parish that has brought lots of water and flooding into the parish. now there are rescues underway in plaquemines parish. mr. nungesser thanks for being with us, he's joining us by phone. tell me about these rescues. how many people are you trying to get out of their homes? >> we're not sure how many people are still there. we called for a mandatory evacuation. we do know that three people just rescued a woman off a roof. two other people -- still getting calls of people that didn't heed the warning and get out. we're still trying to get a count of how many people are there. hopefully the sun will come up soon and give us some light. the driving rain, we can't even see 10 feet from the levee at this moment. as soon as the sun comes up, the national guard and coast guard is moving vehicles to saint bernard so we can begin a rescue

as soon as we can to get into that area. >> so are those rescues ongoing right now or are you saying they've been put on hold because the wind is so high and rain is so harsh and it's pitch black, frankly? >> we had a couple of brave citizens that went in with boats and rescued their neighbors. a couple of people with their own boats took it upon theirself to risk their lives and go in and rescue people. we just got a report that three people were rescued, a lady off a roof and two other people were rescued by a local citizen. >> reporter: let's talk a little bit about the overtopping of the levee. you have a levee system outside the federal levee system which means it's outside the part of the levee that was upgraded a lot over the last several years. tell me about the levee that's been overtopped. what exactly happened and how bad is it? >> we were raising them every

year for the last several years with parish money. we know we had a potential storm surge of 9 to 12 feet. we had an 8 foot levee. we knew this was going to be a challenge and this storm was not a category 1. this thing delivered a punch and we saw water come over those levees more than gustav and ike. and it continues to flow. wood lawn is an area on the east bank that has never had water. not even katrina flooded that area. the highest area on the east -- along the mississippi river. there's 5 feet of water at the woodlawn building for this storm. this storm continues to pump water into that area like we've never seen before. >> so you're talking about 5 feet of water there. what's the amount of water that you have the highest that you have in the parish. you are pretty much 90 some odd percent during katrina.

how bad is it? >> we have reports of people on their roofs and attics and 12 to 14 foot of water. now, this storm will kick around and deliver the same type of blow to the west bank. and we're still working with the corps of engineers to see what those estimates are going to be. now that this storm has delivered more of a punch than originally thought. we're analyzing what's going to happen from the west bank when the storm does kick around. the west bank of plaquemines parish. >> my understanding is those west bank levees are a little bit shorter than the east bank, which is like 8 or 9 feet. west bank is at 5 feet, right in the. >> absolutely -- there's not many people that live there. most of them did take the evacuation notice seriously and got out. but we're going to concentrate own rescuing the people and making sure we can get them out of there safely.

>> so let's talk a little bit about the damage that you've seen. i know that you had a chance to stop by your home and it's much more severe than had you expected, right? >> absolutely. with katrina, my wall moved in the back of my house and looked like someone breathing as the wind blew moving in and out. the light sockets and water came through the brick, through the light sockets and if you were standing tlg with a hose. i'm seeing that happen. i have a 4-foot hole in my roof and the water is pouring in through the top of my roof. that's the kind of damage -- i rode out katrina and saw that kind of damage from katrina. we weren't supposed to see that for category one. and it's just widespread and these winds were way more than projected. >> it sounds like plaquemines parish getting hammered. we're going to continue to watch the rescue efforts that are now underway in your parish.

unclear how many folks need to be pulled off of the roofs and their homes. thank you, sir for your time. we'll keep checking in with you throughout the morning. let's get a check on the weather. jennifer delgado has an update. focus specifically on what's happening in plaquemines parish. >> we are going to start off talking a bit more and helping people visualize the levee system across plaquemines parish. we want to point out to you. of course, thgs the east side. as we zoom in more, we want to talk about the area that is threatened by this. again, we're talking about roughly an 18-mile stretch from braithwaite to white ditch. we're hearing reports of flooding, anywhere from 5 to 10 feet as the gentleman just said, it's built up to 8 feet on the west side of course not quite as tall. as we zoom in more, and he mentioned the west bank i think

he said was not as populated but over towards the east, look at this, soledad. you can see the homes there. as we zoom in more, we'll show you where the levee system is and it is not very high but yes, of course roads are being flooded out because there's not much to protect it and the homes are threatened. earlier the gentleman said there was a rescue operation and we're happy to hear that everything turn out fine with that because our weather conditions are bad. the center of circulation for hurricane isaac right now located about 50 miles to the south of new orleans. now, as i show you on the graphic right here, as we track for you, this is what we're expecting as we go through the future. the winds still at 80 miles per hour. we're expecting weakening as it continues to interact with lan it's going to be moving through louisiana through today as well as through tomorrow. that center of circulation. it's not going to make its way into arkansas. it looks like really for the next 24 to 48 hours but the

problem is more heavy rainfall. some of these locatis up to 20 inches. so certainly that's going to be a threat to the levee systems. yes, it's overtopping but sometimes when these some of these older levee systems we call this a back levee, we can get that water coming in on the back side and it erodes it and basically weakens it from the back side of it. they are not as strong as the newer ones that are better secured into the ground or dug deeper down. it allows for more stability with those federally protected built levees. >> reporter: lots of concerns about the levees, thank you for that. we want to remind everybody, it looks like rescues we know one woman has been successfully pulled off of her roof. unclear the status of other people who seem to be trapped in their homes and billy nungesser was unable to tell us how many folks they are worried about may have decided to ignore the warnings and decide to stay. let's get right to richard knabb. the director of the national

hurricane center. we've been talking to him over the last couple of days. tell me where we are in this storm. we just got a big band coming right now, obviously the winds picked up and rain as well. give us a sense of where we are in the hurricane. >> for many people it's not even half over. you're not seeing the center pass by you yet and once it does, you still have the southern half of the circulation to go. and this really slow motion overnight has really pointed out how long a duration this is going to be. it's still only moving at 6 miles per hour. it is the large size and the slow motion that make this category 1 hurricane seem worse than the category would tell you. because the category only reflects the maximum sustained wind and for this one it's 80 miles per hour. but the rainfall, the storm surge and duration of the winds and duration of the rains, all of these things are not captured by the category.

and for many people it's going to be all day today and into tonight and into tomorrow that the rains and the onshore flow causing the storm surge are goin to persist. >> billy nungesser, seemed to think that the category 1 was off. he said i don't believe it. it felt higher than category 1, the winds he's getting in plaquemines parish. could he be rig about that? >> the category 1 range has to do the maximum sustained wind. in local areas you can get gusts higher. but people often are surprised at how potent even just category 1 force winds are. if it was a category 2 it would be even worse, no doubt about it. hurricane warning that we put up a couple of days ago had to do with the fact that we are anticipating winds this strong somewhere in that area. whoever gets the worst of it will really get some very, very

strong winds and we haven't seen any measurements from the aircraft or surface observations suggest it's stronger but category 1 is a potent hurricane in and of itself. >> it looks like -- this moment as if plaquemines parish is getting the worst of it. we appreciate your times as always. let's get right to rob marciano. he's right by the levees at the port of new orleans. you heard billy nungesser talk about the issues they are having right now. how does it look where you are? >> reporter: we're okay. we're by the mississippi river. there's no threat of this overtopping but that illustrates really the difference between katrina and this storm and how if you've ridden out one storm, be it category 2, 3, 4, whatever, that doesn't mean you can ride out another storm because it's a lesser category. the angle of approach means everything. for plaquemines parish, this came to their south as it did

with new orleans and that parts southeast louisiana in a more precarious situation in some cases than it did with higher categoryized storm. we're going to back off of the protected area here, trying to keep our equipment dry. the rain outside of this is coming down sheets and side ways. behind me is where the mississippi river is. and the drought from this spring has it running fairly low. and with the wind blowing against the current, that's backing up the river a little bit. we've seen the river rise a good 5 feet since yesterday morning. if you can hear it, there are -- the clap of sheet metal and canvas and at times glass breaking down wind of me. that's important. upwind of me across this river, you can actually smell smoke. there's a restaurant fire, must be electrical or something, across the river, which for most part is dark. the crescent city connection, that's dark.

