so we are facing this as a category 1 storm that could have the effects of a storm a lot higher category of the slow movement amount of water. so this storm still has a threat. the threat is flooding and turning the lights out for much of louisiana south of i-10. >> is it hard to believe it has been seven years and how do you feel about as far as a the leadership and the organization that you've been seeing in the run up to this storm, certainly not to the category of katrina but just the different approach and the lessons from katrina that you heard on the run-up to isaac coming ashore? >> well, i think katrina was a life changing event for everybody in america and all bran branches of government from local to state to federal know that the more that you can collaborate the better off you are. a bunch has happened since then, changes in law and use of the stafford act and deployment of fema before the storms. so we've done a complete 180 from where we were prior to katrina and collaboration in support of state and federal and local and that's helped a lot as well as use of the national

>> a category 2 at landfall for sure. could even be stronger than that. >>> stay with cnn for complete coverage of the republican national convention and tropical storm isaac. we'll be here all day and all evening. you'll want to be here, as well, for the best seats in the house. i'm wolf blitzer, reporting from tampa. >>> and i'm anderson cooper. next, cnn's early start. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> the ghost of katrina. almost seven years to the day, a brand-new storm with the same path and the same timing barrels towards new orleans. >>> if you're called upon to leave, you should leave. we will not say it lightly. we have seen the results of people thinking that they somehow are stronger than storms. >> hurricane fears haunting the gop convention in tampa, too. a shuffled schedule amid worries that this major storm strike on the gulf coast could overshadow mitt romney's big night. good morning and welcome to "early start," everyone. i'm john berman live in tampa, florida, for this week's gop convention. i

category 3, 111 to 130, that was katrina. and category 3131 3, 131 to 150. and reclassified as a category five. katrina was technically a category 3. all right, live look outside. very nice evening, brought to you by michael and son. 88 degrees. dew point is down. 65. pressure down a little bit, too. 30.00 inches of mercury and winds out of the south, southwest at 9. we'll zoom down now to isaac. he's already producing a lot of showers and storms across most of florida and yeah, this is actually all associated with isaac and bands of rain. has yet to hit the new orleans area and southern louisiana, but they are hours away from big bands of rain. there's our cold front. that rolls through tomorrow. has a little bit to it. showers and storms back in the ohio valley, but as far as we are concerned, we are in fine shape. maybe a shower late tonight after midnight. all right, next three days, we'll keep it code green. 89 tomorrow. isolated storm. fantastic on wednesday. perfect day on wednesday. 85. skins in town. and 91, hotter on thursday, but still code green.

this is a category 1, or will become a category 1 and a category 2 just before making land fall. so that makes land fall, maybe 8:00 p.m. tuesday. that is central time. winds 96 to 110-miles per hour. storm surge 8 feet and 5 to 10 inches of rain. an isolated tornado. there's a cold front back in the ohio valley, stretching back through arkansas. that will roll through tomorrow. does not have a lot of moisture with it, but it will bring in fantastic air tuesday night and wednesday. we happen to have a redskin game on wednesday. won't that work out nicely. we have partly cloudy skies, big time rains that plagued much of our beaches all weekend. finally pushing to the north and out to sea. temperatures 86 in vienna. 85 in fairfax. 84 in bethesda. 88 in college park and 86 in bowie. temperatures not too bad. a cold front approaches. outdoor activities are possible. and fantastic wednesday for the redskin game. for tonight, isolated shore or thunderstorm, partly cloudy. now the next three days, we're going to keep it green, green, and green. tomorrow, an isolated storm, no worries. f

they are looking at projections of a category 1 hurricane, although some have said it could be category 2. when we look at the time line, if this hurricane hits on wednesday, that would be the seventh anniversary of hurricane katrina. jim spellman is standing by in new orleans. jim, it looks to me -- forgive me, jim spellman is standing by in key west this morning. tell me how it looks where you are. >> reporter: they made out pretty well here. take a look. it is duval street, the winds came right in there and came right up here, heavy rains as well. they were concerned about inland flooding here, it's very low island for key west. they got as many tourists out of the way as they could. only 20% of courccupancy in the hotels. they told everybody to stay inside. for the most people heeded the warning and stayed inside. they didn't want people out on the street. it looks like they didn't have any serious damage. the department of emergency management in florida is doing statewide assessment now that the sun is coming up. in key west, they have a little bit of a sense of humor even when st

