7 years after Katrina, NOLA braces for Isaac - KYTX CBS 19 Tyler Longview News Weather Sports

7 years after Katrina, NOLA braces for Isaac

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(CBS/AP) NEW ORLEANS - On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Mississippi-Louisiana border, forever changing the region and the way officials react to incoming storms. With Tropical Storm Isaac now projected to potentially hit the area - probably as a hurricane - the lessons from the disaster that followed Katrina have not been lost. Local officials are taking an extremely cautious approach again to weather threats.

Gov. Bobby Jindal called a state of emergency in Louisiana as Isaac's path moved west. He suggests that people leave low-lying parts of coastal parishes.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu declared a state of emergency Sunday afternoon, reports NOLA.com.

Landrieu said he declared the emergency "so that everybody in the city of New Orleans can begin to prepare."

The storm was still a day-and-a-half away, according to current models, but Landrieu said they were not taking any chances.

"The better part of wisdom here is to be prepared," Landrieu said, according to NOLA.com.

Landrieu said that for now, he expects New Orleans residents to shelter in place. But he says that if New Orleans is evacuated, there won't be any shelter.

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Meanwhile, in nearby Grand Isle, police say Mayor David Camardelle has called a mandatory evacuation immediately for campers and tourists. Police say residents are to leave Monday morning as Isaac's path moves west.

Landfall is expected late Tuesday or Wednesday.

Orleans, Plaquemines, Jefferson and St. Charles parishes all have declared a state of emergency.

Plaquemines Parish crews hustled to levees around the low-lying New Orleans suburb. St. Charles Parish closed schools through Wednesday.

St. Charles Parish is stocking sandbag locations; people will need their own shovels.

The captain of the port of Morgan City warned of gale-force winds within 72 hours.

The New Orleans Fair Grounds Race Track ordered evacuation about 700 horses from its stables.

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