that went dark last night. so power outages and power flashes continue to happen here as this wind continues to batter the greater new orleans area as does the rain. the center of this storm as dr. knabb pointed out, is about 50 miles just due south of new orleans. and the hurricane force winds extend 50 miles to the east. we're right on the cusp of hurricane-force winds. not seeing them sustained but we're seeing them gusting at times. that's why you're seeing the damage around the town -- around town. you're seeing the trees and power lines down around new orleans. it looks much, much worse this morning in the crescent city than it did late last night for sure. and it's going to be several hours. much of the day today, we're going to see these kind of conditions. soledad? >> yeah, i believe it. we're getting a lot of that wind and rain right now. a moment ago it was much calmer and certainly those gusting

winds are picking up where we are. i want to get to david mattingly in gulfport, mississippi, standing by following the isaac's progress there. david, how does it look where you are? >> right now we're getting a strong band of rain coming through here. they just revised the forecast for the rain totals here. we were looking for a foot of rain along places along pt mississippi coast. because the storm is moving so slowly, they've upgraded that now up to fopossibly as much as8 inches in some areas. everyone bracing to see how much damage they are going to have from the water the storm is dumping on the mississippi coast. look at this. we're 100 miles away from the center of the storm and this is the kind of damage, this is the kind of energy that it storm is throwing at the coast of mississippi right now. we haven't even begun to see any significant storm surge. later in the morning, about midway through the morning is when we normally would see high

tide. that's when we're going to get a good idea of when storm surge this storm is really packing here on the mississippi coast. there are some estimates we could see up to 10 feet in some areas. already we're getting reports of flooding and all of the low-lying areas that they amandatory evacuation orders in place. officials were encouraged when they saw a couple thousand people taking shelter in the shelters available in the state of mississippi. right now everyone is watching the water, watching it fall and watching it rise and watching to see where it might be going. soledad? >> yeah, i would say the same thing here. certainly in plaquemines parish, which we are watching there. david mattingly, thank you for the update. plaquemines parish is what we're focused on. a levee overtooped on the east side, 8 or 9 feet high. we'll check in with the parish president again and update you on the rescue efforts as some people are trapped in their homes.

we'll tell you what the progress is there. it's dark and windy and driving rain really challenging for any kind of rescue efforts. also, our other top story is the rnc. we'll tell you what's happening there. rudy giuliani will be a guest on "starting point." our special coverage of hurricane isaac begins after short break. stay with us.

good morning, you're watching our special coverage of hurricane isaac. this is "starting point." i'm soledad o'brien. we're being hit by the high winds and driving rain, watching

what's happening in plaquemines parish today. a rescue effort underway. unclear how many people did not heed the warnings to evacuate and mandatory evacuation order and now people are being plucked off roofs and a levee has been overtopped. the rnc is taking place in tampa, florida. that's where john berman is this morning. >> i'm at the cnn grill, live in tampa. just a short walk from the stage where last night new jersey governor chris christie deliver the key note address for this convention and i'm joined this morning by his tri-state neighbor, the former mayor of new york city, rudely giuliani, no stranger to big speeches himself. grade your tri-state neighbor? >> a plus, he did a great job and he gave what i would call a philosophical speech.

he contrasted the democratic philosophy that's been in my view ruining the economy for the last four years. with the republican philosophy, can-do spirit, entrepreneurial spir spirit. >> there has been criticism overnight in that it took 16 minutes for him to mention the name mitt romney. >> i think his role here was not so much to support just mitt romney, his role as to key note speaker and that can change. his role as to key note speaker was to set the background for what this campaign is going to be about. a contrast of ideas and ways of looking at government. >> he had an interesting moment i would like to play right now. deciding what is the most important issue in this election. they used the words respect and love. let's listen. >> we are demanding that our leaders stop tearing each other down and work together to take action on the big things facing america.

tonight we are going to do what my mother taught me. tonight we're going to choose respect over love. >> what do you think he meant by that? >> i'll tell you, very interesting, his mother taught him that. my father taught me that. much more important to be respected than loved. sometimes you have to make very tough decisions that people may not like. let's say with your children or in business, you have to make difficult decisions that will save a business, even though it might mean you've got to cut out some part of it. that's what's lacking in government today. they can't make the tough decisions about social security and medicare and medicaid. i was in front of a group of college students two months ago and said to them, how many of you think you're ever going to collect social security and medicare? four put up their hands, four out of 1,000. this is ridiculous. we know it's going broke but neither the president nor congress can get it together to fix it. which is what paul ryan is

challenging us to do and the democrats are trying to say, he's going to throw granny off the cliff. actual granny is going to be thrown off the cliff if he doesn't do anything about medicare, the point he was trying to make. >> he didn't talk much about medicare last night. >> that was the philosophical background for what they are trying to say. >> what's there a mixed message. ann romney who spoke before chris christie talked a lot about love and their marriage. i want to play something she said about their marriage. >> i read somewhere that mitt and i have a storybook marriage. well, let me tell you something, in the storybooks i read, there never were long, long rainy winter afternoons and house with five boys screaming at once. and those story books never seemed to have a chapters called ms or breast cancer. a storybook marriage, nope, not at all. what mitt romney and i have is a

real marriage. >> that's love she's talking about. >> absolutely. she's talking about love between a man and woman and husband and wife. what the governor was talking about was how a public figure should conduct himself. does he want to become just a product of the public opinion polls and if it's popular, i'm for it. if it isn't popular, i'm against it. i give this talk all the time on leadership and ronald reagan was my hero. and ronald reagan stood for positions that were unpopular but fighting communism and kitikit cutting the size of government. and it turned out his positions were correct. >> i will say having been in the hall last night there were a lot of people who loved ronald reagan. >> no question about it. i'm on the board of the reagan library, i have three different busts of ronald reagan in my office. he was by far and without any doubt the most consequential

president. >> not a controversial stand i think here in tampa this morning. rudy giuliani thanks for with being with us. paul ryan will address the delegates and there's a lot of celebration and piers morgan wraps up the convention here from the cnn grill. its all here on cnn. stay with us and now we want to go back to soledad in the middle of the storm in new orleans. >> john, we're going to continue our coverage as well of hurricane isaac as we monitor what's happening in louisiana and also in mississippi. we have reporters up and down the coast. we can update you on the slow progress of this hurricane. as we pointed out. the winds are strong and the rain has been driving, almost hurts when it hits you in the face. we'll check back in with the folks in plaquemines parish. there are rescue efforts under way. talking with the parish president a few moments ago about what's happened there as

the levee on the east side has been overtopped and bringing lots of water into his parish. that and much more straight ahead as "starting point" continues. stay with us. you see us, at the start of the day. on the company phone list that's a few names longer. you see us bank on busier highways. on once empty fields. everyday you see all the ways all of us at us bank are helping grow our economy. lending more so companies and communities can expand, grow stronger and get back to work. everyday you see all of us serving you, around the country, around the corner. us bank. exclusive to the military, and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military

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welcome back, you're watching cnn's special coverage of hurricane isaac. we're coming to you live from jackson square in the heart of the new orleans french quarter, the touristy section, driving rain and high winds been picking up. the big problem will be the standing water. last night it was a couple of inches and now it's become a problem. the other part of the problem is this, debris like this coming off the trees so we're trying to watch what's over our heads. we've got to update you in

plaquemines parish we have rescues under way and in gulfport mississippi, we have a reporter there who will tell us what's happening as the high winds and rain come comes pouring in there and check in with the national weather center and weather reporters will figure everybody in what's happening with hurricane isaac. we'll take a short break and see you back in a few minutes. you're watching "starting point." for human resource management and its members know... how to harness that power, because we help develop it. from the next economy, to the next generation, we help get... the most out of business, by getting the best out of people. shrm. leading people, leading organizations. in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history.