it could be category 1 to a higher end category 3. >> a higher end category 3? >> that is the upper range of what the possibility is, given that we are forecasting category 2 at this had point. >> all right. >> he did not just forecast a category 3. >> he said if everything worked perfect, if it hit the heat and everything at the highest end, it could be. >> it's like taking a poll. you say plus or minus 3%, that is what they are. plus or minus a category and a half. >> with e want to the go to john zarrella, key west, john zarrella is there. john, has the worst of the storm past now? it doesn't look like it's raining where you are? >> reporter: no, it actually is not raining here. and it hasn't rained significantly in a few hours. before that, it was quite heavy, torrential rain, wind a the storm moved over us and passed us. you can look up and it's hard to tell. but as you watch the clouds moving and rotating, you can see them spinning to the north. that is actually -- we are looking now to the north. and a little bit to the west there. so the clouds spinning

there are things about category 1 storms and category 2 storms that will kill you or hurt you badly. let me walk through this again because i don't want to be standing here in a coupledies mourning the loss that was avoidable. driving and walking through standing water near canals and/or overpasses and even on streets, manhole covers that might come, is a very dangerous activity and could cause drowning. flying debris during the storm, when the winds hit 40, 50 miles an hour, things start flying. and it is very, very dangerous and there have been many examples in category 1 storms and category 2 storms of there being deaths as a result of people hit by flying debris. the same thing is true of fallen trees and of downed power lines. you've heard the stories of if ever for the grace of god, how is it possible that person and that tree met at that moment in time? it has happened unfortunately too many times. i ask you to be vigilant about that. of course, the improper use of generator and candles can be particularly problematic and i'm sure there are hundreds of other things we have don

we have dodged a bullet in the sense that this is not a category three storm, but a category one. >> katrina caught us off guard. we had five or six warnings and everybody became complacent when the big storm came. and that's one of the problems we have with these people making them run off and get into a frenzy. >> meteorologists say most deaths are caused by water, not wind. the national weather service says isolated areas could receive up to 20 inches from isaac and flooding is expected. it's not just flooding that is expected. the other factor is storm surge. they expect 6 to 12 feet of storm surge to invade the area. but they are confident that this time more than ever before, they are prepared. reporting live from new orleans, now back to you. >> karen, we have seen pictures from the french quarter, what about the rest of the city? did people leave? >> reporter: people hunkered down. a will the of them decided they were going to wait out this storm. they stocked up on supplies. they know that power failures are inevitable. some have generators and prepared for that as well. the

possibly even a category 2.s since hurricane katrina and isaac is following avery similar track. we'll head back to john berman live in tampa where isaac has affected the rnc. >> they've canceled the events that were scheduled for tonight of the all they'll do is gavel in and gavel out. it is rather nasty here, it's wet and windy, still later this week mitt romney will make his nomination official. he will give his acceptance speech wednesday night. things are complicated right now. what if this storm strengthens and continues to head towards new orleans there? what if it makes a direct hit? what are the challenges in terms of so-called optics. i have two political experts here to talk with me about the challenges facing the republican party. jessica yellin is here and new friend of mine, anna navarro, rerom florida. this is your home ste. let me ask both of you. anna, let's talk about the optics here. they do face a tough decision if the storm is due to make a direct hit on new orleans, do they want to be speak

we could have a category two or three storm by tomorrow night it can ramp up quickly. >> category 3? >> that is a storm with 120 miles per hour wins. >> category one. >> 75 or 85. >> 10 miles away from that. i heard most colleagues say it could get no worse than that. you think why it is worse? >> i have seen them intensify and what happen florida straits, you have a natural wave to converge in the hurricane. i am sure they are concerned. they are not sitting there saying a category one is all it is going to be. what they want to see first and we have to look for. once the banding wraps in and the pressure start in the storm it feeds back it is like a skater pulling her arms in and all of the air up the center. and when you are looking at water temperatures. 87 or 88 degrees. amount of energy available to feed back that storm is way up. as far as tampa goes. even if the storm is a hurricane, 50 or 60 southwest of tampa it is disruptive but not destructive. florida keys we are concerned about north to miami. if it hits southwest of the miami, the storm surge is 6 or 10 feet in miami.

