Hurricane Isaac: How You Can Help

Just before noon Tuesday, Tropical Storm Isaac officially became Hurricane Isaac with sustained winds of at least 75 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. By 2 p.m. the National Weather Service was reporting storm surge flooding in Mobile, Ala., and surrounding areas.

The storm caused problems in Florida as it crossed over land Monday, knocking a day off the Republican National Convention and causing localized flooding across some low-lying areas of the state. Official landfall in the Gulf Coast region is expected around 7 p.m. Tuesday.

President Barack Obama has already offered help to residents who are affected by Hurricane Isaac, but there are things you can do from here in Virginia to help, as well:

Red Cross Donations — You can make a $10 donation via text message by texting REDCROSS to 90999. Or, visit the American Red Cross website or call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

The Salvation Army is also providing supplies to residents displaced by the storm. You can make a $10 text message donation by messaging STORM to 80888 and confirming the donation by replying ‘yes.' Or, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org or call 800-SAL-ARMY. Checks may be mailed to The Salvation Army Disaster Relief, PO BOX 1959 Atlanta, GA 30301. Please write the check to “Salvation Army Disaster Relief” and put “2012 Hurricane Relief” on the memo line.

Patch will update this story with more giving and donating opportunities as we learn about them. Feel free to add information you have to the comments section below!

Be Prepared

Hurricane Isaac is making landfall almost exactly seven years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, and in the same week Hurricane Irene hit the Virginia coast last year.

The American Red Cross recently announced its new "Hurricane App" is available for free download in both the iPhone App Store and the Google Play Store for Androids by searching American Red Cross. You can also get the app by dialing **redcross from your mobile phone to generate a text message with a download link.

Hurricane Season's Peak

According to the National Weather Service, the Atlantic hurricane season peaks in August and extends through September. It was the end of August last year when , and early September when Tropical Storm Lee damaged the area.

On Aug. 9, the NWS' Climate Prediction Center released its revised outlook for the 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season. That reads, in part:

We estimate a 70 percent probability for each of the following ranges of activity for the entire 2012 Atlantic hurricane season:

• 12-17 Named Storms,
• 5-8 Hurricanes
• 2-3 Major Hurricanes
• An Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) range of 75 percent - 135 percent of the median.