i have maps earlier that i showed you. we could get 20 inches of rainfall from the storm in new orleans proper. right in the city. because new orleans is lower than the ocean level, all that water has to get pumped out. i know they put new pumps in. thanks for watching. stay with us for continuing coverage of isaac as well as the convention in tampa. i'm anderson cooper in new orleans. up next, early start. bracing for isaac. the massive storm hurdles towards the gulf coast taking aim at new orleans. >> right now we're on a wing and a prayer. you know, lot of prayers. proceeding with caution. with one eye on isaac, republicans get ready to formally nominate mitt romney at their convention tonight.

good morning. welcome to early start everyone. i'm john berman live in tampa at the cnn grill. this is the site of the republican national convention where the action gets going today. more in a few minutes. thank you, john. i'm zoraida sambolin. it's 5:00 a.m. in the east. let's get started first tracking isaac. we just received the latest advisory from the hurricane center. let's get to karen mcginnis for the update. she's live in atlanta. what can you tell us? >> it looks like it's still at tropical storm intensity. we're looking at still dry air along this northern edge. still warm water in the gulf of mexico. the water temperatures here are slightly above where they should be for this time of year. this southern edge and the western edge forming fairly nicely. according to the national hurricane center, even though this is still a tropical storm intensity with 70 mile an hour winds, it's expected to make it

to hurricane intensity or category 1 hurricane and perhaps make landfall around or in the vicinity of new orleans. you can see out here jutting along the southeastern coast of louisiana and as it makes its way on shore gradually, as you well know, it will weaken in intensity to tropical storm strength. until then, we're looking at the potential for as much as 20 inches of rainfall. once again, here's pensacola, new orleans in this white shaded area. 10 to 20-plus inches of rainfall. severe flooding and significant storm surge are possible. we're going to keep you updated as long as this takes and keep up updated on what happens with tropical storm isaac. back to you, zoraida. >> karen ma guinness, we appreciate it. it's squarely in isaac's path with landfall expected tonight or early tomorrow. seven years to the day after hurricane katrina. take a look at the satellite

view. isaac's creating anxiety all along the gulf coast. it's expected to hit with 100 mile an hour winds that could create storm surges of 6 to 12 feet as well. thousands of people in louisiana as well as mississippi and alabama have already packed up and hit the highways. isaac directly threatening more than 5 million people this morning. cnn has isaac covered like no other network. david mattingly in gulfport, mississippi. we'll begin with rob marciano at the port of new orleans. how is the situation there, rob? >> reporter: it's quiet right now. but the wind kicking up. we got our first drops of the outer rain bands late last night, probably around mitt midnight. we've seen a sporadic drop. no significant squalls coming through. as you saw in the satellite picture, a lot of the moisture behind the system. there will be significant moisture on the front and eventually the backside too.

70 mile an hour winds with this thing. even though it's not a hurricane, it's a significant storm with a huge circulation. what we've learned in the past in storms like hurricane ike that had a huge circulation and katrina which had a massive circulation, is that the large circulation storms, especially the northeastern gulf of mexico, can really put up a storm surge. that's what we're most concerned about, especially on the east side of town and up through biloxi, gulfport, the areas that got hit hard with katrina. and then the double whammy will be the rainfall that we anticipate before, during and after the storm passes. because, it has kind of been slowing down somewhat. and it will continue to slow down once it makes landfall later on tonight and tomorrow. yesterday we talked a lot about the pump situations, the supered up levees. i managed to get a fly over with the coast guard yesterday. it gives you a look at how enormous the project was that

they've built up over the last seven years. $11 billion spent on this with massive flood gates and canal closures and the pumps that can pump in some cases 150,000 gallons a second. it's truly incredible. while i was up there with the coast guard, i was reminded, you know what, if the walls fail, well, the guys that i'm flying with are the ones saving your life. they're ready to go too. listen to this. >> we train every day and we train how we fight and we fight how we train. hopefully, we won't have to use those skills but in this case we're ready and we have crews ready and available to be ready to respond. >> they are ready. they're hoping, of course, that another katrina doesn't happen. we don't anticipate that. especially with the souped up levee system. but still, as this makes landfall likely tomorrow night or tomorrow on the exact

anniversary of seven years ago katrina has a lot of people anxious. only voluntary evacuations in the city. but outside the city walls, mandatory evacuations and those people are on the move in the low-lying areas and some of the areas outside the protected levee walls. >> i got to tell you, we can really hear the wind in your microphone there. i don't see it, but i can really hear it. we'll check in with you shortly. the mastisive storm is triggering warnings. some spots are all too familiar with this type of disaster. katrina's storm surge totally smashed homes in waveland, gulfport and long beach on the eastern side of the storm. let's not forget that it killed more than 200 people in that state. so seven years later, these places are in the same dangerous position. david mattingly is live in gulfport, mississippi for us this morning. david, are the people there ready this time around and heeding all the warnings?

>> reporter: well, they are watching this storm very closely. but a lot of people here have already decided that isaac is no katrina even though it's following a similar pattern. similar path. they're looking at its intensity thinking that he's not going to be anything like the destructive power that they saw with katrina. when so much property here along the waterfront was destroyed, all up and down the gulf coast. particularly here in mississippi. but since then, there's been a great deal of rebuilding. they built up bigger, stronger, tougher, more resilient, able to stand up to storms better than they were before katrina. you're seeing a great deal of confidence now. not just in the communities that had to rebuild their infrastructure but individuals who had to rebuild their homes as well. listen. >> you look at what's happened the past 200 years, this house should be high enough to sustain that. >> 24 feet? >> 24 feet above sea level.

>> reporter: you're looking at houses now that are much higher above sea level, houses that are made with cement and steel instead of wood frame houses. people confident that they can staph up to what this storm is going to be dishing out. everybody waiting to see what the storm surge is going to be here. they're bracing for a lot of rain. there will be flooding around here. also the possibility of tornadoes. so even though there is confidence that their houses and buildings will be standing, they know that there's no such thing as any building that is truly hurricane-proof. >> you know, it seems like that's what everybody is worried about now. the fact that this is a big water event as well. david mattingly live for us. we'll check back in as well. a hurricane warning is in effect for the entire alabama coast. it continues on its track towards new orleans. mobile bay could see 4-foot storm surges. mandatory evacuations in alabama

in mobile county. tropical storm force winds expected as early as this afternoon. we always have to remember that what we're trying to do is protect the lives of the people of in area. everything else is secondary. >> we're checking in on all these states for you in the next half hour of early start, we'll talk with mobile alabama mayor sam jones. as they brace for hurricane isaac. >> other parts of florida are recovering from the damage caused monday by tropical storm isaac. the storm knocked down trees monday in fort lauderdale. flooding shut down the sawgrass expressway in nearby sunrise. in vero beach, isaac spun off a tornado. caused damage to three mobile home parks. >> we heard like a freight train x like a jet plane coming over close by. she asked me what was that.

i said that's a tornado. >> the door flew past me and glass was flying and i was sitting on my bed doing paperwork and watching a movie. and all of a sudden things were flying. >> the county sheriff says it's a miracle that no serious injuries were reported. as isaac barrels through the gulf of mexico, here's what it looks like from space. take a look at these images. nasa's satellite imagery showing the massive storm system as it moved past cuba and the florida keys over the past couple of days and into the gulf where its sights are now set, as we've been telling you, on new orleans. coming up in our next houru we'll hear live from craig fugate, the tefema director monitoring it from florida. it's still a storm at this stage of the game, isaac is. but we're monitoring all the developments for you. john berman is live in tampa for us. good morning. >> zoraida. down in tampa, it'slet get ready

to nominate the republican national convention. set to take off in full day while everyone keeps a close eye on the gulf coast. buckle up. chris christie says he may not stick to his script. special get jessica yellen for a preview live from the cnn grill in tampa. the best protection now looks, fits and feels just like underwear. get a free sample and try one on for yourself.

