Hurriane Isaac Creates Path Of Damages In Louisiana and Mississippi

Hurricane Issac is making very slow progress on its path northward as it is pounding southeast Louisiana with winds of about 80 miles per hour. Today is the same day of the year seven years ago when Hurricane Katrina paid a visit to this portion of the country and left New Orleans in shambles. Isaac has already caused one levee in Plaquemines Parish to overflow and has knocked out power to more than a half a million homes and businesses.

Because the system is moving at a snail's pace, ti is going to pelt portions of Louisiana with very heavy rains for at least the next twenty-four hours and most likely forty-eight. The hurricane is still several miles away from New Orleans but nonetheless, residents there are feeling its impact. The skies are dark and menacing and the wind is gusting up to 60 miles per hour with some bursts of very heavy rainfall.

The worst damage so far is in Plaquemines Parish where more than 22,000 people live. The levee that breached there wasn't one of those rebuilt after Katrina struck several years ago. There are reports coming in from that parish of very serious flooding with most being concentrated in the portion of the community that is sparsely populated on the Mississippi River's east bank. Most of the people who do live in that area took the mandatory evacuation orders seriously and were not at home when the heavy flooding occurred.

What is most concerning about this hurricane is how massively large it is and how slowly it's moving. It is dumping huge amounts of rain and causing waves several yards high along the coastline. National Guard troops with weapons have been deployed by Louisiana's governor to patrol the streets of New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina memorial events had to be canceled in the 'Big Easy' due to Issac which is something residents feel is very ironic.

Since Katrina, work crews have worked on constructing a complicated system of levees, flood walls, gates and pumping stations in an attempt to make New Orleans safe from another dangerous hurricane. Isaac is only a Category 1 while Katrina was a Category 3 hurricane when it ravished the area. For the most part, New Orleans residents are feeling some relief knowing that this storm is not going to do nearly as much damage as Katrina. The new system that's in place has gone untested and was built to withstand a hurricane that would occur once every century. The system does meet FEMA guidelines and is good enough for insurance purposes but whether or not it will hold up under another Category 3 storm or stronger is still unknown in spite of the progress made.

Compliments of the restoration professionals who are working to help property owners in Gulfport, Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Biloxi, some of the areas hardest hit by the historical storm system.