Hurricane Isaac made landfall in the US state of Louisiana, bringing high winds, soaking rains and posing the first test for the costly flood-protection system built after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina that killed over 18,000 people in 2005.

Isaac, which was upgraded from tropical storm to Category 1 hurricane on Tuesday and was packing maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour, lashed the area with heavy rains and strong winds.
The landfall, however, was less powerful than originally expected. But it still threatens to inundate the historically flood-prone, low-lying regions with a major storm surge and heavy rain.

Over 170,000 people were plunged into darkness, media reports said.Indian-American Governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal has decided to skip the Republican party's convention to focus on preparatory measures.

The US National Hurricane Center said a "dangerous storm surge" was occurring along the northern Gulf Coast.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is in charge of recovery operations, and more than 4,100 National Guard troops have been activated. The Louisiana National Guard has deployed 48 boat teams and 13 communications teams.

Cargo terminals within the Port of New Orleans have ceased operations.

States of emergency was declared in Louisiana and Mississippi, allowing authorities to coordinate disaster
relief and seek emergency federal funds.