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♪ vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. good morning, welcome back, you're watching a special edition of "starting point." hurricane isaac is hitting new orleans where i'm standing in jackson square, standing water is what everybody is watching today. entergy says there are 400,000 plus customers without power. no surprise when you consider the driving wind and rain we've been experiencing over the last couple of hours in new orleans.

grand isle, they were getting smacked earlier than we were in new orleans. and that's where ed laugh vvand is. tell me how things are where you are. can you hear me? >> reporter: i can hear you. actually, if you can imagine this, conditions this morning are much worse than what you saw, what we were dealing with yesterday. the winds have shifted instead of coming out of the north, they are coming out of the south. we are on the right edge of the eye of this hurricane, which is the more intense side and we're feeling that. let me show you some things that we are dealing with and most concerned about in the location where we're at. we're in the home of de deanblanchard. we're in the second story of his house. we're on top of the garage here but where that water line is, yesterday when -- last night when we went to bed to catch a few hours of rest, there was a brick lying down there. the water in the last few hours

has gone up about a foot and a half, maybe even 2 feet. so there's water coming inside the house where we're at now. about 6 inches on that ground floor. so that's a situation that is -- to say the least. now that the sound is coming up, we're getting a sense of how widespread the storm surge is. if you look back out over here, the roads -- you can't drive the roads at this point. incredibly dangerous. there's a great deal of water and we're on -- as i mentioned on the right edge of the eye of the storm. soledad. the winds are very intense. this is just as bad as it was if not what we saw last night. and i've been trying to get in touch with the mayor but we haven't been able to get any word from any kind of update as to any kind of damage. the good news, there are only 30 people left on the island and most were emergency personnel. soledad? >> please stay safe. i know you've been hunkered down

with the family there. hopes for all of the people that stayed there. i'm dismayed to hear it was getting worse from the bad it was yesterday afternoon. wwl, one of our affiliates, we talked about the rescue, plaquemines parish is where he was in his home, he decided to ignore the mandatory evacuation order and they are having serious problems with a levee overtopped and lots of water in the parish. let's listen to what he told wwl, our affiliate, a little while ago. >> right now in my attic with my wife and my year and a half old baby. the local police came around about 2:00 in the morning and told us the levee broke. and within an hour water was coming up. barely got my vehicle to the levee. the river levee is dry, but the water came up so quick it looks

like we lost everything. if i have to, i'm going to have to shoot a hole in the attic to get out on the roof. >> that's a dramatic story. -- major problem there where a levee -- >> that was soledad o'brien. >> something like they were thinking has been overtopped and that's what we're watching in plaquemines parish clearly. we want to check in with jackie grosh, we spoke to her a little while ago before the storm struck. she told me she was going to hunker down in her home in saint bernard parish. i think we have her by phone. are you there? >> yes, i am. >> jackie, this is zoraida sambolin in new york. i'm going to pick up for soledad here. we're having difficulties

because of the storm. so soledad said you decided to hunker down. how is it going for you? >> well, it's been kind of bad throughout the night. really high winds and the rain has been pushing in i guess water underneath my carpet through my side, the whole side of my house that she was starting out on. the canal she was at that she walked up to my house is -- it's up to the top. so it's -- it's full. to the top. so -- >> where are you right now? >> right now i'm in my -- in the sunroom in my living room and looking out towards that canal where the levee is right behind it. she'll know that that's where those houses were and they all got blown away from katrina. that canal is to the top of the canal so it's -- i've never seen it like that to be honest with you. >> are you worried about that?

are you nervous? >> just a little bit. you know, at least it's day heig light now and we can see what's going on. some of our fences are coming down. it's been a really big wind and rain event. it's a little scary, yes. luckily my granddaughter is still sleeping so she doesn't know too much about what's going on. >> your granddaughter is there and outside of that, are you alone? >> no, i have my husband and my son is here. my son works at -- he works in braithwaite and he's heard they had 9 foot of water right now. they did have that overtopping of the levee down there and 9 feet of water in the plant now. i have my husband and my son and myself and granddaughter there sfwl we've been monitoring that situation as well. we appreciate you talking to us. be safe and i believe soledad will check back in with you.

let's head over to soledad. you're back. >> zoraida, i'm back. if jackie is still with you, she sounds nervous to me -- >> i am. >> if the canal is filled up with water, if that canal is filled up with water and you're telling me that it's up to 9 feet of water or something like that -- how worry are you? >> the 9 feet were down in braithwaite. my son works -- >> got you, okay. >> facility down there and they do have 9 feet of water in their facility right now. >> all right, so then tell me about this canal filled up. you sound very anxious to me. >> yes. it's a little nerve-wracking. it's up to the top now and i've never seen it up to the top like that. it's more than up to the top. it's a little scary and it's been pushing like the rain has been pushing water into my living room under -- not a flood

but just rain got my carpet saturated. >> all right, jackie, i know you've got a second floor. so you can stay safe if you have to. we'll check in with you and make sure you're doing okay and your granddaughter zoe as well. thankds for talking with us. i want to go to gulfport where david mattingly is. obviously he was having some of the similar weather that we're having right here, strong winds come in and then drop down again. we're at a little break for a moment. it makes the rain drive into it. like jackie was describing, kind of pushing everything right across the street, sometimes me too. david mattingly, how are things in gulfport? >> reporter: well, everything we're seeing is almost a carbon copy of the hour before the hour before the hour before. since midnight we've had tropical storm conditions here. relentlessly the wind and rain have been blowing out of the east. we're about 100 miles away from the center of this storm and we're getting drenched here.

and the storm because it's moving so slowly, they've revised the amount of rainfall projected from about a foot, up to about possibly in some areas 18 inches. that's because this storm is just not going anywhere. all of the water that it's carrying is coming down in sheets. right now we're seeing -- getting reports of flooding in the low lying areas where the mandatory evacuations were in place and because of that, we're also seeing some roadways flooded. some areas cut off. and official here are very encouraged because that i have seen a lot of people heeding the evacuation warnings. a couple of thousand people showing up in shelters so they feel good that most of the people did get out of those areas. right now we're just watching this water fall wondering when is it going to stop. sean later we're going to be watching for the storm surge because in the middle of the morning, that's when high tide is here. we haven't seen the worst of the

storm surge yet. it's at that time along the mississippi coast that we could be seeing some areas seeing tidal surge of maybe about 10 feet along the coast. so we're not anywhere close to the end of this very slow moving disaster right now. and we're still waiting to find a place to put some sort of period at the end of the sentence. but this one just keeps going on and on and on. soledad? >> all right, david mattingly watching that and we're watching it along with you. thank you for that update. we'll continue watching what's happening here in new orleans. jackson square where i am as well. colonel fleming from the army corps of engineer is telling us the levees look good but we'll take a closer look at what his most recent statement is about the levee system inhe city. we've got to take a short break. we'll come back and check in with more residents to see how they are fairing as they decided to hole up and not evacuate or head for higher ground.

