Isaac victims seek emergency help

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NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Victims of Hurricane Isaac applying for disaster food stamps caused traffic jams around the application sites, Louisiana officials said.

Many of those who showed up Monday were told to return Tuesday, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune said. Applications were taken last week with people told to show up on certain days, based on the first letter of their last names, and Monday was the first open day.

At 2:30 p.m. in some centers, people still waiting in line said they had been there since at least 7 a.m.

While electricity has been restored throughout southern Louisiana, the storm is still making itself felt in the form of debris piled on curbs or still scattered through streets and vacant lots, the Times-Picayune said.

Isaac hit Louisiana as a Category 1 hurricane on Aug. 28. While the storm was much weaker than Hurricane Katrina, it was exceptionally slow moving and caused significant flooding in Louisiana. It has been blamed for nine deaths, five in Louisiana and two each in Florida and Mississippi.