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the site of the republican national convention. we'll have more from this location in just a few minutes. >> looking forward to that, john. we're tracking tropical storm isaac this morning. take a look at the satellite view here for you. it's on a collision course with new orleans. it's picking up steam and slowing down making it a serious rain threat now. it could make landfall by tonight or early tomorrow. seven years actually to the day after hurricane katrina. here's how isaac is tracking right now. it has the potential to be a category 2 hurricane by the time the eye passes over the crescent city. john? >> zoraida thanks. we're a stone's throw from the convention. we have the noor of the convention now. the day highlighted by chris christie's keynote address. maybe the biggest speech of all is from ann romney, the wife of the former massachusetts governor.

we did learn overnight that he's coming to town today. maybe a little earlier than we expected. of course, all the speculation is he may make an appearance inside that hall tonight. cnn's chief white house correspondent jessica yellen is joining me now. what do we expect today from ann romney? >> from ann romney herself, her purpose is to warm up her husband. one of the big challenges is the that the gop is focusing on these voters who think that the president isn't doing enough. they want to vote against him. but they just like him and they don't know if they like mitt romney as much. ann romney's job is to make them like him enough to vote for him. >> there's a glare called, the question is who do you like more, find a more friendly and likeable person. president obama leads mitt romney 61 to 27%. >> it's a huge advantage and it's an advantage that ronald reagan had back in his

reelection campaign. that's one of the reasons they felt that he won. something the obama people also think that the president had. so ann romney's job tonight is to explain a little bit more of who her husband it as a man, as a person. so folks get to know him. >> mitt romney is coming to town today. obviously they want a great picture there. there's a a lot of talk in tampa and around the country about what will the republicans do if isaac turns out to be a really bad storm. the question becomes how important is this convention to them? do they need to be doing every night of this convention? >> they do. i mean, first of all, they're doing every night that they can. and there's -- the truth is that not every american is paying as close attention this time around. pew has come out with a poll showing people are paying less attention and less interested in the actual convention speeches than they are in the party platform itself. i think that's a reflection of the fact that most americans are

pretty hip to the fact that these conventions are highly produced, everything is packaged. so people are more interested in sort of what the party broadly stands for. but people will still be paying attention if not to the speeches to how we all cover it. it will get out. so it matters. >> 40 million people still watch the speeches or more than that. i think they still do matter and can move the needle. one of the few things that can move the needle as it gets closer to election day. >> definitely. if they mess up, that gets out too. >> our chief white house correspondent, glad you're here as always. other political news, a source close to his office, tells cnn that former pennsylvania senator arlen specter is battling for his life. he was diagnosed with a serious form of cancer six weeks ago. this is not the first cancer scare for the 82-year-old. he's overcome a brain tumor and

nonhodgk nonhodgkin's lymphoma. we hear arlen specter is very, very sick. >> very sad news. officials warning that isaac could be a katrina-like event for oil production. rigs shut down as the storm bears down. how much could you be paying for gas by labor day? we are minding your business. that's coming up next. everyone has goals. take the steps to reach yours, with us with real advice, for real goals. the us bank wealth management advisor can help you. every step of the way. from big steps, to little steps.

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you know, ronny... wells fargo. folks who save hundreds of dollars by switching to geico sure are happy. and how happy are they jimmy? i'd say happier than a bodybuilder directing traffic. he does look happy. get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. welcome back to early start everyone. i'm john berman live at the cnn grill in tampa where they're holding the republican national convention. action really gets going today. we'll have more in the next half hour. >> we're looking forward to that, john. i'm zoraida sambolin in new york city. it's 22 minutes past the hour. we're minding your business. oil and gas production being cut down sharply out of the gulf with isaac fast approaching. christine romans is tracking the shutdowns of rigs, refineries and the platforms. we talked about this yesterday. has is grown? >> it has.

the emergency drills are in effect and we started seeing the eastern platforms, the eastern part of the gulf being shut down. now you're seeing wide ranging shutdowns of all the facilities in the gulf of mexico and inland as well. chemical facilities, the petroleum reserve there's a lot of infrastructure there. 78% of oil production has been halted by the end of yesterday. you'll probably see more of that today. almost half of natural gas production is shut down. 346 platforms have been evacuated now and 41 rigs have been evacuated. a lot people keep asking me the difference between a platform and rig. you can move a rig. it costs a lot of money to move it. there are hundreds of platforms in the gulf of mexico. many of those are being shut down right now for the sake of the people who work on them and also because you've got to make sure you secure that smie of oil and don't have any leaks. there's a picture of the rigs, there's a picture of where the storm is coming. we have a graphic courtesy of jpmorgan that they sent out to

clients that shows the three paths that -- the three recent memory hurricanes have taken through this critical energy infrastructure. rita, katrina and now this storm. this came through the heartland here. now, this storm mimicking with slightly less intensity but mimicking that path. people who work in the energy field have seen this before. they know they have to protect loss of property and more importantly loss of life. that's what they're doing there. gas prices will increase, zoraida. maybe ten cents over the next week. you have a venezuelan fire. the death toll from that is now 48 from that refinery fire in venezuela. now this big storm. you'll have disruption in the supply of gasoline. it will mean higher prices. the most important thing is they make sure no one is hurt, injured or killed because of that storm coming through the energy path. >> that's true. safety first. i was trying to find good news and you were covering the

drought in the midwest. i find an article saying that the farmers were happy that some of the water was headed in their direction as well. >> soybean. when you get good amount of rain, that's good for the soybean. the corn product was cooked. it was literally cooked in july. yes, rain is good for soybeans but not 20 inches in a row of rain. >> no. we have up to 8 inches nonstop. >> they're doing the rain dance with asterisks and caveats. they want rain but not too much rain. >> mother nature cannot be controlled. >> thank you very much. it's 25 minutes past the hour. isaac about to test the brand new multibillion dollar system of levees, pumps and floodwalls surrounding new orleans. we're live in new orleans next for you. if you are leaving the house right now, you can watch us any time. look at that. that was rob marciano standing near the -- i'm sorry. that's another reporter. i thought it was rob. rob is out there. so he's going to bring us that live report for you. you can get us on your desktop

or mobile phone any time. as the gulf coast braces for isaac, life is getting back to normal in south florida. like this one. this is from feel great now which shows choppy waters off fort lauderdale beach. right after isaac. send us your isaac eye reports but please be safe as you're doing this. we don't want you to become the story. look for assignment tropical storm isaac on our website. ime 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. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪

