Hurricane Isaac pounded Louisiana with heavy rains and damaging winds on Wednesday as forecasters said the storm surge and serious flooding will likely continue through the night.
The US National Hurricane Center said in an advisory yesterday the storm remained a Category 1 hurricane with top sustained winds.
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Widespread flooding was reported in New Orleans and other coastal cities. A swollen Mississippi River spilled over the top of a levee in a rural stretch of Plaquemines Parish, south of New Orleans.
Early reports from Isaac’s effects were far different from the events that unfolded around Hurricane Katrina — which slammed the region seven years to the day and led to levee breaches and mass flooding of the city.
Thousands of residents in south Mississippi remained without power, officials said. According to latest figures, almost 560,000 homes were without power across four states. Officials also asked residents to stay indoors and only travel if necessary.u00a0