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Isaac Takes Aim At New Orleans

A man walks on the beach in Key West, Fla. as heavy winds hit the northern coast from Tropical Storm Isaac. (AP)
A man walks on the beach in Key West, Fla. as heavy winds hit the northern coast from Tropical Storm Isaac. (AP)

Forecasters now say Tropical Storm Isaac is likely to become only a strong Category 1 hurricane as it travels across the Gulf of Mexico. The storm has already forced cancellations of most of Monday's scheduled events at the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

It is currently on track to make landfall in the New Orleans area on Wednesday, the seventh anniversary of devastating Hurricane Katrina. Tropical force winds could hit the Louisiana coast starting tonight.

Times-Picayune journalist Mark Schleifstein says Isaac is looking like it will be a far less damaging storm than Katrina, which was a Category 3 when it hit New Orleans seven years ago. He says the city's levees, which failed in the aftermath of the storm, can now withstand a Category 2 storm.

Guest:

  • Mark Schleifstein, environment reporter for the New Orleans Times-Picayune

This segment aired on August 27, 2012. The audio for this segment is not available.

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