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good morning, welcome back,

you're watching a ecial edition of "starting point" as we track hurricane isaac for you. lots to update you on. first and foremost let's focus on plaquemines parish, there are rescue efforts under way. great news as the sun rises, they'll have more help so they can see exactly what they are doing. we heard from a man who described how he had to be plucked out of his home because the water came in so high in his house. we're following what's happen tlg in the wake of one of the levees on the east side being overtopped. lots of water and flooding, a big issue in plaquemines parish, we've been talking to billy nungesser and we'll check in with him. more than 400,000 people are without power. that's been one of the biggest problems we've heard from where i am here in new orleans. i'm in the french quarter in jackson square specifically. obviously for folks who lost air conditioning, power means with the storm sticking around it's going to be a long time before

they are able to think about getting out to make those repairs. we heard from colonel fleming from the u.s. army corps of engineers. the army corps faced a lot of challenges in the wake of hurricane katrina. what they are saying now is the levee system seems to be holding well but the concerns are for the west bank of the city where the biggest pumping station in the world is. that could be a problem because you can see all of this standing water where i am. it's really in the last couple of hours grown a lot because the rain comes in and it's hard to get the water, not just here but in intersections as well. he has said he's concerned. that's where the pump system is going to be put to the test because the debris is what affects the drainage we see in this little square. you can imagine what it's like for the rest of the city. so we're monitoring all of that this morning as well. we want to check in with folks who have decided to ride out the storm. we want to take you to orleans parish, a woman who decided to hunker down -- why don't you

first -- karen smothers, can you hear me? i'm not sure that karen smothers -- i think we are having obviously some challenges with technology considering the weather out here. let me try her again. karen smothers who is in orleans parish decided to hunker down and wait out the storm. can you tell m how you're doing? karen, can you hear me? can you tell me how you are? obviously we're having some issues so we're going to try to regain that connection with karen smothers. let me set up a little bit of the problem where we are and we'll have rob weigh in on the biggest issues. while the police drive through our live shot, we've seen officers throughout the night and into the morning certainly

doing drivearounds, keeping an eye on what's happening in the city. not very many people out here of course. big issue is the pumping system and standing water and also the debris. you have to keep your eyes open and make sure you don't smacked in the head by anything falling off the tree or buildings. rob marciano is in the port of the new orleans. how is it looking where you are, rob? >> reporter: it's looking we had and windy and we can finally see now that the sun is coming up, white caps once again across the mississippi going the wrong way. the river should be flowing this bay. white caps being pushed by the wind and somewhat of a storm surge in our face. across the river, sporadic lights, 70% of the city is without power. can't see it now, i assume that the rain helped put it out but there was a restaurant fire earlier this morning and you could smell some of the smoke. we're just north of the gno

bridge, crescent city connection. that doesn't have lights on. got knocked out last night. we're to the left of where the carnival cruise lines takes on passengers for shut down the en as you can imagine, is shut down. but this sort of weather, the heavy rain andhe winds that have been sustained really at around 50 miles an hour throughout the city, gusting -- gusts reported at lake front over 80 miles an hour and at the airport just below hurricane strength. that's been consistent throughout the morning. so that constant battering is taking a toll on some of the structures that we have around us. we are actually on the property of what's got to be the largest mardi gras warehouse and event center. and some of the flashings from some of the buildings and some of the areas where they hold parties is being torn apart. and as light continues to come up, we'll show you some of that. but the winds, soledad, are slowly kind of turning as the

storm itself continues to make a slow march toward the west. but because we're so close to the center, about 60 miles from the center, we're right on the edge of where the strongest hurricane force winds are. and that's why we've seen these winds be consistent for the past six hours and will likely continue to be consistent for the next six. and it's that long duration event. but with the rain, the wind pushing the surge, and the wind just, you know, taking -- hit anything of these buildings and putting a little bit of a hurt on them, that's what's creating some of the damage around the city. and the streets i'm sure where you are are littered with some of this debris. >> certainly it is. and we're not getting a break from the winds either. just ahead, we'll talk about a couple of things we're following closely. first of all, plaquemines parish. the sun is coming up. and the parish president was concerned that the coast guard couldn't get in until the sun came up and try to rescue an

unknown number of people who did not heed the warnings to get out and are now trapped in their homes. we'll get more information on that. and as rob just mentioned, the storm making a westward turn. what does that mean for the pumping system, the largest pumping system in the world? it's there, and it will be a big test for that pumping system. we know there are a dozen or so intersections closed because of standing water. how big of a problem is that going to be? a short break, and then we'll be right back with our special coverage of hurricane isaac. machines, tools, people making stuff. companies have to invest in making things. infrastructure, construction, production. we need it now more than ever. chevron's putting more than $8 billion dollars back in the u.s. economy this year. in pipes, cement, steel, jobs, energy. we need to get the wheels turning. i'm p. making real things... for real. ...that make a real difference. ♪

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welcome back, everybody. you're watching our live coverage of hurricane isaac. we want to get right to karen smothers in orleans parish. decided to stick i out and not leave town. karen, i think you can hear me now. how are you doing? how is it where you are? all right, karen. i'm not hearing you so we're going to see if we can re-establish that connection. we'll tell everybody what we're doing before we head to our commercial break for the start of our next hour. watching plaquemines parish very, very closely. we have talked to people who have been evacuated out of their homes as the water is rushing in. a levee there has been overtopped. we'll update you on what's happening there. also they are watching very closely on the east side the levees -- swap that. east side is where the homes are that the levee has been overtopped. west side, they are keeping an eye on that as well. and more out of plaquemines parish. and more on hurricane isaac as

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welcome back to "starting point" as we continue to cover hurricane isaac as it makes its way into louisiana. plaquemines parish is hardest hit so far. we'll tell you what's happening there. where i'm standing, which is really the center of tourist new orleans at jackson square, high winds and driving rain are the biggest problems here. and they are watch for the standing water. the u.s. army corps of engineers, colonel flemming updated us and says that so far the levee system is holding fine. what they are concerned about is the west bank of the city, and the largest pumping system in the world. they are worried about how that will fair. they are watching that. this storm is kind of just sitting over us, traveling at 6 miles an hour. very slow moving, which is the

reason we continue to be hammered by the high winds and the pouring rain, which is flooding the area here in jackson square and many other intersections around the city as well. treacherous in the dark. the sun is coming up now, and that's good news. the sun coming up now is good news as well for the folks in plaquemines parish. one of the hardist hit areas. we're watching that very closely because they have had an overtopping of the levee, the east levee. there are homes there. some of the folks there decided to ride out the storm. and when that water started overtopping the levee, those homes started to flood. some of those folks were rescued. here's eugene otto, and here's what he had to say about what happened to him in that location in plaquemines parish. >> right now, in my attic with my wife and my year and a half old baby. the local police came around about 2:00 in the morning and told us the levee broke. and within an hour, the water

was coming up. the river levee is dry. but the water came up so quick, it looks like we lost everything. if i have to, i'm going to have to shoot a hole in the attic here to get out on our roof. >> talking about the devastating effects. he said the levee broke. the levee didn't break. it was overtopped, as some of the driving wind was really speeding that up a little bit. so there in plaquemines parish they are very concerned about some of the effects and some of the people who maybe they don't even realize might be stuck in their homes. they are going to have to go in and continue search and rescue efforts this morning as the sun comes up. 400,000 plus people are without power this morning. and that would be about 70% of the city. energy of course powering lots of this gulf region. so 70% of the city of new orleans without power at this hour. we continue to watch what's happening here in louisiana.

