Obama, in a speech to his fellow American citizens on the effects of Hurricane Isaac, raised a cry of alarm: “Listen to the authorities. If they tell you to evacuate, evacuate”.
US President Barack Obama, as Isaac became a 1-strength hurricane and is approaching the southern coast late today, announced that the United States of America "is about to face a big storm".
The president addressed above all the citizens of risk areas: “This is not the time to tempt fate, this is not the time to ignore the warnings of the authorities. You have to take this seriously."
In the hours preceding President Obama's speech, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu ruled out an immediate mandatory evacuation order. As stated in the online US press, the mayor of New Orleans will only evacuate if Isaac becomes level 3. “There is a point beyond which a mandatory evacuation is no longer possible and we have reached this point. We do not expect a similar event to Katrina, with the levees breaking,” Landrieu said.
For now, only the areas not protected by the banks, at risk of flooding, have been evacuated.
A state of emergency was declared in Alabama and Mississippi, evacuating major cities.
In Louisiana it was Barack Obama himself who declared a state of emergency.
