Post date: Aug 26, 2012 8:50:58 PM
TAMPA, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 26, 2012) (REUTERS) - Tropical Storm Isaac lashed south Florida with winds and heavy rain on Sunday (August 26) after battering the Caribbean, disrupting plans for the Republican National Convention in Tampa.
Protesters and politicians are thrown off schedule as Tropical Storm Isaac approaches Florida.
In Tampa, protesters began to hit the streets as organizers worked to reschedule an already packed convention schedule. The convention, which was set to start Monday (August 27), has been postponed until Tuesday (August 28), due to the storm.
At least one man was arrested as police tightened security around the Republican convention site - an arena usually used by a professional hockey team.
Kyle Downey, a Republican National Convention spokesman, said they are confident the convention will move ahead Tuesday.
"We are going to continue to monitor the situation. We are in constant communication with state, federal and local authorities, and you know, we are going to make safety our primary concern and we will just see how things unfold. But yes, at this point we are very confident that by Tuesday we are going to be in great shape and we will kick off the convention," he said.
"From what we are hearing, we are not hearing about a lot of cancellations. We are hearing about a lot of enthusiasm. People want to get down here and they want to nominate Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan and launch them into the general and take on Obama and win in November," Downey added.
Isaac is expected to strengthen to a Category 2 hurricane and hit the Gulf Coast somewhere between Florida and Louisiana at midweek - on or near the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina - the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in an advisory.
A hurricane watch was extended westward to include New Orleans, which was devastated when Katrina struck the city on Aug. 29, 2005, killing more than 1,800 people and causing billions of dollars of damage to the Gulf Coast.