Tropical Storm Isaac Expected to become Huricane as it Bears Down on Florida and the Gulf Coast

US National Hurricane Center Issues Hurricane Warnings From Louisiana to Florida Panhandle.

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Tropical Storm ISAAC Public Advisory

Tropical Storm Isaac about to become a hurricane as it crosses the Florida Keys and enters the Gulf of Mexico. As reported at ABC News, Isaac is expected to make landfall somewhere along the Gulf Coast by Tuesday or Wednesday, on the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. However, Isaac does not appear to be as powerful as the devastating Katrina that reeked havoc on New Orleans, Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. Isaac has made the planner of the Republican National Convention cancel the first day of the event on Monday.

Tropical Storm Isaac barely stirred some Florida Keys residents from their fabled nonchalance Sunday, while the Gulf Coast braced for the possibility that the sprawling storm will strengthen into a dangerous hurricane by the time it makes landfall there.

Isaac was expected to cross the Keys by late afternoon, then turn northwest and strike as a Category 2 hurricane somewhere between the New Orleans area to the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday, the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

The storm was predicted to pass west of Tampa, the site of the Republican National Convention, but it had already disrupted the schedule there because of the likelihood of heavy rain and strong winds.

Even before reaching hurricane strength, Isaac caused considerable inconvenience, with hundreds of flights canceled at airports in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. There were scattered power outages from Key West to Fort Lauderdale affecting more than 6,000 customers, and flooding occurred in low-lying areas.

Florida Governor Scott Brown says that Florida is preparing for Isaac. The Florida Keys are going to be hot with tropical force wind and rain. Brown stated that he has canceled his plans to attend the Republican National Convention on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to deal with issues for the state of Florida and the potential for Isaac to turn into a hurricane.

20 Year Old NJ Woman Missing, Confirmed Dead as Car Swept Away in Flood Waters from Hurricane Irene

A 20 year old Salem County, NJ woman was first considered missing and now is confirmed dead as her vehicle was swept away by flood waters from Hurricane Irene. Sadly, authorities would later find the Salem County woman in her vehicle dead. She is considered the first confirmed casualty of Hurricane Irene in New Jersey. The woman’s name has yet to be released.

A Salem County woman called 911 at around 1:40 a.m., saying her car was filling up with the water, State Police Superintendent Rick Fuentes said.

A State Police SWAT team later found the woman dead in her car at 9:30 a.m. at 849 Route 40 in Pislesgrove, Salem County, State Police Spokesman Brian Polite said.

The winds of Hurricane Irene may not have been the story of this storm, it most likely will be the heavy, continuous rains that have caused flooding and erosion of damns and sea walls. As per ABC News 6, heavy rains caused three nearby lakes to overflow. The dams that separated each lake broke during the storm, forcing large amounts of water onto Route 40 near Kings Highway.

N.J. storm update: One dead, thousands without power.

A Brief Streaker Interruption from the Weather Channels Coverage of Hurricane Irene

Oh the dangers of live TV. It wasn’t just North Carolina citizens that were blown away by Hurricane Irene, but weather Channel execs after this little streaking incident during Live coverage.

Hat Tip: Gateway Pundit (content warning)

And they thought all they had to worry about was an embarrassing moment like Geralda Rivera getting knocked over by a wave during hurricane coverage in Galveston, TX.

Brian in a Blue State

Obama Leaves Martha’s Vineyard on Separate Plane from Michelle … “don’t let the hatch door of Air Force One hit you on the way out of Massa-tu-setts”

President Herbert Hoover, oops Barack Obama leaves Martha’s Vineyard the same way he arrived, on separate planes from his wife and family. As Howie Carr of the Boston Herald says, “Hey, it’s only money, our [the people's] money.”Although Howie said it with a much thickah Boston accent.

And so farewell, Barack Obama, don’t let the hatch door of Air Force One hit you on the way out of Massa-tu-setts, as you pronounce it.