also mississippi. david matngly is in gulfport, mississippi, for us, experiencing much the same thing we are having here. heavy rain and heavy winds as well, right, david? >> reporter: that's right, soledad. and as this storm continues to park on the gulf coast, everyone here having to change their plans. they thought they might be out of it before now, but still we are seeing very strong tropical storm force conditions. there was a curfew in effect until 7:00 a.m. that's been extended here in the gulfport area. just to show you because this storm has been relentless all morning long. conditions like this ever since midnight. we're also now that the sun has come up looking back behind me at the ocean. there is beach back there. but the beach is completely covered right now by the waves that are coming in. and to show you the stark contrast of what we're looking at, those waves usually aren't there. this is a very calm part of the gulf of mexico on a very peaceful day.

that might look like a lake back there. but you can see it's anything but the case right now. it's completely covered the beaches. lapping up against the seawall. and a spokesman for the city here tells me that in a couple of -- at least in one place we have water coming over highway 90, which is right here behind me. so we are continuing to watch as this water is encroaching. if we haven't hit high tide yet, that's going to be mid morning. but right now you can see the wind is still pushing just as hard as it has all night long. the rain conditioning to fall. they are raising their estimates now. possibly up to 18 inches of rain on some parts of the gulf coast of mississippi. soledad? >> all right, david mattingly watching that for us. we're watching it obviously as well. let me point out a little bit what's going on around us. we are watching very carefully this tree. there's lots of debris. and these high winds, that's something to keep an eye on.

the heavy winds and the rain really just hurts, frankly, when it drives into you. jackson square normally at this time would be full of tourists. obviously. but now a big issue that they are concerned about is the standing water. the debris makes it worse. this is very similar situation to what you're going to see in a lot of the intersections. we're told now a dozen intersections in the city are unpassable. and now that the sun has come up, that's a little better because the people can see that it's flooded. in the darkness, there were some concerns that people couldn't tell that the roads weren't passable and that they would try and get stuck. richard knabb is the director of the national hurricane center. richard, you know, when we heard from the u.s. army corps of engineers, one of their concerns was as the storm turns to the west that it's really going to put the pumping system to the test. because that's where on the west bank where the main pumping system is. can you tell me a little bit about the storm's movement there and what they should be concerned about? >> well, it's a slow, slow

motion. and it's not along the sameath as katrina, for example. every hurricane is different, and where the circulation goes determines what direction the wind is blowing from is where the onshore flow is. and with the motion of this system having gone south of the mouth of the mississippi river and moving off slowly to the northwest, it's putting that onshore flow from the south into plaquemines parish. and into the mississippi river area that's going through that parish. so that's one of the reasons that in this case, things are different in localized spots than even katrina because it's on the different side of the mississippi river. and the onshore flow is going to persist for hours. so it's going to take a while for things to -- the forces to abate such that you would not get the water being pushed in the same direction. and the rainfall is going to continue, and it's going to be an all-day event. it's only the first half of the event that has reached plaquemines parish.

and new orleans still has some of the first half of it to go. so i know people have to really be patient here to wait for the conditions to get better. it will take well into tomorrow for the rains to stop and for the winds to really die down. >> so then tell me where the storm is right now. it's passed over plaquemines parish or is it on top of plaquemines parish right now? >> well, the eastern side, where the stronger winds coming out of the south are all over plaquemines parish and the northern part is over new orleans. so that whole area getting hammered with a stronger side of the hurricane and the onshore flow from the south. and that's going to persist for hours. it's going to take until late in the day for that configuration to change such that with the center of circulation going further north that things will start to come off the land direction instead of off the gulf of mexico. >> and then what does that mean for the rest of the progress of the storm? where is this heading next and when? >> well, next, it's going to go

very slowly up into the state of louisiana. the center of circulation will probably take into thursday night, early friday morning to actually leave the state of louisiana. and that's just the center. and then behind that will be the heavy rains on the south side. so it's going to take a long time. and that's why, you know, we're not at all shy about saying that we could get localized spots where the rains could be 20 inches. and until the circulation moves far enough onshore so that you're not getting that onshore push, the storm surge of six to 12 feet above ground level is still in play for southeastern louisiana. because right now it's just pushing the water in and not letting it out all day today. >> sounds like you're saying weari're we're going to continuo experience the driving rains and the high, high winds. richard knabb with us from the national hurricane center. appreciate that. rob marciano is at the port of new orleans. first of all, rob, tell me what it's like where you are and then i want to talk to you about plaquemines parish and the

overtopping of the levee on the east side there. >> reporter: ok. well, i will start with what's going on here. we are in the port of new orleans, which of course is closed. and we're just kind of -- just to the left or just to the west of where the unload and load off the carnival cruise line. that's not happening any time too soon. we are here along the river. this is a mardi gras complex. you've got a huge warehouse behind the camera. a huge ballroom to my left here. and kind of the outdoor part of the facility is this canopy structure, which is coming apart with the winds of this storm. obviously, this is not built to withstand a hurricane. not sure why at least the fabric part of it wasn't taken down. but there's concert stage lighting underneath there that's dangling. the structures that support it are bolted down to the contreat. some of those have been ripped up. so with this persistent wind, it's not going to take too much longer for that thing to

completely come apart and potentially fly away. it is, i'll say this right now, downwind of it. so when it happens, that should be coming towards us and we're well aware of that. now that the sun comes up, we can see the river which, by the way, visibly looks higher than it was yesterday. no threat of that coming over the top of the main levee here across this part of the river. but to talk about what's going on in plaquemines parish, soledad, you've been down there. you know what it's like. those are earthen levees for the most part. they are out of the control of the federally souped up levee and pump system that we have so much highlighted the past couple of days that is protecting new orleans proper and parts of the other parishes. but the southern part of plaquemines parish, where that levee is being overtoed, that's unprotected. and what's frustrating is that that was an area that was under mandatory evacuation. the people that are trapped or having to be potentially rescued there right now chose to be there. so their homes are being flooded. much of that community is being

flooded and will continue to be flooded as we go through time, because the storm surge continues as that storm -- this storm is just 50, 60 miles to our south and not moving very much. so as long as these winds are strong enough, the water, that water will continue to pile up across and over that levee. and like you've been reporting on, it's causing some serious flooding down there and a dangerous situation-on-folding this morning. soledad? >> rob marciano for us. thank you, rob. appreciate that update. let's get to petty officer ryan tippetts with the united states coast guard. thank you for talking with us. as you are well, ware, there are reports of some problems and potentially people who need to be rescued in plaquemines parish. are you aware of those, and if so, what will be your next step? >> yes, ma'am, we are aware. we have opened cases on all the calls we received through the night. and all of our assets are currently in a standby mode. as soon as the storm passes, the

coast guard will be up and out there. >> so you're in a standby mode. when i was talking earlier to the president of the parish, billy nunguesser, he was telling me he was hoping when the sun came up it would be easier to go in and rescue folks. but now you're saying you have to wait for the storm to pass. we just heard from the national hurricane center that actually it's going to be a long time before the storm completely passes. does that mean another 24 hours potentially before people could be rescued? >> i don't have any timelines on when the rescues will begin. we have certain parameters that we can't operate over. and so basically once the weather dies down, we'll be able to put our assets out there and start helping people. >> what kind of information are you getting at this hour from plaquemines parish? what do you know of the situation there? can you give us some details? what we know is very sketchy. we just know that there are people potentially who need to be rescued. >> right.