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on the verge. isaac close to becoming a hurricane with new orleans right

in its path. >> category 1 and 2 storms can bring significant damage in terms of wind, water or electric. >> the gop pressing on in tampa despite the storm. republicans wrestling with the tone as the party prepares to formally nominate mitt romney here tonight. welcome back to early start everyone. i'm john berman. live at the cnn grill in tampa where they're holding the republican national convention with the action getting started here today. we'll have more in a few minutes. >> we're looking forward to that, john. a lot of action i'm hoping for today. i'm zoraida sambolin. it's 30 minutes past the hour. first isaac is on a collision course with new orleans right now. it is still a tropical storm and it's slowing down over the warm gulf water. isaac could make landfall tonight. maybe early tomorrow. seven years to the day after hurricane katrina. reporter blake hanson from wdsu joins us from the shore on lake

pontchartrain in new orleans. what's going on there right now? >> reporter: hey, good morning, zoraida. as we just started here, a big wave came over the edge. we're at the base. the south end of lake pontchartrain. a lot of heavy waves are coming along the seawall. it's not in the protection area where we're at now. police have closed off this air k i can't to the public. since weave been out here for a couple of hours, it's getting worse. couple hours ago, it was maybe 35, 40 miles per hour. that's picked up since. some of these waves are now starting to spread on to the roads out here. it's draining as of now. but obviously, you can imagine, they will be tested. the drainage systems. we're about 50 yards from a levee. that will be tested as well. all of the improvements, billions of dollars poured into the levee system here. the flood gates shutting at this moment. it will be a test today as the

waters continue to rise here. >> blake, are you anywhere near the concrete walls that they had built? >> yeah. we're near some of them. if fact, when we came up this morning, a lot of them were closed. they were already closed. they started doing that yesterday early in the day. there's gates all over the place, there's flood gates that have been built. they're closed off at this moment. they're making sure to get them closed early. we've got probably about a few hundred yards this way, those are closed off. they're going to fully get a test today as the water is continuing to come over. >> you're getting drenched. >> and pound the seawall here. >> we are. >> are the folks hunkering down? we keep reading that this is not a serious as hurricane katrina. we're going to hunker down. what are you seeing there? >> you know, that's generally what we are seeing. yesterday we had a chance to go to the some of the grocery stores, the improvement, the home dee bay, the lowe's. a lot of people are battening

down the hatches, ready to ride this out. generally from looking at the roads, we're seeing similar things. there are mandatory evacuation areas. not in orleans parish but in plaque man's parish. in low-lying areas much of the protection district. most of the parts of jefferson parish. most are prepared to ride this out, zoraida. >> blake, is there an incredible amount of confidence that the levees will sustain whatever comes their way? >> there is. new orleans mayor mitch landrieu yesterday held a press conference and confidence was a word thrown around a lot during that. they were joking around. obviously, they don't take this in a funny light. but they seem very confident that all of the improvements that have been made since hurricane katrina are in place and that while they will be tested, that they will hold up. so within the city of new orleans, they're pretty

confident that the levee system that has been tested and has been improved since hurricane katrina is going to stand, be possible hurricane isaac. >> blake, i know that you are prepared for the weather. but we're a bit concerned about you as well. be safe. blake hanson live from our affiliate, wdsu in louisiana. thank you for that. hurricane warnings issued in three states along the gulf coast including the city of mobile, alabama which was hit hard by hurricane katrina in 2005. the city could see up to 18 inches of rain. local officials have ordered an evacuation of residents in low-lying areas. that's starting at 8:00 this morning. mayor sam jones joins me now over the phone. mayor, are you there? >> caller: yes, i am. >> thank you so much for joining us. i know that you're very, very busy there. what is the status in your area? >> caller: there's not a lot of wind so far here. we don't see a lot of rain. we haven't gotten what we're

expecting yet. >> what are you doing to prepare for what is headed your way? >> caller: we have evacuated areas this morning. we'll be evacuating low-lying areas, especially those in several watersheds that's really right on the pay and also on the river here. we'll be doing that and our law enforcement folks will go out trying to make sure that's being enforced. the other thing, we're encouraging people as the rain comes in, not to move around and stay out the highways. also to be very cautious of what's taking place. we expect that we'll have a lot of rain. we expect we'll have a lot of wind and some storm surge. we're trying to prepare for that. >> we've been talking about this being the seventh anniversary of hurricane katrina. and so we're curious as to, in your area, what has changed since then and how are you better prepared to handle this storm headed your way? >> caller: every time we experience a hurricane, we learn something. quite frankly, katrina was not

something that hit mobile very hard. we actually wound up being in the place where many people were staging the help that mississippi coast and louisiana coast. i say we've had some -- people here are aware of what's taking place. we only wish they would heed the warnings. >> are you prepared, again, to help other areas as well? >> caller: we are. if something very consistent on -- one area really goes, to help another. we know sooner or later, we all will be confronted with this. >> i know when katrina hit, you were elected mayor shortly thereafter, september 2005. and your city suffered millions of damage back then. are you concerned about that and having sufficient funds or getting sufficient aid? >> caller: we're always concerned about that. our system here, the emergency operations center is prepared to do assessments in that area. and also, work to try to

mitigate what we can. yes, we are concerned about that. that is always an issue for us. >> all right, mayor sam jones. thank you so much for joining us, we appreciate it. good luck to you. we'll check back in with you as well. a hurricane warning is in effect for the entire mississippi coast that is. power crews are already preparing for what they'll be dealing with once isaac leaves. southern mississippi's three power companies have activated their storm plans. they have crews on stand by to respond to power outages in the storm's aftermath. people who live there are stocking up just in case they lose power. the stores are trying to keep up with all of the demand for water, canned goods, flashlights, batteries. of course, propane tanks. as the florida panhandle prepares for isaac to arrive with hurricane strength, other parts of florida are recovering from the damage that was caused monday by tropical storm isaac. that storm knocked down trees monday in fort lauderdale. you're taking a look at that

there. flooding shut down the sawgrass expressway in nearby sunrise. in vero beach, isaac spun off a tornado that caused damage to three mobile home parks. the indian river county sheriff says he's amazed that no serious injuries were reported. >> clearly a miracle that we do not have any fatalities with the massive and extensive damage that this tornado has occurred. >> it was so quick. maybe two seconds. it was really, really fast. >> the sheriff also says around 30 homes were damaged. his department teamed up with home depot to provide tarps to help cover up the exposed roofs in that area. coming up just a few minutes from now, we'll hear live from fema director, craig fugate who is monitoring isaac from tallahassee, florida. >> john? here in tampa, sell the candidate and show compassion. it is a careful balance for the republican party as isaac barrels towards new orleans in

the middle of the republican national convention. we're live in tampa with expert analysis coming up next. this is stacy from springfield. oh whoa. hello? yes. i didn't realize i'd be talking to an actual person. you don't need to press "0," i'm here. reach a person, not a prompt whenever you call chase sapphire. the lines, the cost, the hassle. ♪ express yourself [ female announcer ] why not try coffee-mate? with over 25 delicious flavors for a fraction of the cost of the coffee house. add your flavor, with coffee-mate, from nestle. add your flavor, the wheels of progress. seems they haven't been moving much lately. but things are starting to turn around because of business people like you. and regions is here to help. with the experience and service to keep things rolling. from business loans to cash management, we want to be your partner moving forward. so switch to regions. and let's get going.

