Officials in Texas prepare for Isaac

DALLAS (AP) - Federal emergency officials in Texas have begun staging supplies in Louisiana in preparation for Tropical Storm Isaac.

Forecasters say Isaac, which could strengthen into a hurricane, targeted a broad swath of the Gulf Coast on Monday.

The regional Federal Emergency Management Agency office in Denton has set up an operations center in Baton Rouge, La.  Emergency response items such as meals, water, cots, blankets and hygiene kits have been placed at various points in Louisiana.

The American Red Cross in North Texas has activated its emergency command center in Dallas. Volunteers are being coordinated in case Red Cross shelters are opened in East Texas to house potential evacuees from Louisiana and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Gov. Rick Perry on Moday activated the Disaster District Committee in Beaumont and placed state and local emergency management assets on alert as Isaac makes it way toward the Gulf Coast.

“The path of a storm’s destruction can be unpredictable, and as we track Tropical Storm Isaac across the Gulf of Mexico, Texas will be prepared to respond anywhere the storm makes landfall,” Perry said. “With the effects of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike still fresh on the minds of communities near the projected path of the storm, Texas will rely on our proactive approach to protecting life and property, and stands ready to support our neighbors in Louisiana with any assistance they may need."