as far as i know, that's pretty much what we have received. and we have received the calls, and we have opened -- every call we get, we have opened a case for. so we are documenting it. and as soon as we are able, we will start the rescue operations. >> petty officer ryan tippetts with us this morning from the united states coast guard. when we come back in just a moment, we're going to head back to the republican national convention that is underway in florida. rob portman will be john berman's guest. that's straight ahead. stay with us. at usaa, we believe honor is not exclusive to the military, and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. with our award winning apps

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welcome back, everybody. you're watching our special coverage of hurricane isaac. soledad o'brien, "starting point" coming to you live this morning from jackson square in new orleans. this is the heart of the touristy section of the french quarter. today full of water. heavy winds, driving rain, kind of painful when it smacks you in the face. lots to tell you about this morning. one thing we are watching for closely is plaquemines parish. we just heard from the coast guard that as soon as conditions permit, they'll get in there and start doing any kind of rescues. we've had word that there are people trapped in their homes. lots of water there as one of the levees on the east side has been overtopped. we are monitoring that situation very closely. we are also following what's happening in mississippi as well. we want to get to another

story happening in tampa, florida, and that's the republican national convention. john berman is there for us. >> hey, soledad. we are much drier here and watching down there very closely. meantime, i'm joined by senator rob portman. he is a leader in the republican party. he was also rumored to be on the vice presidential short list. he didn't get that, but he is deeply involved in this campaign. we will be playing the part of barack obama in debate pp with mitt romney. something he is someing of an expert on. and you are speaking tonight at the republican convention. >> right. >> before we talk about tonight, let's talk about last night. mitt romney's wife, ann romney, was the speaker who really electrified the crowd. and her role there was to sort of humanize the candidate. and i want to play a little clip of what she said. >> yeah. >> we got married and moved into a basement apartment. [ applause ] >> we walked to class together, shared the housekeeping, ate a lot of pasta and tuna fish.

our desk was a door propped up on saw horses. our dining room table was a foldown ironing board in the kitchen. but those were the best days. >> so did it work? did that help to humanize mitt romney? and why does he need it at this point? >> well, first of all, i thought she was incredible. genuine and warm. and i think she did give us a view into mitt romney's heart as a family man and a husband. and i thought it was great in part because she is not a politician. she is the one person onstage who wasn't. >> she gave a heck of a political speech. >> yes, i think she did. but it was from the heart. but she was nervous at times, and that's great, because that's how most people would be. i thought it was exactly what was needed. >> you said yourself that governor romney has a likability issue. let me read a quote from an interview you gave. you said, it's true that the president is more likeable at this stage. one of the reasons you suggested was because of all the negative ads in ohio and everywhere else.

but you do think there's a likability gap. >> well, i'm just talking about the polling. likability gap is not a surprise. i mean, in ohio, we have been bombarded with negative ads and they have been about mitt romney and his character. and they are very personal. about his business career. many of them misleading. some of them downright inaccurate. but if you're an ohio voter, that's what you've been seeing. it's been a barrage. and it's actually been because of the primary and the romney campaign not having the dollars for the primary, it's been heavily on the obama and the negative side. >> well, that will change immediately. this week. >> i think it will after the convention. but that's why i think some people have that impression. but, look, mitt romney is a generous guy. she talked a lot about his character as a family guy. i have seen him a lot on the campaign trail. people are going to like this guy the more they get to know him. >> not all of the reviews for ann romney was positive. peggy noonan said she may have missed an opportunity.

she said i want to tell you they marched out of the hall on fire for their side, but i was there and they did not. they walked out likeeople who weren't quite sure what to think or how to feel but were hoping for the best because they love their country a lot. a missed opportunity, says peggy noonan. >> i don't think it was a missed opportunity in the sense that she was talking to the voters of america, not necessarily to the folks at the convention. everybody here is crazy about mitt romney and crazy about her. you saw the reaction she got. but she was talking to folks who hadn't made their mind up yet. and there's a lot of people out there, i think more than the pollsters tell us, that may say they are for one candidate or another but they are wondering because they aren't happy. they aren't happy with the direction of the economy or the country in general. i think what she was able to do is say, look, if you give my husband a chance, she talked about his hard work ethic, the fact that he works harder than anybody else, and that he is all about results and helping people to achieve something for themselves and their family. i think that's what people wanted to hear. and she did a great job with that. >> you are playing barack obama

in the debate prep. how tough are you going to be t. the point is to be so hard that halfway through the debate he says, well, that wasn't so bad. >> has anybody ever taken a swing at you in these things? >> it's come close. usually it's the candidate's spouse listening in. >> no wonder you are being so nice to ann romney about her speech last night. >> exactly. she is in this process so she doesn't dislike me i've done something wrong. you do want to be tough. >> thank you, rob portman. cnn's coverage of the republican national convention continues tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern with wolf blitzer. during the 10:00 p.m. hour, vice presidential nominee paul ryan will address the delegates. a lot of excitement about that. at midnight, piers morgan will wrap it up right here in the cnn grill. all right here on cnn. and now back to my very wet colleague in new orleans, soledad o'brien. all right, john. thank you. we're continuing to update you on what's happening here as the

storm, hurricane isaac, roars through louisiana and the gulf coast. we are monitoring what's happening in the state of mississippi also. we're going to take a closer look at plaquemines parish. we're getting some reports of major flooding there, overtopping of a levee on the east side. and some reports of people trapped in their homes. we're going to see if we can check in with parish president billy nunguesser straight ahead. back in just a moment. you're watching a special edition of "starting point." stay with us. ♪

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welcome back, everybody. you're watching our special coverage of hurricane isaac as it roars through new orleans and the gulf coast.

we're monitoring things here in new orleans where 70% of the city is now without power. more than 400,000 people according to intergy. we'll tell you what the u.s. corps of engineers is saying. and we'll focus on plaquemines parish. they have had an overrunning of the levee there on the east side. and it means that some homes are now being flooded massively. we've got reports of people being rescued. and all the people who have not been rescued yet. we'll update you on all that as this special report on "starting point" continues our special coverage of hurricane isaac. stay with us. many of my patients still clean their dentures with toothpaste.

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the wind is a driving wind. we're watching very closely what's happening today in plaquemines parish because we got word overnight that a levee on the east side had been overtopped. had been overrun. and that what that meant was that severe flooding was happening to the homes behind that levee. those are levees that are outside the federal protection system. so those are not the levees that have been upgraded in the area. these are different levees. a big problem, though. and we heard from one man who had to be rescued from his home. his name is eugene odom. this is what he told our affiliate, wwol. >> right now i'm in my attic with my wife and my year and a half-year-old baby. the local police came around at about 2:00 in the morning and told us the levee broke. and within an hour, the water was coming up. i barely got my vehicle to the levee. the river levee is dry. but the water came up so quick. it looks like we lost everything.