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you a report live with the latest in new orleans and what's happening there. isaac is nearing hurricane strength on a collision course with new orleans. right now the storm packing 70 mile an hour winds. forecasters expect it to make landfall sometime tonight or tomorrow morning near new orleans. isaac could be a category 2 hurricane by then with triple digit winds and torrential rain. as much as 18 inches expected in some areas of alabama, louisiana and mississippi. john? >> here in tampa, it is the first real day of the republican national convention after the threat of isaac essentially forcing the gop to cancel most of the speeches and festivities yesterday. may still impact this week as it goes on. i want to talk about what is planned for tonight. i'm joined by anna navarro, strategist from florida and erick erickson, the editor in chief of red state.com. tonight we have ann romney peek

speaking and chris christie. marco rubio laid it out last night. >> let's take a listen. >> mitt romney is an extraordinary person. i think at the end of this convention, that will be clear to the american people. this is a person who is a father, husband, a grandfather, member of his church and community has done extraordinary special things. the man and the way he's lived his life as a role model for younger men like myself are trying to balance work and family and responsibilities at home with responsibilities on the job. >> erica, why do we need to learn about mitt romney the man this week? >> the story is -- the obama campaign over the summer has tried to define him. they haven't done a good job defining him. he hasn't done a good job defining himself. they don't really know him. >> ann? >> i think he has a hard time emoting. he was not raised in this dr. phil generation that we all tell

each other our feelings and share our emotions. i think what we got from marco rubio was a preview of his speech. marco rubio is introducing mitt romney. he speaks right before mitt romney. then a short video, then mitt romney's speech. >> it seems clear to me that you like marco rubio? >> i love him. >> on -- when asked who they find more friendly and likeable, 61% say president obama, 27% say mitt romney. i'm not good at math, but that's a very, very big gap here. can mitt romney close this likability gap? >> you know something, john, i'm not sure he should try to. i'm not sure he's going to outjoke or outdance or outjive or be -- or outlike a barack obama. what he does need to do is establish a relationship of trust with the american people. in order to trust him, they've got to know him. they need to trust that he can

turn things around, things will be better with him. today, they don't know him enough to have that relationship of trust much that's his challenge. >> neither of you were big supporters of mitt romney in the primary. you were with jon huntsman. you were questioning him vocally? do you like mitt romney, eric? >> i don't really know him. i don't know his family or him. am i excited about his campaign with paul ryan? yes, i think he has a reason for being that he didn't have. will i support him? absolutely. for a lot of conservatives, you talk to them here, they want to beat barack obama. he's the guy that they have to do it with. >> as a voter, how can you not know mitt romney? he's been running for president on and off since 2007. he's been in the primary process for a year and been the presumptive nominee for republican for months. what more can americans know? >> unlike erick, i do know mitt romney. i met him. i like him. there's something that's not translating on tv. i like him, but he's not -- you know, he's not a john mccain.

he's not a guy who is going to joke and go off the cuff. i like ann romney a lot. i think she can be help fum in softening up -- >> more than they have. >> i think they will. i think we'll see that today. >> erick, i don't know if you agree with what. what ana seemed to say is i like mitt romney but, but -- >> i go back to the same issue. i like mitt romney and i know mitt romney but i trust mitt romney can be better than barack obama. that's the litmus test for me. i don't need to love him or take a drink of beer with the guy. >> this is the problem that a lot of republicans have with mitt romney. they do like mitt romney. maybe they like the idea of mitt romney. they're not sure though because he's a modest person. even during the primaries, he's had a real problem relating to people with his wealth issue. he seems not to want to bring it up. he can't connect on those levels. he's having trouble connecting with people. back in 1996, go back to this. people weren't sure they liked bill clinton. but they liked the job he was

doing. this is the polar opposite now. everyone likes barack obama, independents do. maybe not republicans. they don't like the job he's doing. >> erick erickson and ana navarro. thank you so much. if you want to talk more about cnn politics and what it's like to experience a republican national convention from inside behind the scenes, join wolf bl blitzer and our political team, you can send in questions live. this is a virtual chat. don't miss the roundtable at noon eastern time. log on to cnn.com/roundtable. thank you john. up next, testing -- a storm coming down the same pike. is southern louisiana ready in soledad o'brien joins us live from new orleans next. if you are leaving the house, you can watch us on your desktop or mobile phone. go to cnn.com/tv.

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welcome back to early start everyone. i'm john berman live at the scenic cnn grill. we're here for the republican national convention. >> we'll check in with you shortly, john. i'm zoraida sambolin in new york. tropical storm isaac is on track to make landfall near new orleans tonight just shy of seven years since hurricane katrina's landfall. people in and around new orleans ordered to evacuate if they live outside of storm protection levees. starting points, soledad o'brien is there and is following the preparations there. i know that you are very familiar with this area, soledad. how are they getting ready for this? >> reporter: you know, you can see behind me in jackson square, which is the heart of the touristy section of the french quarter. people have been boarding up some buildings. that is not atypical. there are many people who have left windows unboarded. ths a sense of certainly in terms of people leaving the city, not a ton of people have

decided to leave ahead of the storm and at the airport also, it's tremendous lines of people looking to get out. we spent a lot of the day in st. bernard parish. some that of is outside the levee system. for people there outside the levee system, they are evacuating. for people inside the area, where they were hit hard, 22-foot storm surge back during katrina. they say that the improvements to the levee system if they're in the levee system are so good that they feel very confident that they will stay. anxious but confident. take a look. >> so how are you feeling about the storm approaching? >> i think we're going to be okay. i have can confidence in our new flood detection system around st. bernard parish. it's not a katrina. that was seven years ago. we're going to have some rough weather. plenty of winds and rain. we think we can manage. >> i remember spending a lot of time with sheriff's deputies in the wake of katrina.

you guys worked straight through for really, i think, weeks before you were able to -- how do you feel psychologically? how is the team doing to have something similar coming back along a similar path? >> we're good. because we learned a lot from hurricane katrina. >> what did you learn? >> we're much better organized. we have communications. we can talk to state officials, local officials and that's a big part of it. our game plan is better. we know where the high ground is and that's where we're going to be embedded with the patrol deputies and the rest of the staff. we have a facility that has a generator in our executive staff building that has a generator. so we know that we can base our operations out of that. people are embedded with office of homeland security in st. bernard parish. the communications lines better, cooperation is much better. i think the people, they truly

understand that catastrophic effects of a major hurricane. >> reporter: 85% of the city, zoraida, was damaged in hurricane katrina. one of the things that they are doing has taken a lot of the lessons learned from katrina. for example, the last time around they evacuated the jail and they sent the prisoners -- we know what happened to new orleans from st. bernard parish. this time ahead of time they've evacuated the prisoners and sent them out of the way where they won't be in danger of being hit at all by the storm or storm surge or anything like that. and what they're doing is they're planning to move law enforcement officials will move into the jail, set up with a kitchen and a generator. that's what they will use as headquarters if in fact it looks like the storm is much more severe than expected at least at this time. zoraida? >> it's interesting to hear all the lessons learned because of hurricane katrina. we were talking to a reporter

earlier at lake pontchartrain. you can see the water coming up strongly on the coast or that lake. he was saying that folks are really hunkering down and they feel confident that this levee system will indeed be able to sustain whatever it is that heads its way. are you finding the same kind of confidence there? >> reporter: yeah, i am. that's for a couple of reasons. number one, all the money, the billions of dollars put into the levee system. that's a big deal. number two, everybody has been talking about communication. everyone is watching the weather more closely. listening to the parish officials more closely. number three, what is predicted at this time is nothing like katrina in terms of strength. that's a huge difference. many people said if we were looking at a category 3 coming on land, we'd get out. they theel feel confident they can withstand it. it will be a test of this levee system. maybe not a great test.

that would be a category 3 or higher. a test they feel comfortable stick around for. >> thank you, soledad o'brien. it is a tropical storm but they are expecting it to become a hurricane. dangerous but not quite a hurricane just yet. we continue to track isaac with new information from the national hurricane center. as the gulf braces or the hurricane, life is getting back to normal at least in south florida. this is the first ship coming back to port in fort lauderdale. send us your isaac eye reports. go to cnn i report.com. look for assignment tropical storm isaac.

