ROUGH CUT - NO REPORTER NARRATION
STORY: Hurricane Isaac brought blustery winds and hard rains to the Gulf Coast Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Curfews were set in Mississippi to keep residents off the roads and away from potential flood areas.
At 7 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT), Isaac was about 50 miles (80 km) south-southwest of New Orleans and packing top sustained winds of 80 miles per hour (128 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Isaac was slogging west-northwestward near 6 mph (10 kph), a slow pace that increases the threat of rain-induced flooding.
The leading edge of the storm was felt along the Gulf Coast starting late Tuesday, and authorities had warned it could flood towns in Mississippi and Alabama, as well as Louisiana, with storm surges of up to 12 feet (3.6 m).
Rainfall accumulations, potentially totaling as much as 20 inches (51 cm) in some areas, were expected to trigger widespread flooding.
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