MIAMI: Tropical Storm Isaac swirled into the Gulf of Mexico today, threatening to disrupt US offshore oil and gas supplies and strengthen into a powerful hurricane that could make landfall near Louisiana almost seven years to the day after Katrina struck.
The storm swiped south Florida on Sunday before moving into the warm Gulf waters, where it is expected to strengthen to a Category 2 hurricane and hit the Gulf Coast somewhere between Florida and Louisiana by midweek, the US National Hurricane Center said.
The governors of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi declared states of emergency as a hurricane warning went into effect for the northern Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.
It included New Orleans, devastated when Hurricane Katrina swept over the city on Aug. 29, 2005, killing more than 1,800 people and causing billions of dollars of damage along the coast.
“It is difficult to realize that to the day – seven years after Katrina – another hurricane is headed our way,” Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant said.
“It is important for Mississippians to take this storm seriously and prepare for potential impact.”
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley ordered mandatory evacuations beginning today for residents in low-lying areas along the coast.
Energy producers in the Gulf worked to shut down some of their operations ahead of in what could be the biggest test for US energy installations since 2008, when Hurricanes Gustav and Ike disrupted offshore oil output for months and damaged onshore natural gas processing plants, pipelines and some refineries.
Some Gulf residents started stocking up on supplies and securing their homes. In New Orleans, long lines formed at some gas stations and in Gulfport, Mississippi, people crowded supermarkets to buy bottled water and canned food.
“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.”
Isaac is forecast to become a hurricane either on Monday or Tuesday. The National Hurricane Center said the storm was expected to eventually intensify to a Category 2 hurricane with extremely dangerous sustained winds of (169 kph) as it swept across the Gulf of Mexico. (Reuters)
