Governor Edwards Declares State Of Emergency 'Time To Prepare Now

Governor Edwards has declared a state of emergency for all of Jefferson and Plaquemines Parish. For those in need of transportation in the event of an evacuation are highly advised to pre-register with the parish. Grand Isle residents are under a voluntary evacuation and told to move all RV's, boats and campers now. Time is not on our side. Ida is a fast moving storm and could make landfall as a major hurricane on Sunday afternoon, the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's.

Officials are stressing that everyone needs to be prepared and take care of all their storm preparations. Ida is expected to make a Sunday landfall as either a Cat 2 or 3 hurricane. The entire Texas to Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi coast and even the Florida panhandle are all under a Hurricane Watch.

Under the circumstances Grand Isle, 40 miles south of New Orleans, schools will be closed Friday. Mayor David Camardelle, a voluntary evacuation was underway Thursday night for campers, boats and RVs. However a mandatory evacuation will go into effect Friday morning around 10:30 a.m.

LOOK: Here are the best lake towns to live in

Many of the included towns jump out at the casual observer as popular summer-rental spots--the Ozarks' Branson, Missouri, or Arizona's Lake Havasu--it might surprise you to dive deeper into some quality-of-life offerings beyond the beach and vacation homes. You'll likely pick up some knowledge from a wide range of Americana: one of the last remaining 1950s-style drive-ins in the Midwest; a Florida town that started as a Civil War veteran retirement area; an island boasting some of the country's top public schools and wealth-earners right in the middle of a lake between Seattle and Bellevue; and even a California town containing much more than Johnny Cash's prison blues.