The Story of Isaac as Told By James Ott of Watson, Louisiana

What an outstanding effort by James Ott of Watson, Louisiana in reporting on the progress of Hurricane Isaac as it passed over James' home in Watson! It was a riveting series of posts that had us all experiencing the hurricane right through our computer monitors - so lifelike and detailed.

I have known James Ott for over 40 years and I had a brilliant idea in asking him to journal the before, during and after in the life of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Isaac. I knew people would be interested in such an online diary but I underestimated the sheer volume of that interest. James did not disappoint us with his concise reports and the way Isaac was affecting him, his family and his friends and neighbors. He did so with over a dozen quality "on the scene" reports that kept you on the edge of your seat anticipating the next one with little sleep for over two solid, harrowing days.

I can not begin to thank James enough for the yeoman's job he did in keeping us informed. He did these reports out of the kindness of his heart for an old friend while making sure at the same time that his family and property were as safe as could be. I hope that some day I'll be able to repay James for such kindness towards me and my blog readers.

James Ott, I am proud and honored to call you "Friend".

Thank you.

James' Journey with Isaac

In case you missed any of the action, I have listed all of James' reports in chronological order below, so you, too, can be part of the story James so graciously and brilliantly told us.

Intro

• Waiting for Isaac
• Outter Bands Nearing the Big Easy
• A.M. Update 8/28
• The Rain Comes
• Isaac Grows Into a Hurricane 
• Tic Toc
• Hurricane Update #6
• Update #7 - The Rain & Wind
• Update #8 - Steady Rains
• Update #9 - The Mayor Speaks
• Update #10 - Constant Rain
• Update #11 - Tropical Storm Isaac Again
• Update #12 - The Eye of the Tropical Storm
• Update #13 - The End

A.M. Update....TS Isaac

At 5:30 a.m. CST TS Isaac is about 180 miles southeast of New Orleans, LA. Landfall should be sometime today. It will have reached Hurricane strength before that time. All things being equal, it seems to be very calm in the Baton Rouge area. Here in Watson(located about 15 miles northeast of B.R.) a slight breeze is blowing and skies are still partly cloudy. If you would like to check out Louisiana highway traffic, search LA. D.O.T.D. on the web. They have web cams for New Orleans and Baton Rouge traffic. Will post a web link later. Traffic is flowing nicely at this time. Basically the calm before the storm....LATER.

From Louisiana: James Ott Live Blogs TS Isaac

Here's a reminder that my long-time friend James Ott will be live blogging from Watson, Louisiana about Tropical Storm/Hurricane Isaac as events warrant. So be sure to check back as often as possible on The Lower 48 (Plus 2) as the situation on the ground in LA and Mississippi deteriorates due to the passing through of Isaac.

Image from Weather.com

There's no better way to get storm coverage than from an eyewitness right in the middle of the action, and James will be your eyes and ears to what is going on on the Gulf Coast as events unfold.

For those of you on the Gulf Coast, please take this storm very seriously and heed the advice and orders of your local officials regarding what actions you should take to remain safe in the wake of the storm.

Also, if are safely able to do so, please send any photos of the weather in your area to lower48plus2 AT gmail DOT com. Or if you'd like to volunteer information about what's going on in your location, please feel free to do so in the comment section. But, again, do so only if you know you are safely doing so. We can always get your account or photos of the weather in your locale after the storm has passed.

Thanks,
Toby
Head Honcho, The Lower 48 (Plus 2)