Heavy rainfall from Isaac is threatening a dam in southern Mississippi, leading local officials to order an evacuation.
But even as the rains continued to pour rain upon flood-ravaged Gulf Coast states, Isaac's flagging winds got the storm downgraded to a tropical depression and caused a tropical storm warning from Morgan City, La., to the Mississippi-Alabama border to be discontinued.
The storm's center was located approximately 35 miles west-northwest of Monroe, La., and 40 miles south-southeast of El Dorado, Ark., as of 4 p.m. CT, according to the National Hurricane Center. It was moving north-northwest at 12 mph and its center was expected to cross into Arkansas Friday.
"Even though Isaac is no longer a tropical storm, life threatening hazards from storm surge, inland flooding and tornadoes are still occurring," the National Hurricane Center's 4 p.m. CT advisory read.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal told reporters at a 3 p.m. ET that officials were "hopeful" and "optimistic" their efforts to prevent a breach in the Mississippi dam and additional flooding downstream in Louisiana would work.
"Initial reports are they do believe the integrity is still sound," Jindal said. "But, again, there's as many caveats around that as we can [put]. We don't know that for a fact."
Officials will not be sure of the dam's status until they are able to "get down there" and inspect it closely, Jindal added. He repeatedly urged residents to listen to their local officals and follow their instructions.
"Evacuate out of an abundance of caution. Hopefully, it'll turn out the dam doesn't breach," Jindal said. "If there's a breach several hours from now, we wouldn't want people to be moved in the middle of the night.
Mississippi emergency management officials earlier notified the Tangipahoa Parish, La., government and Louisiana's Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOSHEP) of an "imminent failure" of the dam at Lake Tangipahoa in Mississippi's Percy Quin State Park. The park and dam are near the Louisiana border.
Such a failure could cause additional flooding along the already swollen Tangipahoa River, though Mississippi officials didn't think the volume of water in the 700-acre lake would add enough flow to the river to cause catastrophic flooding.
The Department of Environmental Quality, looking to relieve the pressure of the dam, was continuing to sandbag the area, pumping water over the dam into the surrounding agricultural areas and attempting a controlled breach of levees to relieve water pressure.
About 19 to 20 families one mile on either side of the river have been ordered to evacuate, Jindal said.
Gordon Burgess, president of Tangipahoa Parish in Louisiana, ordered residents who live near the dam to evacuate by 1:30 p.m. ET.
McComb, Miss., Mayor Whitney Rawlings said that the dam was still holding, but there was a 50 percent chance the dam would fail.
The town of Kentwood, Miss., was expected to be hit with flooding first. Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Operations Manager Richard Coghlan at Lake Tangipahoa said officials were lowering the lake level and that the dam was holding.
Rogelio V. Solis/AP Photo
The Mississippi EMA's evacuation advisory directed "all low-lying areas and along the Tangipahoa River" be evacuated. A precautionary evacuation of the area south of Lake Tangipahoa in Pike County was issued by the Pike County Emergency Management Agency.
As Isaac moved away from New Orleans, the storm was spinning off tornadoes across Mississippi and Alabama.
The storm caused its first death in Pearl River County, Miss., early today when a male tow truck driver was killed on the job by a tree that fell around midnight, Pearl River Emergency Management Deputy Director Amanda Harris told ABC News. The man's name and age were not immediately released.
"[The county] is completely flooded. And it's only going to get worse," Harris said, adding that rivers and creeks along the county along the Louisiana border will not crest until midnight through 4 a.m. Friday.
"The worst is yet to come," Harris said.
Pearl River County conducted four search-and-rescue operations and it was believed there were no more residents in their homes, Harris said. The county was receiving assistance from FEMA, state agencies and neighboring counties.
Lt. Vernon Smith of the Pascagoula, Miss., police told ABC News that a tornado touched down at approximately 8:20 a.m. just south of Pascagoula, which is located 28 miles from Biloxi.
"It landed right on top of a house, just sat on it," Smith said, adding that people were believed to be inside. "There are people injured."
Smith said the tornado then lifted off the ground and moved through the main part of town, having traveled about a mile since touchdown. Officials are mobilizing emergency crews, but the torrential rain made roads impassable, with the 2 to 3 feet of water flooding the area too much for even their emergency vehicles to handle.
"We can't get through and we are scrambling," said Smith.
Surrounding areas of Louisiana are expected to see almost two feet of rain and more dangerous floods by the end of the week, while seven tornadoes have spun off from Isaac in Mississippi and Alabama so far.
A tornado that touched down in Gulfport, Miss., has caused the most damage, where significant destruction to homes has been reported. Carlos Redmond, a spokesman for Harrison County Emergency Management, said it's assessing the damage.
"We're looking for daylight. That's what we're looking for. We'll be able to tell a lot more at that time," Redmond told ABC News Thursday.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said tornadoes are possible along the central Gulf Coast region and parts of the lower Mississippi Valley through Thursday.
The rising waters from rain and flooding have already left locals scrambling up to attics and onto roofs. The main parishes that pose the greatest concern sit around Lake Pontchartrain. With another 4 to 7 inches of rain expected, many officials have expressed worry about the rising waters.
Officials in LaPlace, La., about 25 miles northwest of New Orleans, in St. John the Baptist Parish, called the situation dire.
"I'm afraid the tide is really going to catch some of us off guard tonight," Parish President Layton Ricks told ABC News late Wednesday night.
Approximately 3,100 people had been evacuated in the town since 3 p.m. Wednesday, a National Guard officer told ABC News, while more than 1,000 are waiting for rescue in LaPlace as the city sees its worst flooding in 40 years.
Housing developments, such as the River Forest subdivision where dozens of families were rescued Wednesday, are under 5 feet of water. The Louisiana National Guard said it would be out in force Thursday across the St. John the Baptist Parish, assisting in rescue efforts.
"It's our own little Katrina," said Tania Trege, wife of St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Mike Trege, describing the situation in Laplace.
Towns southwest of New Orleans have already received about 20 inches of rain, with another 4 to 7 inches possible. New Orleans International Airport has officially received 10 inches of rain so far.
Isaac is expected make a turn toward the north-northwest later today, followed by a turn toward the north on Friday.
A tropical storm warning was still in effect from Cameron, La., to the Mississippi-Alabama state border, according to the Hurricane Center.
An unofficial rainfall total of 22.5 inches was reported in Arabi, La., near the city's 9th Ward on Wednesday. An official report from Audubon Park in New Orleans listed 17 inches of rainfall.
Livingston Parish officials told ABC News that they felt the worst of Isaac at 10 p.m. Wednesday, and expect flooding in the low-lying parts of the parish. Rescue efforts were under way and officials said this will be the first overnight of many water rescues in the area.
Rescue operations are still under way in Plaquemines Parish, where more than 100 people in the parish have been rescued so far. A levee in Plaquemines Parish will be intentionally breached at some point Thursday to relieve pressure on it. That area has been under mandatory evacuation.
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