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bracing for isaac. the massive storm hurdles towards the gulf coast taking aim right at new orleans. >> right now we're on a wing and a prayer. lot of prayers. with one eye on isaac, republicans get ready to formally nominate mitt romney at their convention tonight. i'm john berman live in tampa, florida. this is the cnn grill, a hub of activity at the republican national convention. we'll have more from the cnn grill in just a few minutes. >> we are looking forward to that, john. i'm zoraida sambolin. new orleans, bracing for a direct hit from isaac, the storm is gaining strength overnight in the warm gulf waters and right on the verge of becoming a

hurricane at this hour. isaac is expected to make landfall tonight or early tomorrow morning and when it does, new orleans may get soaked by a category 2 hurricane with 100-mile-per-hour winds. it could create storm surges of 6 to 12 feet. thousands of people in louisiana, as well as mississippi and alabama have already packed up and hit the highways and taking a look at them there. isaac directly impacting more than 5 million lives this morning. cnn has isaac covered like no other network. david mattingly is live in gulfport, mississippi. we'll begin with rob marciano at the port of new orleans that they are hoping the flood system will hold up in the face of its first big test, rob. >> yeah, they are putting it to the test this go around since katrina, seven years ago, almost to the day, beefed up the levee

system and flood gate system and pumps used to pump water out of the city into the lakes and rivers. the levees that are meant to be the barrier between the storm surge and the city itself. and some of these pumps can move water at a rate of 100, 150,000 gallons per second. but that sounds like a lot, zoraida, but really by design they can only really handle about an inch of rainfall per hour and every hour after that, about a half inch of rainfall. that's a typical thunderstorm. when we get the more solid rain shield in here, the rain rate will be higher than that. take a look as far as rainfall totals if you take the weather switcher. the bright white on here indicates rainfall that should -- at least with this graphic, the yellow, will be rainfall that exceeds 10 inches of rainfall. that includes new orleans. we could see a foot of rainfall and most of that will come within a 12-hour period.

that would be over the rate that the pumps can handle. there's going to be significant flooding in the city. the question is do the levee walls hold the storm surge as well, at least a 6 to 12 foot storm surge as this comes onshore. regardless of the strength, the circulation is so large and the way the gulf of mexico's floor is set up, we'll get a significant surge, not only here but across the southern mississippi coastline. you talk about the katrina anniversary and this storm's approach which will be similar in surge but not in size, so the same people affected by katrina will be affected by isaac, just not to the extent that katrina was. preliminary evacuations, just voluntarily here within the city. they are not going to make it mandatory until it becomes a 2 or 3 and frankly it's too late for that. there are no shelters of last

resort. they have a handful of smaller shell terz for homeless people to go into. they have warned people to make your choice and then basically live with it. they are prepped for rescue if they need it. but at this point they are not -- they are not making evacuations mandatory here in the city. folks are going to have to ride it out. >> i was reading that this morning, if you haven't made it out, you're staying and hopefully you don't have to be rescued. live for us in new orleans, rob, thank you. that massive storm is triggering hurricane warnings along a wide stretch of the gulf coast including the entire mississippi coast. some spots are all too familiar with this type of disaster. katrina's storm surge crashed homes. look at those pictures. that was on the eastern side of the storm. it killed more than 200 people in that state as well. so seven years later, these places are in that same dangerous position. david massingmattingly is live

gulfport. are people more prepared this time around? >> reporter: let me put it this way, we have a big lesson to learn after katrina. during that storm, storm surge from katrina was 6 to 10 feet over my head where i'm standing right now. we're not expecting to see anything like that with isaac, but in the years that followed katrina, they were committed to rebuilding here, a lot of infrastructure is wiped out along the shorelines so they rebuilt better and stronger and wherever they had structures they rebuilt, they rebuilt them higher. you're seeing a lot of homes up higher than they used to be, built with concrete and steel before they were wood frame houses, people feeling more confident that they are ready for whatever nature dishes out. you're finding everyone is treating all storms with respect including isaac, even though it's following the same path and timing as katrina, they don't

believe it's going to be nearly as bad for them as katrina was but they are watching it closely. some of that construction that has been going on over the past couple of years, here in gulfport, for example, they rebuilt their harbor before they used materials like wood. now it's also built with more sturdy materials and they are quite confident that center piece of their reconstruction after katrina will stand up to this storm. listen. >> the one that was here before katrina was built out of wood. this one is concrete and built like a fortress. >> reporter: built like a fo fortress, that shows the confidence. some people say they have confidence in the homes they've rebuilt. but they are treating this storm as respect. there's no such thing as any structure that is truly hurricane proof. with this storm, while we might not see the storm surge we saw

with katrina or the winds, we are expecting a lot of rain and flooding here. zoraida? >> nice to see they are taking it seriously. david mattingly live in gulfport. appreciate that. a hurricane warning in effect for the entire alabama coast. even as it continues on its track towards new orleans, mobile bay could see a 4-foot storm surge. mandatory evacuations have been ordered for parts of baldwin and mobile counties in alabama with tropical storm force winds expected as early as this afternoon. >> we always have to remember that what we're trying to do is protect the lives of the people of this area. everything else is secondary. >> as a florida panhandle prepares for isaac to arrive with hurricane strength. other parts of florida are recovering from the damage caused monday by tropical storm isaac. that storm knocked down trees monday in ft. lauderdale. you're looking at that there and flooding shut down the saw grass

expressway in nearby sun rise. and ver ro beach, it spun off a reported trn, caused damage to three mobile home parks. we heard like a freight train, jet plane coming close by and she had asked me what was that. i said that's a tornado. >> the door flew past me and glass was flying and i was sitting on my bed doing paperwork and watching a movie. and all of a sudden things were flying. >> the indian river county sheriff says it is a miracle no serious injuries were reported there. >> we'll hear live from craig fugate monitoring from tallahassee. in tampa, the republican party is storm watching. the gop convention is set to kick off in full. they are keeping an careful eye

on the gulf coast. could the storm force chris christie to tone it down a bit? we'll be joined by jessica yellin to talk about this and much more live from the cnn grill in just a moment. 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. ♪

