Obama praises rescuers in storm-hit Louisiana

the CNN Wire Staff
Updated 8:19 PM EDT, Mon September 3, 2012
Melanie and Philip Martinez Sr. have dinner in daughter Kala's one-bedroom apartment on Saturday, September 8, in Chalmette, Louisiana. Melanie, along with her husband and mother, are staying in Kala's apartment after their home in Braithwaite flooded during Hurricane Isaac. It was the fifth home Martinez has lost to hurricanes in Louisiana.
Isaac's trail of destruction —
Melanie and Philip Martinez Sr. have dinner in daughter Kala's one-bedroom apartment on Saturday, September 8, in Chalmette, Louisiana. Melanie, along with her husband and mother, are staying in Kala's apartment after their home in Braithwaite flooded during Hurricane Isaac. It was the fifth home Martinez has lost to hurricanes in Louisiana.
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Melanie Martinez, center, waits in line to apply for disaster food assistance in Mereaux, Louisiana.
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Melanie Martinez, center, waits in line to apply for disaster food assistance in Mereaux, Louisiana.
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On Friday, September 7, Gina Hunter walks past the front porch of her home, which washed onto a levee in Plaquemines Parish in Braithwaite, Louisiana. "I never expected to have the levee as my backyard," Hunter says. Louisiana officials estimate at least 13,000 homes were damaged by Hurricane Isaac.
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On Friday, September 7, Gina Hunter walks past the front porch of her home, which washed onto a levee in Plaquemines Parish in Braithwaite, Louisiana. "I never expected to have the levee as my backyard," Hunter says. Louisiana officials estimate at least 13,000 homes were damaged by Hurricane Isaac.
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Mud coats the kitchen of the flooded Mary Plantation House, the oldest structure in Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish, on Thursday, September 6. At least 13,000 homes were damaged throughout Louisiana after Hurricane Isaac came ashore last week, a state official estimates.
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Mud coats the kitchen of the flooded Mary Plantation House, the oldest structure in Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish, on Thursday, September 6. At least 13,000 homes were damaged throughout Louisiana after Hurricane Isaac came ashore last week, a state official estimates.
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Marie Hauser picks up her mail outside her flooded house Thursday in LaPlace, Louisiana.
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Marie Hauser picks up her mail outside her flooded house Thursday in LaPlace, Louisiana.
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Blake Miller, right, and Mike Atkins check out the grounds of the Mary Plantation House on Thursday.
Isaac's trail of destruction —
Blake Miller, right, and Mike Atkins check out the grounds of the Mary Plantation House on Thursday.
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Floodwaters linger Thursday in Braithwaite, Louisiana.
Isaac's trail of destruction —
Floodwaters linger Thursday in Braithwaite, Louisiana.
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Worker Holly Rochelle sorts a resident's laundry, washed for free at the Tide Loads of Hope mobile laundromat set up for those affected by Isaac, on Thursday in LaPlace.
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Worker Holly Rochelle sorts a resident's laundry, washed for free at the Tide Loads of Hope mobile laundromat set up for those affected by Isaac, on Thursday in LaPlace.
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A paper hand fan sits caked in mud from flooding at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Plaquemines Parish on Wednesday, September 5.
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A paper hand fan sits caked in mud from flooding at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Plaquemines Parish on Wednesday, September 5.
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An insurance inspector tours the damaged Bethlehem Baptist Church on Tuesday.
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An insurance inspector tours the damaged Bethlehem Baptist Church on Tuesday.
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Richard Williams of the Braithwaite neighborhood in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, trudges through a debris field pulling a boat filled with things from his flooded home on Wednesday. Hurricane Isaac inundated his two-story home.
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Richard Williams of the Braithwaite neighborhood in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, trudges through a debris field pulling a boat filled with things from his flooded home on Wednesday. Hurricane Isaac inundated his two-story home.
Times-Picayune /Landov
Fred Leslie is helped into a boat by Jesse Shaffer after he and his half-brother made their way to the house to retrieve items on Wednesday. The Braithwaite neighborhood is still under four feet of water eight days after Hurricane Isaac hit.
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Fred Leslie is helped into a boat by Jesse Shaffer after he and his half-brother made their way to the house to retrieve items on Wednesday. The Braithwaite neighborhood is still under four feet of water eight days after Hurricane Isaac hit.