two ptorm the city, a category one that kind of flooding in breaking the levees with katrina-like event, that is, we are not expecting a notwithstanding the fact we are not expecting a katrina-like event, that is, breaking the levees with that kind of flooding in theecity, a category one and category two storm can bring significant damage in terms (audio hit) of wind, water, or electric, and a lot of loss of life comes from people being careless and not paying attention.i'm ed payne reporting. the national hurricane center says a few areas of alabama, louisiana and mississippi coull get as much as 18 inches of rain. family members of some of the 12 people shot to deatt during a midnight movie showing in colorado will hold a press conference later this morning... to talk about some behind-the-scenes events they say need to be aired ublicly. a spokeswoman for thee group declined to ccmment on what the families would talk about.police believeejames holmes is the suspect who opened fire july 20th in a packed theater during a showing of a batman movie. he is being held withoot bail. a memori

this is not a category three storm, but a category one. eighty-five-100 miles went is plenty big enough to put a big hurt on you if you fall into complacency so let's not do that. i would ask you, however, to remain calm and remain vigilant. we have for a long time planned for this. the individual citizens in the city have done an excellent job of getting a plan together. those citizens that intended to evacuate have done so. those of you who have decided to shelter in place have done so as well. in my travels across the city, it appears as though the citizens are heeding warning. they are doing a really good job of porting of the residence and not going out unless they absolutely have to. i would ask you to continue to follow that rule. i am somewhat dismayed on the number of people right now out trying to experience what a lot of heavy water feels like. if you get pulled into it, you will not like that feeling. i ask you to rethink where you are. i understand because isaac has taken such a long time to form a people may be getting bored,

the category of the storm, now a tropical storm, that category has to do with the maximum sustained wind speed but other hazards are not part of the category. the storm surge and the inland flooding are hazards not captured by the category. the large size and the slow motion are making the water hazards really, really dangerous if a lot of people. >>shepard: dr. knabb, thank you. if you are this central or north mississippi or in this area and you are in a flood-prone area look at steve in the water on the south coast and consider what you will do with your family. you have two bad days ahead of you. i promise. our local station here in new orleans -- that is an ambulance going by. our local station. wvue in new orleans, they have been incredible. they are interviewing a parish president right now, who is the z john parish president. listen, like, pictures from that area. >> we are in the process of trying to get them not to take chance. a lot of the folks being evacuateed did not expect to evacuate. so, it is just, they are allowed to take themselves, nothing with them, right? >> actual

isaac expected to come ashore not as a category one but category two storm.here exactly no way to go. best progestion right in new orleans. worst case scenario. we can hope. it is it a monday fox report. [ western accent ] 50% more sawbucks. ♪ [ maine accent ] 50% more clams. it's a lobster, either way. [ male annncer ] 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? [ wife ] your dad's really giving him the business... the designated hitter's the best thing to happen to baseball! but it's not the same game! [ wife ] wow, he's really gonna get us a good deal. it's better! no it's not! the pitcher comes up and he's out! [ dealer ] he can bunt! whatever. but we're good with 0% apr for 60 months? oh yeah, totally. thank you so much. that must've been brutal. [ male announcer ] the volkagen autobahn for all event. at 0% apr for 60 months, no one needs to know how easy it was to get your new volkswagen. that's the power of german engineering. wit

you know, category three, people will take more protective actions than they'll take with a category one. i think a lot of people have experienced category one hurricanes and they feel that may be something that i can stay around and ride out. >> for the obvious reasons, a lot of people are comparing what might happen with katrina. but what would be a better comparison for isaac? >> probably tropical storm allison which happened in 2001 that caused about around $5 billion worth of damage in the texas -- houston, texas, area because of the rainfall. you have a slow-moving hurricane. isaac is a slow-moving hurricane. some estimates that highest rainfall amounts will be 20 inches. depending where that 20 inches falls depends on the kind of impact it has. >> are you confident that the new strengthened levees will actually hold given a major storm like this? >> i think the federal government here in the u.s. has put in near $14 billion in strengthening the levees to category three. there's still areas that the levees haven't been strengthened yet because the projects haven't carried on to

