• Communities flooded by Isaac start to clean up

    Gerald Herbert / AP

    Utility poles are heavily damaged in the aftermath of Isaac as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's motorcade passes through Grad Isle, La., Friday, Aug. 31. Isaac is now a tropical depression, with the center on track to cross Arkansas on Friday and southern Missouri on Friday night, spreading rain through the regions.

    David J. Phillip / AP

    This aerial photo shows boats washed up on a road in Yscloskey, La., Friday, Aug. 31.

    NBC News staff and wire reports: Hundreds of thousands of people in Louisiana on Friday suffered in humid heat due to power outages caused by Isaac, while tornado alerts were issued for five other states as the system moved slowly into the central U.S.

    By Friday afternoon, two tornadoes were reported in southwest Illinois, with minimal damage. Watches were also issued for parts of Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee. Read more

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    Slideshow: Isaac's soggy aftermath

    Eric Gay / AP

    Communities damaged and flooded by Isaac get food aid and a visit from a presidential nominee as they start to mop up

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  • Aerial photos reveal flood damage from Hurricane Isaac

    Gerald Herbert / AP

    Interstate 10 lies partially submerged by floodwaters in LaPlace, La., Aug. 30, 2012.

    Gerald Herbert / AP

    Dislodged homes and debris appear on the levee in the community of Braithwaite, La., along the Mississippi River, at left, after Hurricane Isaac, Aug. 30.

    Slideshow: Isaac moves inland

    A downgraded Isaac floods coastal communities and forces new evacuations, but levees still hold.

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  • Hurricane Isaac nears landfall

    Chris Graythen / Getty Images

    Matthew Pettus holds a sheet open in the wind on the levee near Lake Pontchatrain as Hurricane Isaac approaches in New Orleans, Aug. 28, 2012.

    Miguel Llanos, NBC News  — Hurricane Isaac continued building strength on Tuesday, closing in on New Orleans and the entire Louisiana coast as a slow-moving giant expected to make landfall shortly and then dump up to 20 inches of rain in some spots over two days. Even before landfall, some flooded roads and power outages were reported in Louisiana and Mississippi. Full story…

    Chris Graythen / Getty Images

    A group of men await Hurricane Isaac in New Orleans, Aug. 28.

    Jonathan Bachman / Reuters

    Joshua Keegan, 10, left, and Ruffin Henry, 10, play with Scout in a flooded area outside of the levee system along the shores of Lake Pontchartrain as Hurricane Isaac approaches New Orleans, Aug. 28.

    Dan Anderson / EPA

    Andrew Sessoms sit on a park bench at a flooded beach as Hurricane Isaac approaches the Gulf Coast in Waveland, Miss., Aug. 28.

    Slideshow: Isaac tracks through the Gulf of Mexico

    Hurricane Isaac drenches multiple countries as it moves toward Louisiana.

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  • Louisiana prepares as Isaac nears landfall

    Sean Gardner / Reuters

    HESCO employees work at closing off Highway 23 South as Tropical Storm Isaac heads towards the Louisiana coast line in Oakville, Louisiana, Aug. 28. Tropical Storm Isaac was near hurricane force as it bore down on the U.S. Gulf Coast on Tuesday and was expected to make landfall in the New Orleans area seven years after it was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

    David J. Phillip / AP

    Gus Williams, left, feeds his step-granddaughter Somaya Washington, right, as her mother, Areonisha Washington, center, watches after evacuating to a shelter in Houma, La., Tuesday, on May 28. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center warned that Isaac, especially if it strikes at high tide, could cause storm surges of up to 12 feet (3.6 meters) along the coasts of southeast Louisiana and Mississippi and up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) as far away as the Florida Panhandle.

    Chris Graythen / Getty Images

    Bourbon street remains virtually empty ahead of Tropical Storm Isaac on August 27, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tropical Storm Isaac is expected to strengthen into at least a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall near Louisiana.

    Jonathan Bachman / Reuters

    New Orleans resident Diana Whipple stands on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain as Tropical Storm Isaac approaches New Orleans, Louisiana, Aug. 28. Tropical Storm Isaac was near hurricane force as it bore down on the U.S. Gulf Coast on Tuesday and was expected to make landfall in the New Orleans area seven years after it was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

    Slideshow: Isaac tracks through the Gulf of Mexico

    Alan Diaz / AP

    Tropical Storm Isaac drenches multiple countries as it moves toward Louisiana.

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    By Miguel Llanos, NBC News - A slow-moving giant of a system, Tropical Storm Isaac early Tuesday was making its way toward landfall, most likely as a Category 1 hurricane, along the Louisiana or Mississippi coast Tuesday night or early Wednesday.

    President Barack Obama added his voice to those of local officials urging residents to hunker down or evacuate if told to do so. "Now's not the time to tempt fate," he said in brief comments. "Listen to your local officials and follow their directions, including if they tell you to evacuate."

    Isaac has 70 mph sustained winds, four miles below hurricane strength. "The wind hasn't quite gotten there yet," National Hurricane Center Director Rick Knabb said of its strength. Click here to continue reading this story.