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Hurricane Isaac has Gulfport bracing for flooding, tornadoes
Source:
nola.com
- Aug 28, 2012
By James Varney, The Times-Picayune
GULFPORT, Ms. -- The Mississippi Gulf Coast moved toward full shut-down mode Tuesday afternoon as Hurricane Isaac moseyed its way toward land and officials scrambled to deal with anticipated flooding.
The storm's winds, which cracked Category 1 hurricane status just before noon, were less of a concern than the combination of high tide, storm surge and rainfall, according to emergency officials. Those factors were expected to bottle up the various Mississippi rivers that drain into the Gulf.
As if those concerns were insufficient, officials announced Tuesday morning that Harrison County is also under a tornado watch and that water spouts could move ashore and essentially morph into tornadoes once they reach land.
"Everything that you can have, we have it," said Rupert Lacy, the county's emergency management director.
Lacy has been chairing twice-daily meetings in Gulfport's courthouse and command bunker and the situation there was not without levity despite Isaac's pending arrival. For example, when officials announced they intended to enforce the imposed 7 a.m to 7 p.m. curfew, Lacy said he could vouch for that.
"I got pulled over last night," he sighed, as several cops erupted in laughter.
Spot flooding had already cropped up Tuesday morning as the area, like southeastern Louisiana, is soggy with weeks of rain. The fact it appeared so early, however, distressed officials.
"It's kind of alarming that we have that and then the rainwater coming in on top," Lacy told the gathered crew chiefs. "We are going to see that urban flooding."
Weather reports near midday Tuesday indicated nearby Bay St. Louis, in Hancock County, could see a higher storm surge than Biloxi or Gulfport, but regardless officials said they are braced for trouble.
The high tide had raised the Gulf around 4 feet, and the storm surge predictions have ranged from 5 to 12 feet on top of that. In addition, Isaac is expected to dump some 20 inches or more of rain into that already deep mix.
Officials were arranging two high schools -- West Harrison and D'Iberville -- to serve as storm shelters and the Salvation Army had some 20 soup kitchens in place along the Gulf Coast. Emergency crews have been bolstered by soldiers, as Mississippi has mobilized roughly 1,500 National Guardsmen for the storm.
Casino executives met before noon and elected to close, but officials expected the process of evacuating guests and workers to take several hours, which meant many people remained in Gulfport Tuesday afternoon, when the weather was surprisingly sunny after Isaac's fringe doused Gulfport with rain early in the morning. Traffic on the highways and nearby Interstate 10 was also light, as most of those evacuating had already bolted.
Lacy warned those who remained they could not count on responders in an emergency. Several emergency workers were hurt in Hurricane Katrina answering calls during the storm, and Lacy made it clear the priority will be for everyone to be essentially locked down while Isaac passes, as expected, to the west.
A mandatory evacuation for those in low-lying areas along the coast was called Tuesday afternoon, but no widespread evacuations were ordered. Nevertheless, most businesses were already boarded up Tuesday morning and others, such as the local Wal-Mart, planned to close by noon.
Category: Louisiana
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