the expectation is isaac will make landfall as a strong category one hurricane, not a category two. the expectation is category one hurricane with sustained wind at between 80 and 90 miles per hour and lots of rain coming in right around new orleans. the worst of it will probably be to the east of the storm as it almost always is. that puts biloxi, mississippi, in a world hurt. steve harrigan is now along the mississippi coast. how are they doing? >>reporter: we are seeing gradual steady preparation with people pulling in boats and leaving their homes. hotels are quickly filling up across mississippi. in pearl, mississippi, the holiday inn is booked solid for eight nights. evacuation is urged but not mandatory. the governor telling people along the low-lying coast, if you have relatives in northern mississippi, now is the a time game to visit. i know it is difficult to leave your home. believe me, we will have 1,500 soldiers and airmen, we will have highway patrol, the sheriff's department, the police departments responding. we are going to make sure that if you leave this is going

it is category 1 now and could move to category 1, we always step up to a tattoo that have resourcesable to take this form under the current circumstances. cheryl: many viewers know that many of these category 1 storms can be just as deadly. history has shown that. here we are the exact week seven years tomorrow to the day the anniversary of hurricane katrina. do you feel you and your states are more prepared after what you have been through over the last several years? >> absolutely. unfortunately we are experts at this. the director was here during katrina. we are as prepared as humanly possible. we know how to move in and leaned forward into these forms and to move resources and personnel forward. we have asked people particularly in low-lying areas to evacuate. i am standing on beach boulevard highway 9. you see -- cheryl: looks like we are losing this shot. no surprise to any of our viewers at home that conditions continue to deteriorate along the gulf coast. we hope we will be checking in with correspondent jeff flock on the ground. we want to thank the governor of mississippi.

a category 1. see the winds, 80, 75, even as we go through wednesday morning at 8:00 a.m. as i said, it's going to be a slow mover, but we're expecting tropical storm conditions to arrive in the area as we head later into the afternoon. as i take the track out furthef, as we go into thursday, we're looking at a potential of a tropical storm. this is going to bring very beneficial rainfall for parts of the midwest. we'll talk about that later on. the winds right now 35 coming out of new orleans. coming out . still not picking up those tropical storm conditions just quite yet. few for us right now, we have a tornado watch in place from southeastern parts of new orleans, or should say louisiana, spreading over toward florida, and this is going to be in effect until 7:00 tonight. you can start to see some of those stronger bands. this is another threat with tropical storm isaac. also want to point out to you the storm surge. we're expecting it to peak late tuesday as well as into wednesday a.m. some of

as a category one, then it jumps to a category two, which is troubling, which means it may intensify a little bit and that would cause a larger storm surge and winds as strong as 110 miles per hour. we will come back and tell you where it's going to go after that. there's a silver lining to that track and we'll show you how to track it along with us on an ipad. all that and more. >> sounds good. meantime, folks from the panhandle of florida to southeast louisiana are gearing up for the arrival of isaac. in fact, in the area just south of new orleans, a lot of folks are boarding up their homes. some packed up and gotten out. the state of louisiana did issue evacuation orders for some of the state's low lying areas. >> slow moving nature of this storm means there are parts of this state that have heavier winds or rain fall for several hours. >> it worries the heck out of me. >> we went through katrina and had bad experience with that. >> okay. so the governor, louisiana, mississippi, alabama, and florida, they have declared states of emergency. wednesday marks the 7th anniversary of hu

