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Isaac reaches Louisiana

August 29, 2012

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reports that Hurricane Isaac has made landfall over a remote spit of land in southeastern Louisiana.

https://p.dw.com/p/15z0a
NEW ORLEANS, LA - AUGUST 28: Local residents watch the waves on the shore of Lake Pontchatrain from Hurricane Isaac on August 28, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Hurricane Isaac is expected to make landfall later tonight along the Louisiana coast (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
New Orleans Louisiana Hurricane IsaacImage: Getty Images

As of Tuesday evening in Louisiana, the storm was moving at about 13 kilometers per hour (8 miles per hour), with 120 kilometers (75 miles) to go before it reaches New Orleans.

The wind and rain is forecast to continue overnight and into Wednesday, with 18 to 36 centimeters (7 to 14 inches) of rain predicted in most of Louisiana. Some areas could see as much as 50 centimeters of rain. Winds are remaining steady at 130 kilometers per hour.

In addition to dangerous wind and rain, storm surges are already hammering the US coast on the Gulf of Mexico. The NHC said that storm surges in Louisiana and Mississippi could reach nearly 4 meters.

Isaac batters Louisiana

The impact of Isaac will be worst on Wednesday, which marks exactly seven years since Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and caused massive damage and killed 1,800 people.

Katrina was a much stronger storm, and New Orleans invested over $10 billion (8 billion euros) in flood-defense systems. The barriers constructed are the largest storm-surge floodgates in the world. They stand 8 meters high and stretch for 3 kilometers.

mz/lw (Reuters, AFP, dpa)