The National Hurricane Center expects Isaac to become a Category 1 hurricane over the warm Gulf and possibly slam sometime on Tuesday somewhere along a roughly 300-mile stretch from the bayous southwest of New Orleans to the Florida Panhandle. Believe it or not, this would be on the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which struck catastrophically back in 2005. Most residents agree that this De Ja Vu is way too close for comfort.
The size of the warning area and the storm's wide bands of rain and wind prompted emergency declarations in four states, and the hurricane-tested residents were boarding up their homes, stacking up on food and water supplies, or preparing to evacuate.
US forecasters say Isaac could deal a double punch for the Gulf Coast. If it hits during high tide, this massive storm could bring flood-waters as deep as 12 feet on shore in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and up to six feet for the Florida Panhandle.