welcome back. it is 12 minutes past the hour. we continue to track tropical storm isaac. it is nearly a full-blown hurricane. take a look at that. it's expected to happen sometime this morning as isaac moves through the gulf of mexico. you see it churning now. right now it has sustained winds of 70 miles per hour. current projections have this slamming into the gulf coast near new orleans tonight or

early tomorrow morning. that -- it's a category one, could be a category one hurricane, excuse me. the storm surge could be as high as 12 feet in some areas. excuse me, john, we're going to head back out to you now. >> here in tampa, the tone of the republican convention, it might need to be toned down because of isaac's potential impact but it is still full speed ahead today for the republican party as the convention begins really in earnest with mitt romney's formal nomination and big prime time speeches by ann romney and chris christie, the governor of new jersey. the bigening is last night we learned mitt romney himself is expected in tampa today, two full days before his big speech. i'm joined by jessica yellin. mitt romney coming to town, it seems like a big deal. >> it is, it's usual for the candidate to come in himself a few days before the speech. it really seems to put a

spotlight on ann romney's speech to high lie the fact this is a moment when we're going to see the personal side of mitt romney. if the whole point of this convention is to give voters a different picture of romney, the family man, the warm guy, it's also more opportunity for him to be on stage and seen in two more nights in that light. >> normally we see the candidate pumped in by satellite aimage waving to his wife waving now presumably they'll be on stage together. >> that al gore and tipper gore lip lock -- >> we did perhaps learn our lesson with that. >> we've been talking about the convention, should it be toned down. we haven't spoken as much about president obama, who is on a two-day campaign swing starting today. >> that is true and it's also unusual for the rival candidate to go out and campaign during the other's convention -- >> at all. >> this is sort of a first.

i didn't mean to say convention convention but that's funny but the president is going to three battleground states, iowa, virginia and ohio. he's also speaking to college -- at college campuses, it's the crucial youth vote that the president hopes to win. really sticking it to romney with the key demographic and battle ground states. >> there does seem to be an enthusiasm gap among america's youth but the white house could face questions going into tomorrow if the impact of the storm perhaps is stronger than we anticipate. the president and white house have made it clear that he continues to get ongoing briefings from fema and issuing declarations as needed. i wouldn't be surprised if there was a severe situation that they could call off the event or alter like vice president biden changed his plans when they found out florida was under potential impact. >> thank you very much for being here right now.

we do have other political news to discuss. and it is perhaps sad news, a source close to cnn says arlen specter is now battling for his life. he was diagnosed with a serious form of cancer around six weeks ago. this is not the first cancer scare for the 82-year-old. in the past 20 years, overcome a brain tumor and nonhodge kin's lymphoma. our thoughts are with him and his family this morning. >> and our prayers as well. that's very sad news. coming up, officials warning that isaac could be a cat like event for oil production. rigs shut down as the storm bears down. how much could you pay for gas by labor day? we're minding your business coming up next. cnn's coverage of the republican national convention is sponsored by -- ♪

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welcome back, i'm john berman, this is the cnn grill, we're live in tampa. mitt romney coming to town today for the republican national convention and we will have more from here in just a few minutes. >> i have to tell you, we're missing you here in new york but we're happy you're anchoring in tampa. we'll check in soon there. i'm zoraida sambolin. we are minding your business, oil and gas production being cut down sharply out of the gulf with isaac fast approaching, christine romans is tracking the shutdown of rigs and platforms. >> and emergency operations are underway, 78% of the oil production facilities in the region are shut down. they are evacuating people from the rigs and platforms, 41 rigs evacuated. 346 platforms evacuated. i want to show why these emergency preparations are happening.

what they are eyeing, katrina, rita, both of those storms, you can see them there, they came right through the heart, artery really of america's gulf oil production and they are watching the path of this storm as well, watching as that comes forward and concerned about it hitting exactly the same areas that have been hit before and want to make sure chemical facilities are secured and oil rigs are secured and refineries are secured and oil terminals and pipelines and all of that are secured. that's important for your money today. also we're looking at campaigning that's happening in the heartland. the president, is going to make his case to a demographic that has been good to him in the past. america's college students. he's going to iowa state university then fort collins and he's going to make the case that you want him to be the steward for the next four years for america's youth. and the o bamny -- team romney, team romney comes out with an ad on education saying to kids,

there's more to it, sort of an info graphic. hope and change hasn't been so great, has it kids? it has failed the youth of america. youth unemployment rate has doubled the unemployment rate for other americans. you have tuition at all-time highs how is the president's stewardship doing for you? you're going to see both going after the youth vote and that's playing out politically today at least. >> in 2008 president obama took the youth, right? he rallied all of the youth to come out and vote. you wonder how they are going to feel. >> he got two-thirds of that vote and now you've got team romney that's saying every minute of the day, that he was the president, he racked up all of the debt to get out of the financial crisis. kids are graduating from college and what the romney team says, you kids, you have a bill. he has handed you a bill, not opportunity. >> rnc has the clock ticking for

four days to see how the deficit racks up in four days. >> this has been a demographic that's been good to president obama, certainly was in 2008. >> thank you very much, christine. it is 22 minutes past the hour. the national hurricane center out with a brand-new assessment of tropical storm isaac, the latest on the projected path coming up. if you are leaving the house, you can watch any time on your desktop or mobile phone, go to cnn.com/tv. as the gulf coast braces for isaac, we're getting ireports showing live get back to normal, at least in florida. it shows choppy waters off ft. lauderdale beach right after isaac. are those people in the water? maybe i'm seeing things? no, i'm not. all right, send us your isaac ireports but be safe. look for assignment tropical storm isaac. emily skinner, each day was fueled by thorough preparation for events to come.

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republican national convention. we'll have more full reports coming up in a few minutes. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. first here, new orleans just hours away from a head-on collision with isaac and the national hurricane center with the latest on the storm. for that we'll go to karen maginnis. >> it is just on the verge of becoming a hurricane. moving fairly rapidly at the northwest -- to the northwest at about 12 miles an hour. this puts it at just about 125 miles from the southeast of new orleans or just from the mouth of the mississippi river. have a different perspective for you. ness a view of the water vapor. we show you this because there are two aspects that are kind of critical. you can see the fairly dry air here and all of this is the

moisture wrapping around what is soon probably to become hurricane isaac. there's not a clearly defined eye. if it were it would be just about in this vicinity but there's a little dry slot of air coming in that is also cut off across the north edge of the system. why do we care about that? the more moisture we have wrapped into the system, that's where we're going to see the intensity change with this. we're going to see a lot more moisture, maybe that eye developing more clearly. here's a view off the coast the radar. some of those bands interrupting things along the coast, nothing very heavy right now but the wind is the key piece of this. some of the winds have been gusting around 40 miles per hour. that at boothville, louisiana. and the spaghetti models, you see this when we start covering the hurricanes or tropical systems and they are in pretty much agreement going across shore and from there, taking it

more towards the north and northwest, maybe towards little rock. as a much smaller system, but nonetheless, it's going to be critical because we're looking at powerful amounts of rainfall. storm surge, these are the critical things that will happen as we go into the next 24 and indeed 36 hours. at about tuesday morning, sometime during those early morning hours, we're expecting it to be a category one hurricane making landfall with about 85-mile-per-hour winds in the vicinity of new orleans of early morning hours on tuesday and weakening over the next 36 hours. we'll keep you updated on that. another update coming up at 8:00 eastern. >> karen, i know we talked about potentially a category two hurricane at some point. has that changed? >> it looks like right now national hurricane center is saying it's interacting or so close to land right now maybe