as of now the hurricane center putting landfall, category 2. the rule of thumb is to prepare for a category higher in case. right now is when everyone should be preparing for a category 3. if it's a category 1shgs we'll all be happy. here's a look at the weather outside your window. slight chance of a few storms today in areas like philadelphia. what a weekend it was in the mid-atlantic as that storm system spun itself ever so slowly with the flooding in virginia and then up through delaware and maryland. so with isaac, the good news is, it has yet to strengthen. bad news is it looks like it will be an ugly scene in the north central gulf. >> thanks for the update. >>> you get what you pay for. or you don't. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. >>> plus, like it or not, believe it or not, she is a mom. >>> the jets continue to struggle. a 15-year-old makes golf history. japan puts on a show in the little league world series. >>> good morning. welcome back to "early today." i'm veronica de la cruz. here are some of your top

is it category 3? >> if it's category 3, we'll evacuate.r in place. that's why the federal government has invested over $55 billion in making this region more resilient. we have raised 5,000 homes. we have gotten about $15 billion in community development block grant for housing. our buildings are stronger. the camps are stronger. so that's a smart investment. and, again, it's a much smarter fema. much more cooperative. and i think people are going to see that. and we hope that the flood control system works as well as we've designed it and funded it. >> thank you, senator. thank you for talking with us. >> thank you. >>> still ahead this morning as we continue our special coverage of isaac, we are also keeping an eye at what's happening at the replubican national convention happening in tampa. we're back in just a moment. ofit that's providing training and employment opportunities, investing in the revitalization of a neighborhood in the bronx, or providing the financing to help a beloved san diego bakery expand, what's important to commun

, they were saying category 2, now it looks like category 1. intensity forecasts are notoriously not the best. it's still prepare for a strong category 2, low-end category 3 worst case. we'll hope it's a category 1. as far as our computer models go it doesn't look like we're really going to see much changes. they've narrowed their cone of uncertainty. all these squiggly lines going south of new orleans or to the right of new orleans. mobile, biloxi, gulfport, all the way through seidel, bay st. louis, all those areas including new orleans, today is your last day to prepare for this storm. tomorrow morning at this time your winds will be increasing along with the bands of rain. so willie, i guess the bottom line is, we have 36 hours to really cross our fingers, pray and hope that this storm does not intensify more than expected. when it does arrive in coastal louisiana, it's going to slow down significantly. willie, we're looking at possibly 36 hours of tropical storm-force winds in areas along the north-central gulf, including new orleans. and

2, chad myers, says they could become a category 3.ery serious. give me an idea, general honore, bobby jindal is trying to encourage voluntary evacuations right now. is there a feeling in your view, that people are complacent or when they hear volunteer evacuations, given through what they have been through historically in that part of the country, that they are starting to pack up, they are starting to make plans about relocating further inland? >> absolutely, fred. you know, there's a lot of ground when you look at the louisiana coastline. thousands of miles when you measure it with all the inlets. much of that is occupied by people who live along the coast, live and work there to include the oil workers that work offshore. this is a significant activity to get those areas evacuated. particularly those below the industrial ka ncanal. there's no production there. during katrina we lost over 5,000 farm animals that were kept along the marsh areas in down in camera parish. this early warning is timely. it also gives everyone who need ex

a category 1 or category to can bring significant damage to if >> at the republican national convention in tampa, there was a meeting that lasted only minutes on the day that was supposed to be the grand opening. a late decision was made not to take any chances with convention goers hoping to get down to business on tuesday. although the storm could be taking aim on new orleans, officials are warning that some of the heaviest impact could be in mississippi end alabama. people in for a and states are boarding up and hearing emergency declarations. there is were denied that the most significant problems may not be devastating winds, but the extensive flooding caused by storm surge. no one is for hitting that when the storm last across the caribbean, 21 people were killed, 19 in haiti alone. >> you heard the governor a few moments ago, he is saying tonight that there is no way he can take the time to go to the republican national convention. few people find it chilling that he has included the storm could make landfall as of hurricane very near norland on the exact anniversary of the drina

i think you made that up. >> look at category two hurricane hitting south florida -- neil: assuming itets there. >> the economic repercussions cleaning up after the disorm. the resort industry, okay, labor day weekend is coming up, and rather than basks in the sun getting everything going, what happens? now, you got to understand, neil, that is the mid range between nothing and what happens in you get the storm going in the central gulf as a category four or five. the mid range of this given the parameters that i think this is going to be a category two, three hurricane by sunday afternoon, that's where it is. neil: we told you he was different, doesn't follow the crowd. >> listen, if i've been watching something for ten days and have an idea on it -- neil: don't yell at me. >> i want to bring chocolate and roses here because i know sometimes i get too -- neil: prime rib and fries. >> i get too excited. when your name ends in a vowel, you never throw in the towel. neil: he's the best. we're going to be watching this storm along with joe closely tomorrow morning. it's coming to you at 1

