Just as the 7th anniversary of the day that Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans approaches, Tropical Storm Isaac is set on an almost identical path and Louisiana is about get rocked hard once again as Tropical Storm Isaac could become a Category 2 hurricane by the time it hits.
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana. It first made landfall over Florida on Aug. 25 and then grew into a Category 5 hurricane once it returned to the Gulf. It then weakened to a Category 3, but the 120 mile per hour winds and heavy rains were still strong enough to cause extreme damage to Louisiana.
The storm caused 53 different levee breaches in greater New Orleans, putting 80 percent of the city under water. Tens of thousands of houses and buildings were damaged. Over 900,000 people lost power. Over 1,500 people lost their lives. The total damage from Katrina, one of the deadliest hurricanes in history, is estimated at $81.2 billion
Now, Tropical storm Isaac is on an eerily similar path. The storm passed southern Florida on Sunday and made its way into the Gulf of Mexico on Monday. While churning up the warm waters of the Gulf, Isaac is expected to gain strength and become a Category 2 hurricane before it makes landfall again between Louisiana and Florida late Tuesday or Wednesday. If Wednesday, it will hit Louisiana exactly seven years after Katrina hit.
"It is difficult to realize that to the day - seven years after Katrina - another hurricane is headed our way," Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant said as quoted by Reuters.
Louisiana is not taking any chances as Isaac approaches. Louisiana's governor Bobby Jindal, as well as Alabama's and Mississippi's, have declared a state of emergency as a hurricane warning went into effect.
Residents of the area have been stocking up on supplies, filling up on gas, and securing their homes and they prepare for the storm.
"I sense a high level of anxiety," said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. "The timing, as fate would have it, on the anniversary of Katrina has everybody in a state of alertness, but that is a good thing."
As a Category 2 hurricane can have sustained winds of between 96 and 110 mph, 53,000 residents of St. Charles Parish near New Orleans were told to leave evacuate before the storm hits.
Tropical Storm Isaac has already killed at least nine people and caused significant flooding and damage in Haiti and the Dominican Republic before crossing the southern tip of Florida on Sunday.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