that north edge will not develop so much. they are keeping it at a category one. this is very warm water. very fickle things can happen when we see these encounter, 88, 89 degree water temperatures. right now we're saying category 1. but we'll get another update at 8:00. >> thank you for clearing that up for us. it is a number one question right now in new orleans, are the levees ready. the army corps of engineers was given $14 billion to improve flood defenses right after katrina. here's a result for you. take a look. the system includes the biggest pumping station in the world spanning across the intercoastal water way along with another 73 pumping stations across five parishes, the levee walls dug deeper and built stronger and standing higher than seven years ago. we certainly hope so. and thousands of people in low

lying areas along the gulf coast have been told to leave homes with isaac approaching, that includes the tiny fishing village of grand isle, louisiana. people there are still reeling from the gulf oil spill. ed lavender ra is talking with fisherman. they've had a tough time haven't they, ed? >> reporter: there's no question going back to hurricane katrina and gustav, this is a community that has dealt with a great deal. this is another one of those challenges that lies ahead in the next few hours and we're preparing to hunker down here to ride out the storm here at the home of dave, you've seen him many times on cnn, a friend of the program as we like to say. what are you expecting today as we begin to prepare to hunker down here? >> we expect a little wind today and probably get a little rain

later on and get rid for tonight and see what mother nature got in store for us. >> you don't like to leave your home behind, you like to ride the storms out, why is that? >> we specially built this home for this, been through many hurricanes and i like to watch my business. it seems like if you leave, you have a hard time coming back. the law enforcement, don't want no lootering so they'll start -- try to stop you from coming back so i just quit leaving. >> and do you think this island will be able to hold up relatively well throughout the storm? >> oh, yeah. the people over here are real resilient. i mean, no matter how much damage we have, within a couple of days people will be rebuilding and ready to come home. >> as we prepare to do this throughout the day. we're on the highest point of the island. >> we're on a ridge. i think we're pretty safe. you know, you don't feel nothing in the house, you're real safe.

>> reporter: there's a ridge that goes through the island here. we got the ocean -- the gulf on this side and the bay side and back towards new orleans this way zoraida. do you think a lot of people will be leaving? will they be sticking around? >> we had 42 people here last night what the fire chief told me and i believe 30 of them will leave this morning. we'll be down between 7 and 12 people tonight. >> a little disheartening, not many will be left here in a few hours. >> it will be nice and quiet. >> reporter: nice and quiet. zoraida, so the preparations that we're going through, we'll be able to show that, stick with us here throughout the day. and my good friend and colleague, ali velshi rode out the storm and we expect more of the same and we're anxiously awaiting to see the tropical storm when it becomes a hurricane and what that will mean in the hours ahead.

>> ed lavandera, one of 7 of 12 people that is going to hang out. we had a picture of the storm churning as it's barreling towards that area. so be safe, you are one brave soul out there. >> reporter: we haven't had a drop of rain yet. the wind has started to pick up but no rain yet. >> it's headed your way. you can probably be guaranteed of that. hopefully we'll check back in with you. good luck to you. as isaac barrels through the gulf of mexico, here's what it looks like from space. nasa satellite imagery showing the massive storm system as it moved past cuba and the florida keys over the past couple of days into the gulf where its sights are set on new orleans. john? >> here in tampa, the issue is selling the candidate while showing compassion. it is a careful balance for the republicans as isaac barrels towards new orleans.

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38 minutes past the hour, isaac is yet to muscle up to hurricane strength but that is expected to happen soon and isaac poses a major threat to the gulf coast and new orleans. right now the storm packing 70-mile-per-hour winds. forecasters expect it to make landfall sometime tonight or tomorrow morning right near new orleans, john. >> it is the first real day of the republican national convention here in tampa. this is after the threat of isaac forced the republicans to cancel events yesterday. now the storm could steal the

spotlight a bit all together as it slams into the gulf coast. i'm joined by anna navarro and floridian, i'm also joined by eric ericsson and editor in chief of red state.com. do you think isaac is getting too much attention right now? >> no, i'm a floridian, i know what the people are going through. i know what it's like to be waiting for a hurricane, the stress and preparation and the nervousness, what's going to happen to your family, keeping your kids stave and yourself safe and home safe. no, there's never too many attention given to a hurricane. it is so much better to be safe than sorry. >> eric, do you have to be careful of tone? >> you have to be careful with the tone. i grew up in louisiana and i look at the media and think, it's a hurricane, it's deserves coverage but it's not as awful as people thought it was going to be. >> you live in georgia now.

>> you think it maybing overblown? >> the coverage of most weather events is overblown. you get a snowstorm in new york city, you cover it for a week. >> you don't cover it, people don't prepare. >> absolutely. >> let me ask this, we have chris christie giving the key note address and ann romney giving a speech people have been talking about for months and mitt romney coming to town for what i presume would be an on-stage appearance with his wife tonight. when the convention is done this evening at 11:30, what will the romney campaign need to have accomplished to be successful? >> i think three things, ann romney needs to open up her husband and talk about her husband. i don't think she should unzip him but shed light on some of the personal nature of him he doesn't know. on christie, i think he'll set the stage for back and forth with obama. that's what he's good and we're expecting. and third, i think we need to be sensitive and showiate empathy

to what's happening in the gulf coast, not because it's the politically correct thing to to but the right thing to do. >> i'm still shocked i've got to be up to 11:30 to deal with this. i think she has to humanize mitt romney. they need to start being able to connect to people. i think she has a story to tell and tell the story about ann romney. there are people who don't know about her. she sells very well to independent voters. she's a great asset to mitt romney. >> quickly, a romney aide was telling me overnight they think there are people out there on the fence but they are looking for a reason to vote for mitt romney that they haven't found yet. any think ann romney might be able to find that magical combination. >> i think the romney team is right on that. there are people who they just want an excuse to vote, if not for mitt romney, against barack obama. i think she has a compelling personal story. she humanizes mitt romney and relates to people very well. >> you were asking in the

previous hour about liking mitt romney. i've probably met mitt romney about 18 times and met ann romney one time. i really like ann romney. >> by comparison you're saying? >> you make all the assumptions you want. i think i got myself in trouble already, i'm not saying a thing. >> you want to know what it's really like? behind the scenes we have the way to do it right now. join us in a chat at cnn election roundtable with wolf blitzer and the entire team. submit your questions and get answers in realtime. don't miss the cnn election roundtable live at 12 noon eastern by logging into cnn.com/roundtable. >> i'd like to revisit your chats, john berman. that was great. soledad o'brien is live in new orleans with a look at what is ahead on starting point. good morning to you, soledad. >> reporter: zoraida, ahead on "starting point," we'll continue our live coverage here from new

orleans. the storm clouds are taking center stage obviously at the republican national convention. if it becomes a disaster, then conversations have to be had about the event itself. we'll talk to congressman randy forbes coming up. also, we're going to be talking about what's happening here in new orleans. we'll talk to senator mary landrieu and her brother, who is the mayor here, mitch landrieu and see how they are feeling about the levee system. and talk to local folks who say they are not leaving. they decided not to evacuate. that and much more this morning at "starting point" gets under way at the top of the hour. we'll see you then. looking forward to it, soledad. i know that place is very near and dear to her heart. so boarding up and stocking up, getting out, riding it out, southern alabama in the danger zone like it was seven years ago. we are talking to the director of the alabama emergency management agency to check in on how they are doing coming up next.

