Hurricane Isaac Path: Despite Developing Storms, Republicans 'Look Forward' To Convention
Hurricane Isaac is approaching the U.S. mainland and appears likely to strike at Florida during the Republican Nation Convention in Tampa on Monday, Aug. 27. However, despite the developing tropical storm that will turn into Hurricane Isaac, convention CEO William Harris said officials are monitoring the weather but convention leaders will continue to plan as normal.
"We continue to move forward with our planning and look forward to a successful convention," Harris said in a statement.
Florida governor Rick Scott also confirmed that RNC officials, after consulting with government authorities, have no intentions of cancelling the convention. Although some meteorologists are suggesting a severe attack on the city, the mayor of Tampa also believes the RNC should proceed as planned.
"Come on down," Bob Buckhorn said. "The event is going to take place, it's going to be a great event and we're looking forward to having you."
Mayor Buckhorn insisted that Floridians should not "lose a lot of sleep" over possible storms since they are used to that kind of weather. He claimed that the city is thoroughly prepared with safety plans for residents of Tampa as well as those coming for the convention.
"We've got plans in place that we practice all year round. We've got plans on top of plans. The only thing the RNC does is add about 50,000 more people to the equation," Buckhorn stated.
RNC spokesman James Davis also assured everyone that Hurricane Isaac is being evaluated and everyone's safety will be protected.
"We will release information as we get it. Right now we are looking forward to having a great convention," Davis said. "We are confident we will be able to get the business done of our convention which is to nominate Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan."
If Tampa experiences the best case scenario in the Hurricane Isaac path predictions, the convention would not have to be cancelled, Max Golembo, a meteorologist for ABC, said. In the most favorable case, Tampa would endure 30 mph winds and approximately 1 inch of rainfall.
"Pack an umbrella at least and maybe a poncho and galoshes, but don't quite break out the boats and don't start building the arc," Golembo said.
Renewed forecast path predictor models from the National Hurricane Center revealed that Hurricane Isaac 2012 is likely to hit Florida on Monday, then go over the land in 24 hours before reaching west of Florida and striking Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. Other possibilities include the storm only threatening Florida from near water on the west side and also menacing the neighboring states in the Gulf Coast region later on Tuesday and into Wednesday.
"Current projections bring Isaac, now a strengthening tropical storm, to Florida's neighborhood during the first part of next week," said Alex Sosnowski, a meteorologist on AccuWeather. The tropical storm is expected to strike as a category 1 or category 2 hurricane.