Times-Picayune /Landov
Ruth Bernard feeds ice to Micah Faciane to stay cool as they wait in line to apply for disaster food assistance on Wednesday in Westwego, Louisiana. Hundreds affected by Hurricane Isaac waited hours in the heat to apply for the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
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Ruth Bernard feeds ice to Micah Faciane to stay cool as they wait in line to apply for disaster food assistance on Wednesday in Westwego, Louisiana. Hundreds affected by Hurricane Isaac waited hours in the heat to apply for the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
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Residents wait in line to apply for disaster food assistance on Wednesday in Westwego, Louisiana.
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Residents wait in line to apply for disaster food assistance on Wednesday in Westwego, Louisiana.
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Louis Lipps tries to salvage belongings near his house on Lake Pontchartrain in LaPlace, Louisiana, on Tuesday, September 4. Many residents returning to their homes in southern Louisiana after Hurricane Isaac will find little comfort. Authorities have blamed eight U.S. deaths on Isaac, six of them in Louisiana, after it made landfall last week as a Category 1 hurricane.
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Louis Lipps tries to salvage belongings near his house on Lake Pontchartrain in LaPlace, Louisiana, on Tuesday, September 4. Many residents returning to their homes in southern Louisiana after Hurricane Isaac will find little comfort. Authorities have blamed eight U.S. deaths on Isaac, six of them in Louisiana, after it made landfall last week as a Category 1 hurricane.
Times-Picayune/Landov
Royal Ann Moll stands in the doorway of her home in Jean Lafitte, Louisiana, as friend Tilden Perez Jr. tries to spray away mud from the front yard Tuesday. Perez and his wife rode out the storm in Moll's house, which took on about 11 inches of water.
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Royal Ann Moll stands in the doorway of her home in Jean Lafitte, Louisiana, as friend Tilden Perez Jr. tries to spray away mud from the front yard Tuesday. Perez and his wife rode out the storm in Moll's house, which took on about 11 inches of water.
Times-Picayune/Landov
Joe Chianelli Jr. retrieves a gas tank Tuesday that washed onto a levee in Plaquemines Parish in Braithwaite, Louisiana, during the storm.
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Joe Chianelli Jr. retrieves a gas tank Tuesday that washed onto a levee in Plaquemines Parish in Braithwaite, Louisiana, during the storm.
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Utility crews work to restore electricity Tuesday in Harvey, Louisiana.
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Utility crews work to restore electricity Tuesday in Harvey, Louisiana.
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Returning residents wait in line Tuesday for a ferry in Plaquemines Parish.
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Returning residents wait in line Tuesday for a ferry in Plaquemines Parish.
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A wounded horse recovers Tuesday in Poydras, Louisiana, after being rescued when it got stuck in mud from storm flooding.
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A wounded horse recovers Tuesday in Poydras, Louisiana, after being rescued when it got stuck in mud from storm flooding.
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A home washed away from its foundation sits on a roadside Tuesday in Braithwaite in Plaquemines Parish.
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A home washed away from its foundation sits on a roadside Tuesday in Braithwaite in Plaquemines Parish.
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Melanie Martinez holds the family cat, now renamed Isaac, after salvaging items from her family's flooded home in Braithwaite on Monday, September 3. Martinez, along with her husband and her mother, was forced to ride out the storm in their Plaquemines Parish home when their car broke down.
Isaac's trail of destruction —
Melanie Martinez holds the family cat, now renamed Isaac, after salvaging items from her family's flooded home in Braithwaite on Monday, September 3. Martinez, along with her husband and her mother, was forced to ride out the storm in their Plaquemines Parish home when their car broke down.
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Melanie Martinez walks through the front yard Monday as family members salvage items from their flooded home in Braithwaite, Louisiana.
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Melanie Martinez walks through the front yard Monday as family members salvage items from their flooded home in Braithwaite, Louisiana.
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Melanie Martinez, left, and family members salvage items from their flooded home Monday.
Isaac's trail of destruction —
Melanie Martinez, left, and family members salvage items from their flooded home Monday.
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A coffin lies on the side of a levee Monday in Braithwaite, Louisiana, washed up by floodwaters from Hurricane Isaac.
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A coffin lies on the side of a levee Monday in Braithwaite, Louisiana, washed up by floodwaters from Hurricane Isaac.