if i had to, i'm going to have to shoot a hole in my attic here to get out on our roof. >> we were told by the parish president that some folks have been rescued by the goodness of their neighbors because it was really dark and impossible for rescue teams to get in. the sun has come up. the coast guard says until the storm passes through they can't get in there to start doing some rescues. so we are monitoring that situation in plaquemines parish very closely. it's unclear how many people might still be stuck in their homes at this hour. rob marciano has much more for us. every time i think the wind is dying down it picks up right again. >> reporter: yeah. it's deceiving. you think for a second that, hey, maybe this thing is winding down. well, no. as slow as this storm is moving, it's certainly not. ok. behind me, you see flapping in the breeze here, this is a structure that's meant to be a canopy for parties. and not to be flapping around in a hurricane. obviously, it's not hurricane

strength. you can kind of see some -- we've got some steel beams that are bolted down to the concrete. on the right side already a couple of those have lifted off and been torn up from the bolted concrete. there's some stage lights in there. they are flapping around. i don't suspect that will be around too much longer. thankfully, it is downwind of us. over here is the mississippi river that has come up a little bit since yesterday. pan out if you can and show some of the whitecaps. yesterday, the whitecaps were going upstream against the current. now they are coming this way towards the east -- or towards the west as we have this strong east wind cotinuing. so the wind and rain continues here. the port of new orleans obviously is closed. this facility which is typically houses mardi gras balls and weddings and probably other events is closed. and the rainfall obviously continues to pile up too.

so this is such a slow-moving storm, soledad. it's just pounding new orleans and the surrounding areas hour after hour. and it's beginning to take a toll, that's for sure. soledad? >> yeah. it certainly is. all right, rob. thank you. appreciate that update. we want to get to senator david bitter. we had a chance to talk to him yesterday. he had embedded with the u.s. army corps of engineers. we was going to do it again. we were going to check in with him. good morning, senator. thank you for joining us. >> good morning, soledad. >> we heard a report earlier from colonel flemming saying that so far, so good, as it concerns the levees. one of the things they are worried about, though, is the pumping system. tell me about what you saw overnight, sir. >> well, yes. i'm here at the army corps of engineers headquarters. and we're experiencing the same sort of conditions you are in a different part of the city. i just walked out of an hour-long briefing that colonel flemming led with his corps of engineers team.

i think the bottom line summary is two things. first of all, on the nonfederal system as you said, there's this significant issue on east plaquemines parish where a lot of folks who were asked to evacuate, there was a mandatory evacuation, but not everyone did. so those folks are having to be rescued. and that's very, very unfortunate. secondly, i think that probably the biggest challenge in this area right now is as a rain event with pumping capacity versus the levee system. that's what it appears right now. now there's no crisis, there's no problem in terms of that pumping capacity. but just overall, this event seems like an even bigger challenge in terms of the rain versus storm surge and wind. >> senator, let me ask you a question since you mentioned plaquemines parish. and clearly that was a levee

that didn't quite fail, it's just been overtopped. so it's not a big enough levee. and some of the folks we know are still stuck in their homes or still cannot get out. >> certainly it's overtopped. there's also a possibility that there is a breach or a small break in it or some sort of break in it. but that's unconfirmed. i just wanted to throw that out. but it certainly is overtopped at a minimum. >> that's a levee that on the east side that is something like eight to nine feet high. here is my question to you, sir. have you gotten a figure on how many people may actually be trapped there and how many homes are right near that levee? i know on the west side, it's not very populated. they were a little bit less concerned about that levee. but on the east side, there are more homes there. how many folks do they think might still be stuck there? >> well, first of all, the east bank is actually far less populated than the west bank of plaquemines parish.

most of plaquemines parish, most of the populated areas are on the east bank. but there are some -- there is one major subdivision and some significant homes on the east bank. i don't have the number overall in front of me, either homes or people who stayed. i believe i remember forhe briefing that they may be on the order of 40 or 50 people to evacuate on an emergency basis. >> all right. plaquemines parish is where we are putting our focus this morning. senator david bitter joining us. thank you, sir. we appreciate your time. we know that he has been embedded over the last couple of days with the u.s. army corps of engineers. got a notice from the corps of engineers saying that the levee system doing well. now putting their focus on the pumping system as the storm makes its way onto the west side. we're going to take a short break. come back in just a moment. oh, you know what? i think it sounds like we have

lieutenant general russell honoree joining us. can you hear me, sir? >> yes, soledad. >> forgive me. i'm having a hard time hearing you. so my apologies in advance. tell me what you think so far of what you've seen first from the storm and secondly from the coordination around the storm and the response to the storm. >> i think the first big test of all of the preparation work done by the corps and the federal government. and right now i think all we can do is hold on. and this is going to take several hours for this storm to run its course, particularly at the speed it's going. so i think the preparations were good. right now of course you were just talking about what's going on down in plaquemines parish. and knowing that team down in plaquemines parish, they are going to get to those people as

soon as they can. everybody that still has power in this community should hunker down and stay off the roads. >> that's slept adviexcellent a. the wind is really, really strong. i have moved behind a shelter so i can hear you better. let's talk specifically about plaquemines parish. some of the folks who decided to ignore the mandatory evacuation order, and now with the levee being overtopped or as senator bitters said maybe we'll find out that in fact the levee has been breached. it's unclear at this point. those folks, some of them we know, have been pulled out by neighbors. others it seems are just stuck. any idea what you can tell us at this point about that? >> yeah. i think the best thing you can do is hunker down and get in the attics. if you can listen to radio, or by some other means, try to make a hole through the attic. and continue to call for assistance. they are lucky in the other sense that they have the best boaters in the world in

plaquemines parish. if anybody can go in there and get them it will be those shrimpers in plaquemines parish. >> lieutenant general russell honore, sir, great to talk to you from even from a distance. we appreciate your insight. now back to david mattingly as i head back out here in the high winds. it's a very similar situation to what david is experiencing in gulfport, mississippi. david, tell me a little bit about what it's like now where you are. >> reporter: soledad, sounds like i'm seeing about the same thing that you are right now. a torrent of rain right now. we've also had continuous tropical storm conditions since midnight. it's ramped up. in about the last 10 minutes. one of those bands going through. you just really don't know what to expect from minute to minute with these storms. and isaac is proving to be no different from what we've seen in the past. take a look behind me. this was what we're all watching

right now. it was a very nice, calm, smooth water a few minutes ago. look at it now. the water is up, actually lapping up against the seawall behind me. further down the road on highway 90, it's actually up on the highway, i'm told, by city officials. but what we're looking for is a high tide that happens mid morning. this wasn't supposed to be a problem because isaac shouldn't still be here at this kind of intensity. but because it's been so, so slow moving and because it seems to have parked right here on the gulf coast for a while. we're watching that high tide. we're watching to see just how high the water from the ocean is going to be pushed up from this storm. they are revising their predictions, looking at possibly a 10-foot storm surge in some

parts along coastal mississippi. they are revising the rainfall estimates from about a foot of rain up to about 18 inches of rain in some areas. and if it keeps up like this, we'll have no problem making that mark. they have also changed the curfew. the curfew has been extended here in gulfport. it was supposed to be over at 7:00 this morning. they took a look at the weather and realized that this storm isn't moving out the way they thought it would so they are extending that curfew. but i tell you, soledad, right now, we are getting tropical storm conditions. but it feels very much like a hurricane with the way the wind is stinging, blowing so hard in the wind. and of course so much water coming down right now. soledad? >> all right. david mattingly for us this morning. he is in gulfport, mississippi. thank you for that update. we'll take a short break. when we come back, we'll send it back to the republican national convention. john berman will pick up our

coverage from there. and we'll continue of course to take a look at what's happening with hurricane isaac. plaquemines parish is where our focus is this morning talking about folks who seem to be trapped in their homes. overtopped levees there. in fact, are the levees breached? entergy says 400,000 people are out of power. we'll check in with folks who decided to stay through the storm. all that straight ahead as this special edition of "starting point" continues. [ male announcer ] citi turns 200 this year. in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement.

