DPA/Washington
Louisiana officials late Saturday issued an urgent evacuation order for an area threatened by the imminent failure of a canal lock, an after-effect of hurricane Isaac.“Buses will be picking up people ... for immediate evacuation,” the Times Picayune newspaper wrote online. Officials were worried that the lock on a diversion canal connected to the Pearl River “might fail.”Isaac dumped up to 50cm of rain on the Gulf coast region starting last Monday, then moved inland. But the coastal area is still struggling with the draining water.The evacuation order applied to the Pearl River Diversion Canal, north of New Orleans. Some refugees from areas evacuated through the week thought they had found safety near the Pearl River, only to be evacuated for a second time to yet another destination, the Picayune reported.The Gulf coast was relieved to see Isaac depart after its heavy destruction, while the parched Mid-West greeted the remnants of the storm with open arms as it delivered much-hoped-for rain.Isaac delivered showers to much of Arkansas, Missouri and southern Illinois bearing hope for the rest of the drought-struck region. On Saturday, Isaac was expected to move into Indiana and Ohio, the online weather service AccuWeather said.Isaac made landfall late Tuesday in Louisiana, Mississippi and parts of Alabama, dumping up to 50cm of rain in the region on the seventh anniversary of the destructive Hurricane Katrina. Four deaths have been connected to the storm, CNN reported. Half a million people remained without power along the coast amid sweltering temperatures of 37 degrees and higher, according to media reports.The US is experiencing one of its worst droughts on record. The dry spell has parched more than 60% of the lower 48 states.