LouisianaSearch-and-rescue operations resumed in heavily flooded areas around New Orleans yesterday, but relieved residents and authorities said Hurricane Issac's destruction was nothing like that seen after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Isaac, a slow-moving category 1 hurricane when it hit the region on Tuesday, was expected to weaken into a tropical depression yesterday.
However, it left a soggy mess across a widespread area along the Gulf of Mexico coast and could still bring heavy rain and floods as it moves over the central United States – where rain is badly needed – in the next few days.
More than a million residents of Louisiana and Mississippi were without power due to Isaac on yesterday morning, according to the US department of energy.
Most energy facilities, including key coastal refineries, seemed to escape any Isaac-related damage, while defences built to protect New Orleans itself passed their first major test, according to the US army corps of engineers.