•Isaac gains strengths as it nears Gulf Coast

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Hurricane Isaac has gotten a little stronger as it closes in on the Gulf Coast.

Isaac's maximum sustained winds increased Tuesday afternoon to 80 mph.

The storm is expected to make landfall late Tuesday on the eve of the seventh anniversary of when Hurricane Katrina devastated the region.

While not as powerful as Katrina, Isaac threatens to flood the coasts of four states with storm surge and heavy rains on its way to New Orleans, where residents have been hunkering down behind levees fortified after Katrina struck.

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