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Eric DeSalvo salvages a gun Monday from the flooded Martinez home in Braithwaite, Louisiana.
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Eric DeSalvo salvages a gun Monday from the flooded Martinez home in Braithwaite, Louisiana.
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Melanie Martinez, center, and Kala Martinez salvage items from their flooded home on Monday.
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Melanie Martinez, center, and Kala Martinez salvage items from their flooded home on Monday.
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Workers repair the roof of a home as downed power lines caused by Hurricane Isaac lean onto a tree in lower Plaquemines Parish on Sunday, September 2.
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Workers repair the roof of a home as downed power lines caused by Hurricane Isaac lean onto a tree in lower Plaquemines Parish on Sunday, September 2.
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A Paradise Lane street sign is partially submerged in Isaac's floodwaters in Braithwaite, Louisiana, on Saturday, September 1.
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A Paradise Lane street sign is partially submerged in Isaac's floodwaters in Braithwaite, Louisiana, on Saturday, September 1.
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A damaged structure rests atop a partially submerged truck in Braithwaite, Louisiana.
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A damaged structure rests atop a partially submerged truck in Braithwaite, Louisiana.
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Russell Wilson, center, helps to move a water-damaged Drew Brees jersey from his daughter's home in Braithwaite.
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Russell Wilson, center, helps to move a water-damaged Drew Brees jersey from his daughter's home in Braithwaite.
Times-Picayune/Landov
Plaquemines Parish resident Angela Serpas reacts after seeing her flooded home for the first time following Hurricane Isaac, as her daughter Lainy takes pictures, in Braithwaite, Louisiana, on Saturday, September 1.
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Plaquemines Parish resident Angela Serpas reacts after seeing her flooded home for the first time following Hurricane Isaac, as her daughter Lainy takes pictures, in Braithwaite, Louisiana, on Saturday, September 1.
Reuters/Landov
The Walker family leaves their home after an abandoned house next door collapsed onto theirs during Tropical Storm Isaac on Friday, August 31. The Red Cross was assisting the family in finding a place to stay.
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The Walker family leaves their home after an abandoned house next door collapsed onto theirs during Tropical Storm Isaac on Friday, August 31. The Red Cross was assisting the family in finding a place to stay.
Cattle are stuck in a mixture of mud and debris washed in by Isaac's storm surge. Officials are attempting to conduct a roundup in Plaquemines to save about 200 cattle stranded by the storm.
Isaac's trail of destruction —
Cattle are stuck in a mixture of mud and debris washed in by Isaac's storm surge. Officials are attempting to conduct a roundup in Plaquemines to save about 200 cattle stranded by the storm.
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Local residents serve up chicken etouffee and rice delivered by the Louisiana National Guard at JJ's Bar in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans. The military gave out the food to residents of the area, which was still without electricity three days after Hurricane Isaac knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people.
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Local residents serve up chicken etouffee and rice delivered by the Louisiana National Guard at JJ's Bar in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans. The military gave out the food to residents of the area, which was still without electricity three days after Hurricane Isaac knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people.
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Local residents drink by candlelight at JJ's bar during the continued blackout.
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Local residents drink by candlelight at JJ's bar during the continued blackout.
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Oil containers and railroad cars sit in Isaac's flood waters in Braithwaite, Louisiana.
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Oil containers and railroad cars sit in Isaac's flood waters in Braithwaite, Louisiana.
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Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney talks with a man on the side of the road while on an unscheduled tour of a neighorhood damaged by Isaac on Friday, August 31, in Lafitte, Louisiana.
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Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney talks with a man on the side of the road while on an unscheduled tour of a neighorhood damaged by Isaac on Friday, August 31, in Lafitte, Louisiana.
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A family carries bags of ice and boxes of food from an aid distribution center for victims of Isaac in New Orleans. The center was one of three in the city operated by the military, offering handouts to residents, many of whom still have no electricity due to the storm.
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A family carries bags of ice and boxes of food from an aid distribution center for victims of Isaac in New Orleans. The center was one of three in the city operated by the military, offering handouts to residents, many of whom still have no electricity due to the storm.
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Residents look out from their residence surrounded by water as the motorcade of Romney passes during a tour of damage from Isaac in Lafitte.
