12:30p:

Issac is now a category 1 hurricane.  One tornado warning issued for Orleans Parish though these are not your typical tornadoes.  Most twisters that people think of are like those monsters that hit Tuscaloosa but these are apparently very small, thin ones that drop down and are down on the ground for a few seconds at the most.  Interesting. 

The storm is slow moving, and the threat of flooding is increasing.  Right now, they are predicting upto 20 inches of rain in the next 24 to 36 hour range.  

Best TV this morning was the complaining done by a council member of a Jefferson Parish (I think) about the quality of work done by a contractor on some of the barriers for flooding in the Parish.  The news anchors did their best to get him to talk about preparations being done but he just rambled on for a solid 3 minutes or so about how poor the workmanship is and, really, I can't blame him (especially is half of what he said was true).

Noticed a few fly-bys of Blackhawk helicopters around the Mississippi River.  Heard a lot of police or emergency sierns earlier but it's been quiet for about an hour now.  When I was in CVS this morning, there was an officer in there buying two cases of water.  Looks like he, along with others, are in here for the long haul.

Per my hotel, the back up generator will last 30 minutes.  After that, who knows what is next.

Learned about the "stadium effect" which means that as the sun rises in the East, the shadow of the taller eye wall clouds cast shadows like into the eye, similar to a stadium.  A nice little factoid to store for Trivial Pursuit.

Going to post photos of the great surge barrier in Lake Bornge that protects eastern New Orleans from a storm surge.  This thing is almost a mile in length, is 26 feet high and this is it's first real test.  The closing of the this barrier is a big deal.  Also I'll post pics of pumping stations here in New Orleans since I'm sure a lot of people will be talking about those soon. 

I'll be back with more updates soon.