the staff came on as a category two. send out a hurricane just yet. look looking at most clear skies right now. the recent low 80s and towards san jose. some eighties and low 90s as you head inland. high pressure to the east. as a fundamentalist reported. sunday afternoon about 73 degrees. as you make your way around a bit you're looking at 81 degrees. about 86 incontinent and as you make your way inside the day he should see sunshine axle 71 degrees in oakland. the temperatures this week and running well below average. >>> highly 29 still shut down both directions between road and washington street. the mishap to traffic control in the area after the fire crews leave. >>> have lived across the golden gate bridge. but any cars right now. the delay to anybody drive timesat a mass transit agency is still reporting of the leg. >>> officials have unveiled a new seven california fan code of conduct. it's a list of 10 things fans cannot do. it includes profanity and cannot use offensive language. >>> they're always be ruined a county jail for those fans obn

right now it is a category 1 hurricane.t does look like it will be tracking along the mississippi river valley over the next few days. then take a turn to the right and head our way. looks like sunday into labor day. so be prepared for that. and right now though, high pressure over the region, gorgeous morning with low humidity and clear sky. temperatures right now in the 60s if the light green, dark green, the 50s. off to a fresh and cool start. hour by hour today, beautiful day, mid 80s. lots of sunshine and low humidity. i'm back in ten minutes. danella is here now with a look at traffic. good morning. >> good morning. tracking breaking news. truck fire on the ramp to fairfax county parkway to i-95. the ramp is shut down. traveling northbound i-95 to your right lanes are still blocked because of emergency response to that accident. here's what fairfax county parkway looks like at i-95. completely a mess. avoid this roadway while crews are working. also, here's what i-95 northbound looks like. seeing delays growing alread

. >> this is a category one. i'm not as worried as i was during katrina. i am still worried a little bit. >> just before the hurricane hit, the police were out, making sure people were getting to safety. on standby, in case of flooding, which is the biggest risk. the gulf coast was being battered. it is a dangerous time. many people were confident that the new and enforced levies. there is still a storm to weather. bbc news, new orleans. >> the gentleman on the phone now is troy gilbert, a writer in new orleans. how bad are things at the moment? >> action, really, not less bad. this is only a category one storm. we are dealing with maybe sustained winds in the city. this is really not that big of a deal. the problem is its continuing and continuing. >> described where you are at the moment. has there any damage at all to any buildings? >> the no. well, where i am in new orleans is on the lake front of the city. a little neighborhood that is a part of the city. it was completely devastated during katrina. but right now, no. it is just kind of windy and rain

category one. low end category one, thankfully. hammering southeast louisiana. it's going to be more of a water storm than a wind storm. we have been talking about this. hurricane warnings in effect for just about all of the louisiana coast and then eastward covering the mississippi coast and also the alabama coast and a little bit of the panhandle. no

>> the surgeb is not going to act like a category 1 surge.hat the winds come in and it is a blow and fine and four feet. no, this is a very large storm, and just because it does not have a central eye yet and the 130-miles-per-hour wind speed it does not mean it is not sucking water into the middle of it and making a bulge and the bubble of water that is eventually pushed on shore. you have to understand about the southern part of louisiana, there is not there. there are islands and places where people have built, but the rest of it is a bayou. okay. and so when it gets over grand isle north of there, it is still not going to be losing speed, because the water is warm, and there is water there and the humidity is impressive in the bayou. so that is the long and short of what is going to happen to new orleans. i want to get to this comparison, because really the, other than the date, there is no real comparison to katrina and t the maps have shown it and everybody is talking about it, but let me tell you, this is not katrina. there are few and