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welcome back, everybody. you're watching our special coverage of hurricane isaac. and as we've been told and predicted by the national hurricane center and rob marciano who has been heading our coverage weatherwise all morning, this heavy wind and driving rain is to be expected as the storm pretty much just parks itself over louisiana and is moving very, very slowly. a big concern now as water -- and we've even seen in the few hours we've been here the water here behind me rising a lot just because obviously the drainage system, which is in that corner there, at least one part of it is, is now blocked by debris so it's not draining. and that's an issue that could be happening all over the city. we know of 12 other

intersections at least where because of standing water those intersections are not passable. lots to tell you about this morning. we're covering plaquemines parish where we believe that people are still trapped in their homes. boaters going out today to try to rescue those folks. but they are small boats. impossible of course for the coast guard to get in. the weather will not allow for any kind of aircraft clearly to get into the air. john berman is covering the other story that we're following this morning, which is the republican national convention, which is taking place in tampa, florida, where john berman, it is not driving rain and absolute downpour and high winds. good morning. >> no, soledad. it's really nice here. you know, good work down there. i know it's got to be tough standing out there in the driving rain. here in tampa, not raining at all. chris christie took at stage last night and delivered the keynote address. in it, he argued that mitt romney won't sugar coat the tough decisions that are facing congress and facinamerica today. let's listen. >> mitt romney will tell us the hard truths we need to hear to

put us back on a path to growth and create good-paying, private sector jobs again in america. mitt romney will tell us the hard truths we need to hear to end the torrent of debt that is compromising our future and burying our economy. mitt romney will tell us the hard truths we need to hear to end the debacle of putting the world's greatest health care system in the hands of federal bureaucrats and putting those bureaucrats between an american citizen and her doctor. >> so tonight -- last night belonged to chris christie. tonight belongs to paul ryan, the vice presidential nominee for the republican party. i am joined right now by a democrat, chris van hollen, who will be playing congressman paul ryan in the debate prep with senator -- with vice president joe biden coming up. i want to start first with the storm. obviously, we have seen soledad down there in some ways getting worse down the this morning. there's been a lot of questions to republicans about what they should and shouldn't be doing with their convention this week. but the president is out on a

campaign tour right now, speaking at college campuses. is that really appropriate when new orleans is being hit like this? >> the president has been on top of this storm from the beginning, as you know. just the other day, he authorized the federal government to provide all support necessary through fema for this purposes. i know that he is tracking the storm very closely. the republicans are having their convention here in florida. the president is also talking about issues that face american families around the country. but he is always monitoring the storm. and as i said, he's provided all of the relief necessary, authorized all the relief necessary. >> chris christie was talking about issues last night too. what did you make of his speech? >> well, what i heard governor crist y talk about was we need more truth telling. unfortunately, i didn't hear any more truth telling from him. and i think they'll have to persuade the american people why it's brave to say that we're not going to ask the very wealthy in this country to pay one more penny to help reduce the deficit. in fact, they want to give another round of tax cuts to people like mitt romney, and

that comes at the expense of everybody else. if you really want to tackle fiscal challenges, you need to make a balanced approach. you need cuts and reforms, of course, but you also need to ask the folks at the very top to contribute to reduce our deficit. and they don't want to do that. >> well, there is that deck lot which the republicans are pointing to. the debt has gone up and up and up. >> it's interesting to see the debt clock. of course, when president bush left office, he left president obama with a record deficit that year. over $1 trillion that year. and an economy that was in total freefall. so the president had to take action, stop the freefall, turn the corner, and start moving back up. now everyone recognizes we have a long way to go. however, going back to the trickle down economic theory that bush had, that got us into this mess to begin with, is not an answer. investing in the middle class, investing in our people, is the answer. >> you have a big job coming up. you'll be playing paul ryan in the mock presidential debates.

make your case. be paul ryan. sell the ryan medicare plan. sell the ryan budget. >> well, i can't, because i think it really is a hard sell. >> you're going to have to. >> no, of course. when i'm talking about the vice president, i'll try and give their version of the story. but if you look at for example the romney ad on medicare, it's a total distortion of the facts. because what obama care did was eliminate a lot of the overpayments to private insurance companies in medicare and used the savings to strengthen medicare benefits. they would turn back the clock on that and ask seniors to pay a lot more so that people like mitt romney can get another tax cut. >> if you act like this in the debate prep, it won't be very helpful to the vice president. there's some news today. newly released emails that say the administration has offered help on the documentary on the navy s.e.a.l.s. i guess the issue of how much the administration is or isn't doing in releasing information about the raid at osama bin laden's house. is there a security concern here? >> well, i think there are questions obviously of the foremost interest should be

protecting the security of the folks who were involved in that very important mission. i don't know all the details. but that should be first and foremost, is the security and safety of those people. >> congressman chris van hollen, thank you very much joining in tampa. you are surrounded by republicans, but you seem to be enjoying yourself. >> my friend rob portman was here. we worked together on the supercommittee. unfortunately, we were not able to bridge the differences. but i hope we're able to do it going forward. >> thank you for joining us. hope to see you soon. >> thanks. >> back to you, soledad, in new orleans. we continue to cover what's happening here in new orleans and mississippi and all over z louisiana as we are monitoring hurricane isaac. we'll take a short break. at usaa, we believe honor is not

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welcome back to our special coverage of hurricane isaac. while we've been riding out the storm here in jackson square in the heart of the french quarter in new orleans, about an hour or so from us is grand isle, louisiana. and that is where ed lavendar has been riding out the storm. he's been with a family. he says waters rose so dramatically in the last couple of hours they have had to move to the next level of the house.

take a look. >> we woke up this morning in grand isle, louisiana to conditions that were not worse than we saw last night. in the overnight hours, the storm surge really started to go up. we've been looking at quite closely. as you can see the water line there on the side of the home, there's a layer of bricks just below that. and we've seen probably in the overnight hours the water levels go up about a foot and a half, maybe even as much as two feet. what that means for us is that the house that we're in is now starting to take in water. we have about six inches on the ground level. so we'll continue to watch that. we are on the right edge of the eye of this storm. this is looking back out toward the gulf of mexico over here. and you can see wherever you look, just how much water is now surrounding us. and what is impressive is just the power and just how quickly the water is moving. look back over this way. these trees. this is the driveway that leads into the house. dean blanchard's home here in grand isle, louisiana.

and the water levels have gone up quite dramatically. we have thibeen trying to get i touch with the mayor in grand isle, who is just a few nights away. they spent the night in a command post just a few blocks away. we haven't been able to get in touch with them. but now that the sunlight has broken here in grand isle, we can see that there is some damage to rooftops. nothing structurally damaged. you haven't seen houses collapse. remember most all the homes around here are built on stilts so that the storm surge and the water can pass below these homes and cause the least amount of damage possible. so that is very typical. but we haven't seen a lot of structural damage or any of the homes collapse. the winds have been rather intense. but, you know, the storm surge here is what we are most concerned about. and as i said, anywhere you look around here, the water levels have just gone up dramatically. and it's really made any kind of driving or moving around on this island virtually impossible at this point. ed lavendara, cnn, grand isle,

louisiana. >> all right, ed. thank you for that report. he continues to report for us from grand isle, louisiana. we have to take a short break. when we come back, we'll continue our coverage of hurricane isaac as it hits louisiana and the gulf coast. we're back in just a moment. stay with us. creamy spinach artichoke dip, crispy garlic chicken spring rolls. they're this sean's must-have accessory. lean cuisine. be culinary chic.

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