FLORIDIANS ARE BEING warned to prepare themselves for Hurricane Isaac, which is expected to reach the Florida Keys later today.
The tropical storm made landfall in Haiti earlier, killing four people, before lashing Cuba with its heavy winds and rain.
According to the US National Hurricane Center, the storm will be at or near hurricane strength as it approaches the Keys.
The National Hurricane Center has released the following graphic of the storm’s projected path. However, the weather service says that the graphic shows the probable path of the storm’s centre, and does not accurately portray the size of the storm.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says it is closely monitoring the storm’s progress towards the US coast and advises people in its projected path to prepare in advance by getting an emergency kit together and identifying potential hazards in the area, such as levees or dams.
The American Red Cross says that it has seen reports of sudden power cuts in parts of the state already and has compiled an advice sheet with tips about how to handle an outage.
Schools in the south of the state have announced they will be closed tomorrow due to the storm – to the delight of some:
The storm warning led to the Republican Party calling off the first day of their National Convention, which is being held in Tampa, Florida and was due to begin tomorrow.
YouTube: AssociatedPress
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