(CNN) - Governments, business and residents in New Orleans and the central Gulf coast rushed Tuesday to complete last-minute preparations to bear the brunt of Tropical Storm Isaac.
The storm was expected to make landfall late Tuesday after gaining hurricane strength earlier in the day.
Read the full CNN.com story here.
[Updated 12:38 a.m. ET Tuesday] Tropical storm-force winds are already battering areas as far out as 185 miles from Isaac's eye, including the coastal areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, the National Hurricane Center says.
The storm, which is presently moving at 10 mph, is expected to slow down, which could mean bad news in some areas, as it will allow Isaac to dump heavier rains.
The hurricane center says 14 inches of rain could fall on some locales, while parts of southeast Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle could see up to 20 inches.
[Updated 12:31 p.m. ET Tuesday] According to an updated statement from the National Hurricane Center, issued at 12:20 p.m. ET, reports from an Air Force craft indicate Isaac's winds have surpassed the 74-mph threshold necessary to classify a storm as a hurricane.
The storm remained about 160 miles southeast of New Orleans and was moving northwest at about 10 mph, according to the updated statement. The central pressure had lowered to 975 mb, slightly below the 11 a.m. ET reading of 976 mb. Lower pressure means stronger winds.
[Updated 12:26 p.m. ET Tuesday] Isaac is now a Category 1 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles an hour, the National Hurricane Center says.
[Updated 12:24 p.m. ET Tuesday] In Biloxi, Mississippi, the nasty memories of destruction seven years ago is prompting many residents to evacuate, despite projections that Isaac will not be nearly as strong as Katrina.
Residents are packing up and leaving town, schools and government offices are closed until Thursday and police and emergency responders are out"in full force," according to CNN affiliate WPLG-TV. Many houses have already been boarded up, and some residents were seen sawing wood and drilling down boards over their windows, the station said.
David Wallis, who lived through Katrina, picked up his and his wife's prescriptions before leaving town. He recalled how difficult it was to obtain the most basic of goods after Katrina.
"That was a big issue last time: water and ice. There was no water and ice for days. You can do without the electricity and stuff for a few days, but gotta have that water," he told WPLG.
[Updated at 12:12 p.m. ET Tuesday] In case you missed it earlier, CNN has updated its checklist of things you should have on hand as you prepare for the storm. Also, Eatocracy has put together a story on "disaster dining," which includes tips on preparing your fridge for the storm, along with advice on how to make sure you don't run out of food, coffee or, if you're so inclined, booze.
[Updated 11:57 a.m. ET Tuesday] We have some video now of President Obama's speech earlier today, in which he warned Gulf Coast residents "not to tempt fate."
[Updated 11:53 a.m. ET Tuesday] Shrimper Dean Blanchard says he will ride out Isaac from his specially built home in Grand Isle, Louisiana, which has been through a few hurricanes in the past.
He says it's easier to stay put than to leave and try to come back when police are working to protect residents not only from the aftereffects of the storm but also looters.
"We expect a little wind today, and we'll probably get a little rain late on and get ready for tonight, see what Mother Nature got ins store for us," he said.
[Updated 11:43 a.m. ET Tuesday] Alabama Emergency Management Agency Director Art Faulkner says the state has been preparing for Isaac for a week, and officials will be on the coast later Tuesday to make sure first responders have everything they need to keep residents safe.
[Updated 11:37 a.m. ET Tuesday] The U.S. Postal Service has suspended delivery and retail operations in about a dozen area codes in anticipation of Isaac's arrival. The USPS also announced mandatory evacuations in certain locations and instructed employees in some rural areas to report to other retail centers.
A detailed list of cities affected is available from CNN affiliate WGNO-TV.
[Updated 11:14 a.m. ET Tuesday] Harrison County, Mississippi, which lies in the Gulfport/Biloxi area has put a curfew in place from 7 p.m. Tuesday to 7 a.m. Wednesday. The county opened shelters at 8 a.m. Tuesday.
[Updated 11:10 a.m. ET Tuesday] The Army Corps of Engineers is about to close the gate to the world's largest pump station, the West Closure Complex, in New Orleans, a Corps spokesperson says. It will be the first time the flood gates have been closed since being constructed. The system was installed after Katrina.
[Updated 11:06 a.m. ET Tuesday] The National Hurricane Center says Isaac is about 165 miles southeast of New Orleans and about 80 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. It is moving northwest at about 10 mph, and the storm's center is on track to hit Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday evening.
The storm should be a hurricane by then, the center says, and will slowly weaken after making landfall. As of 11 a.m. ET, the central pressure remained at 976 mb, the same as it was at 8 a.m. ET.