The first family came in separate planes, and they’re leaving, ditto. Hey, it’s only money, our money.

Even before Irene, this wasn’t much of a presidential vacation compared to the earlier ones. An Obama vacation on the Vineyard has been downgraded from Cat 3 to tropical storm. It’s hard to get excited about the arrival, yet again, of the second coming of Herbert Hoover.

Of course Obama had to leave the golf course and Martha’s Vineyard early. Not even Obama has the audacity to stay in the lap of luxury while Americans are getting pounded by Hurricane Irene and eight people were confirmed dead. Sadly, the death toll is now at 9. Let alone the hurricane was coming that way which meant his golf game would have been interrupted. The President left the friendly confines of “Life styles of the Rich & Famous  to try and act presidential.  However, it seems like more of a shameless photo-op. Maybe Barack can use Irene in his next economy speech and blame this hurricane as well for the bad economy.Just like his economic mouth piece did when Austan Goolsbee blamed the bad US economy (VIDEO) on earthquakes, tsunami’s and hurricanes, oh my. You really can’t make this crap up.

Thursday night, Austan Goolsbee was on Fox trying to blame the cratered economy on the “earthquakes out of Washington, D.C. I mean, we’ve had a series of things that have put some heavy blows and slowed the economy back down.”

I’m not making this up. The “earthquake” is causing the double dip.

Now that Obama is back in charge and not on vacation, America don’t you feel better? Who can wait for his jobs and economic speech he is supposed to give in September? I know I am on pins and needles, NOT!

Hurricane Irene Continues on her Path of Destruction, 6 Confirmed Dead, Heads Toward DE, NJ & NY (Update: 25 Confirmed Dead)

Although Hurricane Irene is not a cat 2, 3 or 4, that does not mean that people do not need to heed warnings of officials and stay safe. So far there have been four confirmed deaths at the hand of Irene, three dead in North Carolina and one in Virgina. Sadly, an 11 year old boy in Newport News, VA was killed when a tree fell on his home in an apartment complex. [Update, six confirmed dead].

Three people were confirmed dead in North Carolina: one who died in a vehicle crash in Pitt County, a man who died after a branch fell on him in Nash County, and a man who died of a heart attack Thursday in Onslow County as he was trying to board up his home.

Another man as missing after after he either jumped or fell into the Cape Fear River in New Hanover, authorities told NBC station WECT-TV of Wilmington.

In Newport News, Va., high winds Saturday afternoon knocked a tree into an apartment complex, killing an 11-year-old boy. Neighbors said a woman came out of the home screaming, “Where’s my baby?!”

As Hurricane Irene heads toward New jersey and New York, NYC closes down the transit system.  The only bright side of this is that the hurricane hit on the weekend.

New York City transit began closing at noon Saturday, its first shutdown brought on by natural disaster.

Many bridges and streets were nearly empty across the city, where warnings about approaching Hurricane Irene resonated as the city’s major utility weighed whether to cut power to parts of lower Manhattan.

You can track the storm at WECT.

UPDATE I: There seem to be some differing stories as to the number of deceased at the hands of Hurricane Irene.  The LA Times says that 10 are dead; however, Virginia’s Pilot On Line is reporting 14 deaths in 5 states.

UPDATE II: Just a rebuttal to the LEFT-WINGERS at Think Progress and their, Right Wing Tries New Tactic To Soften Bush’s Katrina Debacle: Say Obama’s Leadership On Irene Is Just For Show.  Hardly, this has nothing to do with GWB’s handling Katrina, it has to do with an out of touch President in Obama acting like he could not be bothered. We already have seen how lame Obama is in handling disasters with what he did with the Gulf Oil spill. Even uber-Dem James Carville railed on Obama for his handling of the spill.

UPDATE III: There are now 25 confirmed deaths from Hurricane Irene.

Please stay safe, Brian in a Blue State