Hurricane Isaac has swept into New Orleans exactly seven years after the devastating Katrina, stranding people in cars and homes as it pushed flood waters over defences in one rural area.

More than 500,000 people have lost power as Hurricane Isaac moves through south-east Louisiana, bringing torrential rain and flooding.

The centre of Tropical Storm Isaac’s projected path is heading directly for New Orleans and could make landfall as early as tonight, nearly seven years to the day after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city.

HURRICANE Irene caused extraordinary disruption Friday as it zeroed in for a catastrophic run up the Eastern Seaboard. More than two million people were ordered to move to safer places, and New York announced plans to shut down its entire network of subways for the first time because of a natural disaster.

The death toll for the Missouri tornado rose to 117 today, making it single deadliest twister in the United States for 60 years.

A massive storm billed as the worst in decades left vast areas of the US paralysed by snow and ice today.

The last ferry left for the mainland and residents took shelter as Hurricane Earl closed in on North Carolina’s dangerously exposed Outer Banks today with 105mph winds.

A powerful Hurricane Earl threatened to lash much of America’s East Coast, forcing Labour Day holidaymakers to rethink spending the traditional last week of summer at the beach.

Federal officials urged US residents to prepare for possible evacuations today while people in the Turks and Caicos Islands hunkered down in their homes as powerful Hurricane Earl howled over open seas toward the East Coast of the US.

Hurricane Earl battered tiny islands across the north-eastern Caribbean with heavy rain and roof-ripping winds as it rapidly intensified into a major Category 4 storm and threatening the US.

Residents were defying warnings and taking a wait-and-see attitude as a strengthening Tropical Storm Fay swept over the Florida Keys at the tip of the state and bore down on the Gulf Coast.

Search efforts resumed amid fresh rain today across a swath of central Florida devastated by tornado-bearing thunderstorms that killed at least 20 people, including a high school girl struck by a tree as she lay in bed.

Disaster crews with dogs went from one pile of debris to another in a search of bodies after powerful storms swept through Florida.

HURRICANE WILMA was headed toward Florida late last night and expected to pick up speed “like a rocket”, as thousands of residents had been ordered to evacuate.

Residents evacuated, owners boarded up homes and businesses and emergency officials prepared rescue and relief plans as forecasters predicted Hurricane Wilma would pick up speed on a course toward Florida.

Many businesses were shuttered and streets were largely deserted as residents fled from this normally bustling island resort town of Key West amid concern that Hurricane Ivan was heading for Florida.

Hurricane Frances ripped apart roofs, shattered windows and toppled trees as it raged through the Bahamas yesterday with violent winds that sparked panic and drove thousands to flee. At least one man was electrocuted in the storm.

NEARLY 1.2 million Floridians were urged to leave their homes yesterday as massive and powerful Hurricane Frances roared toward the crowded south-east US coast.

HURRICANE Charley slammed Florida’s west coast with winds of 145mph last night, striking south of populous Tampa and threatening to swamp the vulnerable shore with a 15-foot tidal surge.

More than two million people were told to flee from the path of 110 mph Hurricane Charley as it roared toward Florida’s west coast tonight.

TROPICAL storm Bonnie began to make landfall in Florida’s Panhandle yesterday, while residents in the Florida Keys and southwest Florida prepared to meet the stronger Hurricane Charley.

A state of emergency was declared for all of Florida today as a tropical storm and then a hurricane raged closer, the first time the state has faced such a potentially disastrous plight in almost 98 years.

Two hurricanes could strike Florida on the same day – something meteorologists say they have never seen.