[Updated 11 a.m. ET Tuesday] Tropical Storm Isaac has yet to reach hurricane strength, according to the National Hurricane Center's 11 a.m. ET advisory. The storm has winds of about 70 mph.
[Updated 10:49 a.m. ET Tuesday] President Barack Obama called on Gulf Coast residents to prepare for Tropical Storm Isaac, which is close to hurricane status as it heads toward land.
"Now's not the time to tempt fate," he said. "Now's not the time to dismiss official warnings. You need to take this seriously."
[Updated 10:38 a.m. ET Tuesday] Are you awaiting Isaac's arrival? If so, please send your photos, videos and stories to iReport and let us know what you're seeing. Thanks!
[Updated 10:31 a.m. ET Tuesday] iReporter Eileen Romero is staying put in New Orleans for Isaac, just as she did for Katrina seven years ago. She shot several photos Monday of people boarding up their businesses and homes and said Tuesday that there were long lines at the gas stations that still had gas to sell.
Anxiety is high in the Crescent City as some prepare to stay and others attempt to evacuate, she said. The Wednesday anniversary of Katrina's landfall doesn't help.
"At the forefront of people's minds is the damage sustained during the catastrophic flooding after the levee failures following Hurricane Katrina," she said. "Talk about PTSD."
While the Corps of Engineers insists the levees are stronger than they were seven years ago, Romero has her doubts given that "inherent engineering flaws and governmental incompetence is what led to the levee failures in the first place."
Despite her lack of faith in its leaders, she loves her city, she said.
"NOLA is home, and there is no place like it in the world," she said.
[Updated 10:17 a.m. ET Tuesday] The Mississippi Gaming Commission has notified Biloxi and Gulfport casinos that they need to get gamblers off the floor within the next 45 minutes. Gaming floors should be shut down by 4 p.m. CT, the commission says.
[Updated 10:11 a.m. ET Tuesday] A Coconut Grove, Florida, man came within inches of losing his life when a decades-old Royal Poinciana crashed down on his car after suffering storm damage.
James Kaplan told CNN affiliate WSVN-TV that he was headed to work when the tree - which is estimated to be about 50 years old - hit the driver's side roof of his car, just above the windshield.
The tree smashed the windows, broke a mirror and buckled the frame of the car, but Kaplan's only apparent injuries were scratches on his left ear, even though he said the roof of the car made contact with his head.
Kaplan joked with the WSVN crew that came to his house: "I kind of thought when you were at the door with the camera at the door, it was Mercedes wanting to do a commercial."
[Updated 9:58 a.m. ET Tuesday] The New Orleans Saints have already left town ahead of their midweek preseason game, their last before the regular season begins. According to the team's website, the Saints left at 5:30 p.m. CT Monday for Cincinnati, Ohio, where they will practice Tuesday before heading to Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday.
The Saints play the Tennessee Titans on Thursday evening and will depart for New Orleans following the game, the team said.
[Updated 9:53 a.m. ET Tuesday] As the Southeast United States deals with Isaac, Typhoon Bolaven is bringing high winds and torrential rains to the Korean Peninsula. Already, several people are missing, fishermen have been killed, scores of flights have been canceled and almost 200,000 homes are without power.
[Updated 9:38 a.m. ET Tuesday] To elaborate on the mayor's remarks, New Orleans' levees have seen $10 billion in improvements since 2005, and the pump stations have backup generators in case of power outages. One station is the biggest in the world, capable of moving 150,000 gallons of floodwater per second.
"This is the best system that the greater New Orleans area has ever seen," said Col. Ed Fleming of the Army Corps of Engineers.
For more specifics, here is a detailed explanation of how the system works.
[Updated 9:27 a.m. ET Tuesday] As of Tuesday morning, it was too late to evacuate New Orleans, Mayor Mitch Landrieu said, but many residents are expressing confidence that Isaac will not bring the destruction that Katrina's 125-mph winds wrought years ago. Plus, residents said, law and order in the city has improved.
"We're confident that the work we've done in the last few years makes us fully capable of handling this type of storm," the mayor said.
Jackie Grosch had to rebuild her home in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, but the St. Bernard Parish resident said she was going to wait Isaac out. She and her family had a generator, weather radio and life jackets on hand "just in case."
She expressed confidence in the new levees near her home.
"I don't know if it's going to be a true test because they're saying it's not going to be that bad. But you never know what bad is. We didn't think Katrina was going to be bad, either," she said.
