Rating:

0.0 (0 votes)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - As Hurricane Isaac continues its assault on the Gulf Coast, first responders have been rescuing a handful of people who became stranded by floodwaters in thinly-populated areas of southeastern Louisiana.

Authorities are afraid many more could need help, after the Category 1 storm brought a night of slashing rain and fierce winds that knocked out power to more than 500,000 people.

But officials say New Orleans' flood protection system is holding up so far. The Army Corps of Engineers says it expects to be on "high alert" for the next 12 to 24 hours, but it's confident that things are going well so far.

Isaac promises to test a New Orleans levee system bolstered by $14 billion in federal repairs and improvements after the catastrophic failures during right after Katrina hit in 2005.