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Obama to Gulf Coast residents: Heed officials on Isaac
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a Republican, said the declaration fell short of the help he was requesting. Jindal wants the federal government to pay for all emergency protective measures.
Obama has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts with state and local officials along the Gulf Coast. FEMA has placed incident-response teams at emergency operations centers in Gulf states and has moved two support teams near areas where the storm could hit. More teams also are ready to be deployed if necessary, the White House said.
FEMA has distribution centers in Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth area, and in coordination with the Defense Department, has pre-positioned supplies in Jacksonville, Florida and Montgomery, Alabama, closer to areas where the storm could hit.
Forecasters predict Isaac will intensify into a Category 2 hurricane with winds of about 160 kpm (100 mph) by early Wednesday, with a projected path directly toward New Orleans. Isaac could become the first hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast since 2008.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press
