Tropical Storm Isaac bound for Louisiana

27 Aug 2012, 2:45 pm   -   Source: AAP

Tropical Storm Isaac has swirled toward Louisiana, prompting US Gulf Coast states to declare states of emergency.

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Tropical Storm Isaac has swirled toward Louisiana, prompting US Gulf Coast states to declare states of emergency almost seven years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.

The storm was lashing the Florida coast and with winds reaching 105km/h, it could reach hurricane force within 24 hours, the Miami-based National Hurricane Centre warned.

Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama issued emergency warnings on Sunday, 24 hours after Isaac forced the main program of the US Republican convention in Tampa, Florida, to be curtailed by one day.

Ahead of Isaac's expected landfall on Tuesday or Wednesday along the Gulf Coast, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley ordered mandatory evacuations in the southern counties of Mobile and Baldwin, while Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal recommended voluntary evacuations within the hurricane watch area.

The NHC's latest forecast said Isaac was 853km southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River as it moved away from Key West, Florida.

It was heading west-northwest toward Louisiana at 24km/h and a hurricane warning was in place for populated areas including New Orleans.

"Under current forecasts, New Orleans may feel winds as early as Monday night, with heavy weather Tuesday and Wednesday," the city's mayor, Mitch Landrieu, said in a statement, noting that a state of emergency declaration there would help city officials prepare for the worst.

The NHC said "preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion," in all areas subject to the hurricane warning.

Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Mississippi-Louisiana border on August 29, 2005 - eventually killing about 1800 people in New Orleans, a city famed for its jazz music, easygoing atmosphere and Creole cuisine.

Although 1.4 million residents and visitors were ordered to evacuate as the monster storm approached, many could not or would not and were left stranded.

A lack of preparation and bungled co-ordination forced residents to take shelter in attics, and then break through their roofs to escape rising water.

Sunday's emergency declarations indicated the importance of official efforts to safeguard the city, as Isaac brought rain and choppy seas to the Florida Keys after battering Haiti and Cuba over the weekend.

"Some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours and Isaac is expected to become a hurricane in a day or two," the NHC said.

A hurricane warning for the Florida Keys and parts of the state's southwest coast was reduced to a tropical storm warning, though Republicans had already postponed the planned Monday start of their gathering in Tampa.

The delegate roll call for Mitt Romney to be formally nominated to take on President Barack Obama in the November 6 election will now take place Tuesday, after Monday's program was repackaged into a tighter schedule due to the storm.

Party officials stressed that the prime night-time speaking slots on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, including speeches by Romney, his wife Ann and running-mate Paul Ryan, remained unchanged.

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