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Residents look out from their residence surrounded by water as the motorcade of Romney passes during a tour of damage from Isaac in Lafitte.
Reuters/Landov
Flood waters from Tropical Storm Isaac swamp homes in Braithwaite, Louisiana, on Friday, August 31, 2012.
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Flood waters from Tropical Storm Isaac swamp homes in Braithwaite, Louisiana, on Friday, August 31, 2012.
Reuters/Landov
Vivian Lane, 5, helps her mother, Ashley Lane, make rice and gravy on their porch after Hurricane Isaac knocked out their power in Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi, Friday.
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Vivian Lane, 5, helps her mother, Ashley Lane, make rice and gravy on their porch after Hurricane Isaac knocked out their power in Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi, Friday.
Reuters/Landov
Tombstones washed from their resting place by flood waters from a levee breach in Braithwaite, Louisiana, on Friday.
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Tombstones washed from their resting place by flood waters from a levee breach in Braithwaite, Louisiana, on Friday.
Reuters/Landov
The ship Arosa Basel sits grounded on the east bank of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, Friday.
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The ship Arosa Basel sits grounded on the east bank of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, Friday.
Reuters/Landov
Dead nutria lie on the shore near Waveland, Mississippi, on Friday.
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Dead nutria lie on the shore near Waveland, Mississippi, on Friday.
Reuters/Landov
A truck, partially submerged by a levee breach, gives off a sheen of oil and fuel in Braithwaite, Louisiana, on Friday.
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A truck, partially submerged by a levee breach, gives off a sheen of oil and fuel in Braithwaite, Louisiana, on Friday.
Reuters/Landov
Members of the Louisiana Army National Guard and Louisiana Air National Guard distribute water, MREs and ice at Skelly-Rupp Stadium in New Orleans on Friday.
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Members of the Louisiana Army National Guard and Louisiana Air National Guard distribute water, MREs and ice at Skelly-Rupp Stadium in New Orleans on Friday.
Landov
Jewel Rico and her dog Chico are rescued from flood waters from Isaac on Thursday, August 30, in Reserve, Louisiana.
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Jewel Rico and her dog Chico are rescued from flood waters from Isaac on Thursday, August 30, in Reserve, Louisiana.
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Darrell Hill, 11, feeds his sister Floy Dillon, 2, at a flood shelter set up in a high school gym.
Isaac's trail of destruction —
Darrell Hill, 11, feeds his sister Floy Dillon, 2, at a flood shelter set up in a high school gym.
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People get off a Slidell Police Department SWAT vehicle after being rescued from flooding from Isaac's storm surge on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain.
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People get off a Slidell Police Department SWAT vehicle after being rescued from flooding from Isaac's storm surge on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain.
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Residents sit on a bus Thursday after evacuating Laplace, Louisiana.
Isaac's trail of destruction —
Residents sit on a bus Thursday after evacuating Laplace, Louisiana.
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A heavy band of storms hovers ominously over New Orleans in the aftermath of Isaac on Thursday.
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A heavy band of storms hovers ominously over New Orleans in the aftermath of Isaac on Thursday.
Times-Picayune/Landov
Two men paddle a boat with street signs in flood waters from Hurricane Isaac in Reserve, Louisiana.
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Two men paddle a boat with street signs in flood waters from Hurricane Isaac in Reserve, Louisiana.
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Subdivisions in LaPlace, west of U.S. 51 and south of Interstate-10 are covered in floodwaters in the aftermath of Isaac.
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Subdivisions in LaPlace, west of U.S. 51 and south of Interstate-10 are covered in floodwaters in the aftermath of Isaac.
Times-Picayune/Landov
The Lake Borgne Basin Levee District and other government agencies intentionally breached the Caernarvon Diversion to help drain flood waters in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.
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The Lake Borgne Basin Levee District and other government agencies intentionally breached the Caernarvon Diversion to help drain flood waters in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.
SE Flood Protection Authority
A woman is stranded with her truck in floodwaters from Isaac on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain on Thursday in Slidell, Louisiana.
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A woman is stranded with her truck in floodwaters from Isaac on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain on Thursday in Slidell, Louisiana.
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Brittany Trumbaturi, right, prepares to leave her flooded home with family member Joshua Barbot, center, who came to rescue family members in a boat. Officials warned of continued threats from storm surges and flooding as Isaac moved inland.