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welcome back to "early start," we're in tampa for the republican national convention.

>> and i'm zoraida sambolin in new york. isaac is on track to make landfall in louisiana but parts of alabama could be hit just as hard. a hurricane warning has been issue for the southern coast of the state. landfall could come just shy of seven years since hurricane katrina. and officials are taking every precaution to make sure people are really ready this time. joining me now over skype is art falkener, the alabama emergency management agency. thank you so much for taking time to spend with us. can you tell us how you're preparing? >> well, zoraida, we have been planning for this since last week and throughout the weekend, we've monitored the situation, the governor has made decisions well in advance of the storm to be able to put the safety of the citizens on our coast. at the utmost important and make sure that we can get them to safety in the event that the storm strengthens and i am pablgts and braces down on the coast of alabama.

>> and the governor declared a state of emergency for alabama on sunday and working in conjunction with other agencies, fema, the national guard. do you feel that you have what you need, that you're prepared for the worst headed your way? >> we do. governor yesterday was in contact with the president. i've been in contact with fema administrator fugate and meet with him later today and we'll be on the coast making sure that the first responders and others have everything they need to get the citizens out and be able to respond to them if they stay behind. >> at this stage of the game, we're talking a storm here, isaac, a storm but potentially moving in as a hurricane, category one. the governor ordered a wide evacuation, baldwin, mobile counties but then scaled it back. what happened? why the change? >> well, on sunday when we were looking at the possibility of

needing to do the evacuation, such a large storm with tropical force winds extending over 200 miles out from the center of the storm. as that was on a very easterly track, we couldn't wait until it got up on the coast of alabama. so the governor made some decisions. mainly to try to get people to understand how serious the storm could be. then on monday after meeting with local officials, he modified that evacuation order and put some of the local officials to where they could go in to certain areas that they felt needed to be focused on and then have others that could stay in place unless we felt they absolutely had to get out. >> the timing of the hurricane, we've been talking a lot about tropical storm now but headed to a hurricane. the anniversary the seventh anniversary of hurricane katrina. when we spoke to mobile's mayor earlier, sam jones, he had said that there have been some changes that have been

implemented since hurricane katrina. so he felt they were better prepared. do you feel the same or is there? anxiety because it is on the anniversary? >> well, you know, we take every storm serious and we always try to prepare for any type of disaster. the state of alabama is no stranger to that, even though we have not faced a hurricane. last spring we essentially had a hurricane sit the northern two-thirds of the state of alabama. and i think that you saw the first responders and the local elected officials and others and our governor be able to be proactive and take care of our citizens. in this situation we're trying to do that before the storm because we certainly don't want to face the death that we faced out of the immediate threat of tornadoes in the state last year. >> that is very smart indeed. thank you for taking some time out this morning. we appreciate it. >> thank you. >> 51 minutes past the hour. tropical storm isaac hasn't made landfall but there's already a

fight over money and the emergency response. the president declares an emergency in louisiana and the governor says that's not enough. fema administrator craig fugate will join us next. and everyone likes 50% more [ russian accent ] rubles. eh, eheh, eh, eh. [ brooklyn accent ] 50% more simoleons. [ western accent ] 50% more sawbucks. ♪ [ maine accent ] 50% more clams. it's a lobster, either way. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card. with a 50% annual cash bonus, it's the card for people who like more cash. [ italian accent ] 50% more dough! what's in your wallet? [ italian accent ] 50% more dough! 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.

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welcome back to "early start," i'm john berman. this is the cnn grill. we're live in tampa for the republican national convention. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin back in new york. it's nice to have you. another quick look at the progress of isaac this morning. the storm could make landfall along the gulf coast as early as tonight as a hurricane. the president yesterday declared a state of emergency for louisiana, freeing up federal aid but louisiana is asking for more help. fema administrator craig fugate is with me now live from tallahassee, florida. thank you so much for taking the time this morning. we were talking about the state of emergency that's been declared because a lot of governors in several states have done that. but the president has gotten involved and declare a state of emergency for louisiana. could you explain the difference between it being a governor versus a president? >> absolutely, governors are authorized under their constitutions to take extraordinary actions in

disasters. so they declare an emergency that turns on state plans and gives authority to call the national guard and they are in charge of that response in that state. when they need federal assistance, they can request from the president that the president declare an emergency or declare a disaster. so yesterday governor obama declared a disaster if there is any request the state has, particularly for search and aircraft, whatever the federal government may need for life saving activities, that's authorized. we'll continue to look at the impacts and determine what more assistance. >> i know you meant president obama there. you said governor obama. >> president obama, yes, i'm sorry. >> that's fine. what are the measures happening right now? >> well, we've been working with the states i think you heard from the director in alabama as people have been getting ready for this along the gulf coast. we had teams move in, work with

the states and set up. we don't wait for disasters to be declared or request to come in. we're already in louisiana, mississippi and alabama. we have supplies coming in. the other lesson, we don't want to wait until something happens to determine what we need. we move supplies, general ratder, water, food and infant supplies and types of things that may be needed if the states do have flooding or other types of damages. >> that cost a lot of money. there was a "new york times" editorial talking about the gop-backed cuts to fema. i want to read what it says, between 2010 and 2012, house republicans forced reduction of 43% in the primary grants for the federal emergency management agency that pay for disaster preparedness. it goes on to talk about the $1.8 billion that will not be available. does it concern you, these cuts and the negative impact it could have for fema in order to help during disasters? >> well, i think you got to really look at the overall

federal budget, what the president has requested in the prior years and what he requested this year. we're basing upon what the needs are of the agency as well as what our responders need and again, we look at the president's budget as where we would like to be and many cases when you talk about disaster response, last year the budget stabilization act, the agreement was we would get fully funded for the recovery relief fund which is our primary fund we use to respond to disasters and we are very healthy with those funds going into this storm. unlike last year, if you remember we had a lot of problems with the money. congress and president agreed to fully fund these accounts. going into the storm we're in good shape for response. >> that is very good news. i'm sure everybody is happy to hear that. after the president declared a state of emergency, governor jindal sent a letter requesting full disaster declaration for his state. if the state would be reimbursed for all expenses. do i think that will happen? >> it depends upon the impacts.

primary responsibility for evacuations really state and local governments and when it's extraordinary the federal government can support that with financial assistance. what the president said yesterday was if you have a request for specific federal assistance, we're ready to provide that life safety issues, we're not going to hold anything up. we'll look at the impacts and determine, does this exceed the state's capability to support federal tax dollars and particularly if they start having damages. early on the request was direct federal assistance. if the impacts are greater than the state of louisiana can manage, we'll assess that and look recommendations looking at what the governor has requested. >> i know you have your hands full so we appreciate the time you've taken with us this morning. craig fugate, thank you for your time. that is it for quts lerl i start. i'm zor ride da sambolin. >> i'm john berman, a special edition of