that is a strong category 1, not a category 2.he forecast right now just for category 1, they will be watching that carefully. not a katrina situation, got billions of dollars several years later. those levees better be in a lot better shape than they were back in 2005. >>> mostly cloudy, got patchy fog west, isolated shower east, 60s and 70s. sunrise occurred at 6:33. for this afternoon, we are going to see sunny skies mixed with a cloud, call it 82 by noon. most of us will not see it 88 fog a real problem in winchester right now. zero visibility. the shenandoah valley, has problems. also down in southern maryland, a couple of areas with patchy fog. showers mainly on the eastern shore. 70 in baltimore, five inches of rain this weekend. mostly cloudy skies, 72 here in dc with calm winds. dew point almost 70, humidity at 87%. more sunshine into the afternoon, 88 today tomorrow and wednesday. tonight 60s near 70. warm 89. wednesday and thursday looks nice. wednesday upper 80s thursday. back in the 90s a couple of days friday and sat

so while we're forecasting category 2, could be category 1, category 3 even. >> c i ask you somethingwe've been covering so much and talking about the republican convention in tampa, what are folks there in store for? >> well, as the storm pulls away, the conditions will actually improve. there are still tropical storm warnings for the southern two-thirds of florida, but the conditions are going to be improving tonight and tomorrow for most of the state of florida. >> okay. thank you very much. we'll get another update from you as we need it. deputy director of the national hurricane center, mr. ed rapoport. want to go back to our meteorologist here in atlanta because chad myers, there's a swarm of earthquakes rattling southern california at this hour. more than 100 have been reported today? >> yeah, in a town you've probably never heard of, brauley, california. but people are still feeling some of these shakes in southern california. let's kind of update you here. here's mexicali, san diego, l.a. those red dots are the latest swarm. let's go right in here. you can see the land, see t

a category three storm left $21 billion of damages in its wake.umber three, this was only category two hurricane that hit three states and costs $28 billion. number two, take into account inflation because it was some time ago, hurricane andrew, biggest storm to ever hit the u.s. category five in 1992, nearly $46 billion in damages across florida and louisiana. number one costliest hurricane in the u.s. history, hurricane katrina, you guessed it. only category three storm, but devastated not only new orleans but parts of louisiana, mississippi, alabama, florida and the entire gulf coast costs $105 billion was the most deadly natural disaster ever in this country. coming up later in the hour, will this be a make or break moment for the campaign? and tropical storm isaac barreling towards the coast, will prices go higher? are they already on the rise? impact on the gas and oil coming up next. chances are, you're not made of money, so don't overpay for motorcycle insurance. geico, see how much you could save. gerri: just as drivers began to see some

the traditional reporting program lets race into four categories. a white, black, asian, pacific islander. people of hispanic origin may be of any race or so they are found in each of the categories as hispanic is a ethnicity and not a race. we have been correctly reporting for the guidelines as far as race reporting lead to our data collection and have a category for hispanics. we are able to capture through the booking system at the jail. to extract ethnicity information, depending on what the commission would like to see, reporting information to those bodies, it would remain the same as we give them what they asked for. internally, to the police department and the pleasure of the commission, if you like to see any ethnicity broken out, the new world system has 19 different ethnicities on top of the four races with about known. and you'll be able to do that for you. the one thing about the cable system, for whatever reason they used a sea to report asia and pacific islanders. when we contact, we merely informed them to just -- that indicates occa

could be category 2. prepare for category 2. forecast is category 1. overnight tomorrow night into wednesday morning and look at this on thursday, by thursday morning now, we are talking about two and half days from now, still winds and rain affecting the hurricane zone there where you are tamron, over into mississippi and alabama. this is going to be a long slow slog as this thing moves over. and tamron, there in new orleans, winds may be hire than they were in katrina. levies should be okay but winds may be higher. so it's a long duration event, tamron? >> bryan, thank you very much. let me bring in lieutenant colonel, louisiana deputy mayor of public safety. thank you for your time. i know you've got a lot going on. you may have heard meteorologist bryan norcross say that people need to be in place tonight. they need to decide whether they will ride this storm out and be in place. what are you tell folks? >> early tomorrow morning we should receive tropical storm winds. we are not doing a mandatory evacuation. er with telling our citizens to prepare