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            Isaac Approaches US Gulf Coast, Nears Hurricane Strength

   by VOA News

   U.S. forecasters say Tropical Storm Isaac is on the verge of becoming a
   hurricane as it spins closer to the city of New Orleans.
   The storm is expected to reach hurricane strength during the day
   Tuesday, and to continue building until it makes landfall late Tuesday
   or early Wednesday.
   Residents along the northern Gulf Coast are bracing for Isaac, which
   will bring tropical storm conditions from Louisiana to Florida early
   Tuesday.
   President Barack Obama has declared a state of emergency in Louisiana,
   which was devastated by another massive storm - Hurricane Katrina -
   seven years ago.
   Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal urged residents in high-risk areas to
   flee.
   The storm is already generating winds of 110 kilometers per hour, and
   forecasters say it could dump 30 centimeters of rain along the coast,
   with up to 50 centimeters in isolated locations.
   New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu told residents to be prepared to live
   without regular water or power supplies for several days.  He also
   urged them to leave if an evacuation order is issued.
   Many people did not leave in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina struck the
   same area.  Katrina ravaged New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast,
   killing more than 1,800 people and leaving thousands more homeless.
   Wednesday marks Katrina's seventh anniversary.
   Isaac battered eastern Cuba Saturday, after killing at least 19 people
   in Haiti, which is still recovering from a devastating 2010 earthquake.
   Two people were killed in the Dominican Republic.  There were no
   reports of fatalities in Cuba.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/hurricane-issac-bears-down-on-us-gulf
   -coast/1496896.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/hurricane-issac-bears-down-on-us-gulf-coast/1496896.html