Washington: US President Barack Obama has declared a state of emergency in Louisiana as that state and others along the Gulf Coast prepared for Tropical Storm Isaac.
The White House said on Monday Obama informed Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal of the emergency declaration in a phone call. The declaration makes federal support available to save lives, protect public health and safety and preserve property in coastal areas.
Obama has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts with state and local officials along the Gulf Coast. FEMA has placed incident-response teams at emergency operations centers in Gulf states and has moved two support teams near areas where the storm could hit. More teams also are ready to be deployed if necessary, the White House said.
FEMA has distribution centers in Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth area, and in coordination with the Defense Department, has pre-positioned supplies in Jacksonville, Fla. and Montgomery, Ala., closer to areas where the storm could hit.
Forecasters predict Isaac will intensify into a Category 2 hurricane with winds of about 100 mph by early Wednesday, with a projected path directly toward New Orleans. Isaac could become the first hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast since 2008.
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