B.R. residents buying hurricane supplies; hotels filling

Government Street Hardware had customers waiting at its door as early as 7:30 a.m.—a half hour before opening time—to buy hurricane supplies in anticipation of Tropical Storm Isaac, which has gained strength as it approaches Louisiana. “They’re crazy about propane,” says Bridgette Edwards, a Government Street Hardware employee, noting that a delivery truck is on its way to supply the store with extra propane and other power-outage necessities, such as batteries, tarps and flashlights. For their part, hotels in the area are booking up. The Courtyard Marriott on Acadian Thruway says it is completely booked through Sunday; the Baton Rouge Marriott says it has sold out at least through Thursday. The East Baton Rouge Parish School System says no decision has been made yet regarding a Tuesday closure in anticipation of the storm. The National Hurricane Center says Isaac was centered about 360 miles away from the mouth of the Mississippi River and could become a hurricane “in a day or so,” with potential landfall on Tuesday as it moves across the Gulf of Mexico near speeds of 14 mph. —Adam Pearson