Tagged: New Orleans

The National Hurricane Center says that it expects Tropical Storm Isaac to continue strengthening up until it makes landfall.

In the 5 p.m. ET advisory, the Hurricane Center said Isaac remains a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. Dry air, the center explains, keeps feeding into the storm keeping it from intensifying. The storm is predicted to make landfall near New Orleans as a category 2 hurricane with 100 mph winds.

While soon-to-be Hurricane Isaac isn't looking like another Katrina, the storm is expected to pick up steam as it heads toward a landfall, conjuring up powerful memories of the disaster seven years ago.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu declared a state of emergency for New Orleans on Sunday, warning residents to "think about how you will spend time without power or water."

All summer long, Weekend Edition has been bringing listeners the sounds of music played outdoors by all manner of street performers. Of all the cities in America that embrace buskers, New Orleans, with its tradition of jazz and oompah bands at Mardi Gras, may be the most welcoming. It also happens to be a city with a certain eccentric flair — so Weekend Edition wasn't surprised to find Clyde Casey there.