[Updated 9:06 a.m. ET Tuesday] Isaac's center was located about 105 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, according to the National Hurricane Center's last advisory at 8 a.m. ET. The central pressure was 976 mb, just slightly lower than it was at 7 a.m. ET. The lower the pressure, the stronger the winds around the eye of the storm.
The hurricane center is predicting storm surges of 6 to 12 feet in Southeast Louisiana and Mississippi, 4 to 8 feet in Alabama, 3 to 6 feet in south-central Louisiana and along the Florida Panhandle and 1 to 3 feet along Florida's west coast to the Apalachee Bay.
[Updated 8:56 a.m. ET Tuesday] FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate tells CNN that the federal government is working proactively with state governors to make sure they have everything they need as Isaac approaches.
"We don't wait for disasters to be declared," he said.
[Updated 8:50 a.m. ET Tuesday] As the storm approaches, we have a couple of stories that may help you prepare. The first is a checklist of things you need to do as the storm approaches as well as a list of supplies you might need. The second is a rundown of six mobile applications that can help you track Isaac.
[Updated 8:44 a.m. ET Tuesday] In Lauderhill, Florida, the city is handing out sandbags to help residents protect their homes after Monday's downpours, CNN affiliate WFOR-TV in Miami reported.
"We're in one of the unfortunate communities in Lauderhill where the water unfortunately didn't recede and the canals are overflowing," resident Scott Colbert told the station. "I've got about 3 feet left before the water comes in to my garage."
[Updated 8:35 a.m. ET Tuesday] President Obama will deliver a statement on Tropical Storm Isaac at 10 a.m. ET from the Diplomatic Reception Room of The White House, according to his office.
[Updated 7:53 a.m. ET Tuesday] Isaac has yet to reach hurricane strength, the National Hurricane Center said in its 8 a.m. ET advisory. The storm's maximum sustained winds were at 70 mph, just below the Category 1 hurricane speed of 74 mph.
[Updated 7:25 a.m. ET Tuesday] A survey for the motorist group AAA showed that the national price for a gallon of regular gas crept up 0.6 cent to $3.756 overnight as Gulf coast oil and refining facilities were closed in anticipation of Isaac's landfall, CNNMoney reports.
Steeper prices increases were recorded in the Gulf states preparing for the storm, with gas jumping 2.5 cents to $3.642 a gallon in Louisiana, a little more than 2 cents to $3.563 in Mississippi, and 1.3 cents to $3.581 in Alabama.
[Updated 7:09 a.m. ET Tuesday] Some inland areas could see as much as 20 inches of rain from Isaac, said Richard Knabb, director of the National Hurricane Center. The storm's slow movement could make the rainfall worse and increase chances for flooding, he said.
[Updated 7:01 a.m. ET Tuesday] Isaac has developed an eye in the last few hours, indicating the storm is becoming more organized, and the central pressure is now down to 977 mb, which is the lowest pressure that has been recorded during Isaac's life cycle. The latest intensity forecast indicates Isaac could become a Category 1 hurricane this afternoon with winds sustained at 80 mph.
[Updated 6:48 a.m. ET Tuesday] Isaac is threatening Louisiana agriculture, including a record corn harvest, according to the LSU AgCenter.
One third of that crop is still in the fields, said LSU AgCenter feed grain and cotton specialist John Kruse, because drought conditions have brought down Mississippi River water levels, meaning barges that transport the grain can't be fully loaded.
"Everyone was bringing in more corn than normal, and there was just nowhere to put it," Kruse said in a press release. "So things slowed down dramatically."
Cotton is also under threat, Kruse said in the release, with much of the crop two weeks to a month away from picking.
"This storm could really tear up our cotton crop," Kruse said.
Losses are also expected in the state's soybean and sugarcane crops, the center said.
[Updated 6:30 a.m. ET Tuesday] Isaac has closed at least six casinos in Louisiana, CNN affiliate WDSU reports.
[Updated 6:22 a.m. ET Tuesday] Tropical Storm Isaac is curtailing oil production along the Gulf of Mexico and threatening refineries, which could send gasoline prices up another 10 cents in the coming week, CNNMoney reports.
[Updated 6:15 a.m. ET Tuesday] Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is closed Tuesday with no flights scheduled.
The airport said on its website it will not be open as an evacuation shelter and only passengers with tickets will be allowed to use parking garages on Tuesday.
A state-by-state look at storm preparations
[Updated 5 a.m. ET Tuesday] Isaac is still a tropical storm and is 125 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River, moving northwest at 12 mph.
[Updated 4:35 a.m. ET Tuesday] The top sustained winds early Tuesday morning are 70 mph. The storm is expected to become a hurricane today.
