Hurricane Isaac 2012 Worse Than Hurricane Katrina Or Irene? Details, Damage Expected
Hurricane Isaac is likely to bring strong winds and substantial amounts of flooding to the U.S. Gulf Coast when it reaches the pinnacle of its strength, and now residents are asking if Isaac will be just as bad as Hurricane Katrina that swept over the U.S. in 2005.
However, though national weather forecasters are setting hurricane warnings in areas of the U.S., disaster experts are confident that losses caused by Isaac will be a fraction of what they were when Katrina hit, Reuters reported.
"Some coastal areas could see up to 13 feet of storm surge from Isaac...heavy rains are likely too," they noted. "[But] if anything, Isaac may draw closer parallels to last year's Hurricane Irene, which ended up primarily causing economic losses from inland flooding throughout the northeastern and New England states.
Isaac is calculated to be smaller than Katrina, which reportedly affected nearly 93,000 square miles across 138 counties, according to Fox News. The strong surges demolished homes and businesses and the site also noted that approximately 80 percent of New Orleans was flooded. Costs of damage by Katrina were an estimated total of $96 billion.
Hurricane Irene also cause great havoc, killing at least 67 people and costing $15.8 billion in damages in 2011.
Isaac reached hurricane levels on Tuesday, Aug. 28, no longer giving it the title as a tropical storm. CBS News stated that Isaac could easily flood the coasts of four U.S. states with heavy rains approaching New Orleans, who will have to face another terrible hurricane hitting them after Katrina's damage that many are still recovering from.
Isaac can stretch out 200 miles from its center, forecasters warned.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami also upgraded Hurricane Isaac to a Category 1 on Tuesday for its 75 mph wind speeds and flight levels winds at 110 mph, CBS reported.