Jindal in charge as Isaac heads for New Orleans

As Hurricane Isaac hit southeast Louisiana on the eve of the seventh anniversary of catastrophic Hurricane Katrina, the state's Indian-American Governor Bobby Jindal warned residents to prepare for the hard times ahead.

As Hurricane Isaac hit southeast Louisiana on the eve of the seventh anniversary of catastrophic Hurricane Katrina, the state's Indian-American Governor Bobby Jindal warned residents to prepare for the hard times ahead.

Packing 80-mph winds and torrential, stinging rains, the storm made landfall at Plaquemines Parish at 6.45pm on Tuesday as it began battering New Orleans, Louisiana's largest city and a major US port that was devastated by Katrina.

"This is a serious storm. It's a slow-moving storm. It's important that our folks take it seriously," said Jindal, a rising Republican star, who skipped the party's national convention in Tampa Florida to deal with the situation at home.

As tropical storm Isaac, now upgraded to category one hurricane, approached the Gulf Coast, Jindal also shot off a letter to President Barack Obama asking for more federal help, urging him to reimburse Louisiana for the full cost of its preparations.

"Given the extraordinary developments of this storm, I ask that you approve the state's pending request for emergency measures," he wrote.