NEW ORLEANS — Over 650,000 people in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama are without power as Hurricane Isaac rolled ashore over southeastern Louisiana overnight, sending water over levees and leaving officials concerned about deep flooding.
The storm – now dumping inches of rain across the Gulf Coast – has nearly stalled, and forecasters say that it could take up to 12 hours for Isaac to travel the 70 miles from New Orleans to Baton Rouge.
Related: Isaac Update from FOX 4 Meteorologist Joe Lauria
According to CNN, officials in Plaquemines Parish in Louisiana say that there are reports of people stranded on their roofs as the storm surge left their houses sitting in up to 14 feet of water.
As of 10:00 a.m., Isaac’s sustained winds were measured at 75 miles per hour, with some higher gusts. According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, the storm’s center was near Houma, Louisiana – about 45 miles south-southwest of New Orleans.
Because of Isaac’s slow speed – only six miles per hour – the hurricane could bring storm surges and flooding through Wednesday night.