisiana and Mississippi, allowing authorities to coordinate disaster relief and seek emergency federal funds. More than 4,000 members of the Louisiana National Guard were activated, with 48 boat teams deployed around New Orleans, according to the office of governor Bobby Jindal, who had warned residents to prepare for the worst. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said the city could expect up to 16 inches (40 centimeters) of rain or more because the hurricane was moving slowly over the area. “We have dodged a bullet in the sense that this is not a category three storm,” he said, “But a category one at this strength… is plenty big enough to put a big hurt on you if you fall into complacency.
