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Some 18 miles of levees have been overrun as a slow-moving Hurricane Isaac made landfall a second time in Louisiana, sending up to 12 feet of water through homes in Plaquemines Parish, which is located about 95 miles from New Orleans, reports NBC. Local officials are working to rescue people stranded atop a levee, and urging residents to move to higher ground. Isaac made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane last night before heading back out over the Gulf of Mexico and then making landfall again. "Think about a spinning top that's dropped onto a tabletop, moving forward for a while, but then jumping to the right, and you have an idea of what has happened to Isaac," explains the Times-Picayune. The 200-mile-wide storm system is moving so slowly that it could dump up to 20 inches of rain in some areas, causing major flooding in Louisiana and Mississippi, reports USA Today.
Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from low-lying areas in Louisiana and Mississippi but the mood is calm in New Orleans, which was hit by Hurricane Katrina seven years ago today, reports the AP. "We don't expect a Katrina-like event, but there are things about a Category 1 storm that can kill you," says Mayor Mitch Landrieu, warning residents to stay away from streets that might flood. "We're going to see heavy rain and serious winds," says Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. "The biggest challenge is going to be the rain and making sure the pumps work." Jindal has criticized the federal government for not making enough storm aid immediately available.