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Brittany Trumbaturi, right, prepares to leave her flooded home with family member Joshua Barbot, center, who came to rescue family members in a boat. Officials warned of continued threats from storm surges and flooding as Isaac moved inland.
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Jamaal Nelson carries his son, Jon-Wesley, 6, on his back and his 4-month-old baby daughter, Jalashia, while being evacuated from their flooded neighborhood in Slidell.
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Jamaal Nelson carries his son, Jon-Wesley, 6, on his back and his 4-month-old baby daughter, Jalashia, while being evacuated from their flooded neighborhood in Slidell.
AFP/Getty Images
Residents stand in front of their home as flooded streets engulf their neighborhood in Slidell.
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Residents stand in front of their home as flooded streets engulf their neighborhood in Slidell.
AFP/Getty Images
Elderly residents evacuate to a shelter in Slidell
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Elderly residents evacuate to a shelter in Slidell
AFP/Getty Images
A resident evacuates an area flooded by Hurricane Isaac's storm surge on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain.
Isaac's trail of destruction —
A resident evacuates an area flooded by Hurricane Isaac's storm surge on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain.
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Residents evacuate their flooded neighborhood.
Isaac's trail of destruction —
Residents evacuate their flooded neighborhood.
AFP/Getty Images
A man drives an off-road vehicle through flooded streets in Slidell.
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A man drives an off-road vehicle through flooded streets in Slidell.
AFP/Getty Images
Residents carry pillows, blankets and fuel containers past a flood berm while evacuating an area of rising floodwaters on Thursday in Slidell.
Isaac's trail of destruction —
Residents carry pillows, blankets and fuel containers past a flood berm while evacuating an area of rising floodwaters on Thursday in Slidell.
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An elderly resident is rescued from her home in Slidell.
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An elderly resident is rescued from her home in Slidell.
Times-Picayune/Landov
Residents run down a road in Slidell clutching their belongings as they evacuate an area of rising floodwaters from Isaac's rains.
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Residents run down a road in Slidell clutching their belongings as they evacuate an area of rising floodwaters from Isaac's rains.
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Rescue workers transport residents trapped by rising water from Isaac in Laplace, Louisiana, on Wednesday.
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Rescue workers transport residents trapped by rising water from Isaac in Laplace, Louisiana, on Wednesday.
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Water surrounds a home on the Jourdan River in Kiln, Mississippi, as Isaac moves through the area.
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Water surrounds a home on the Jourdan River in Kiln, Mississippi, as Isaac moves through the area.
Reuters/Landov
Residents are rescued Wednesday in Laplace, about 25 miles northwest of New Orleans, where the storm surge was unusually bad.
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Residents are rescued Wednesday in Laplace, about 25 miles northwest of New Orleans, where the storm surge was unusually bad.
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Henry Cox talks with stranded residents in Laplace.
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Henry Cox talks with stranded residents in Laplace.
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Errol Ragas walks past a cemetery to recover dry blankets from his home as rising waters flood in Oakville, Louisiana. Plaquemines Parish, south of New Orleans, was the area most heavily damaged by the hurricane.
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Errol Ragas walks past a cemetery to recover dry blankets from his home as rising waters flood in Oakville, Louisiana. Plaquemines Parish, south of New Orleans, was the area most heavily damaged by the hurricane.
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Storm-weary residents take refuge at a high school gymnasium in Belle Chasse, a low-lying area outside of New Orleans.
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Storm-weary residents take refuge at a high school gymnasium in Belle Chasse, a low-lying area outside of New Orleans.
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St. John Parish Sherriff officials rescue local residents from the flood waters in Laplace.
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St. John Parish Sherriff officials rescue local residents from the flood waters in Laplace.
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Lisa, Christopher and Leroy Smith sit in a boat after being pulled from the flood waters.
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Lisa, Christopher and Leroy Smith sit in a boat after being pulled from the flood waters.
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A stop sign stands askew in New Orleans after being blown by Isaac.
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A stop sign stands askew in New Orleans after being blown by Isaac.
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People gather at a bar in the French Quarter during ongoing rain from Isaac. The area appeared largely unscathed by the storm.
Isaac's trail of destruction —
People gather at a bar in the French Quarter during ongoing rain from Isaac. The area appeared largely unscathed by the storm.
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