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Tropical Storm Isaac is expected to strengthen into a hurricane as it churns through the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. While its exact track is still uncertain, parts of Florida are being hit by the storms outer bands. Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana are preparing as well.

Hurricane Ivan moves inland along the Gulf Coast, spawning tornadoes, causing flooding and tearing beach houses from their foundations. Its top winds have dropped to 80 mph, but the storm remains dangerous. Hear NPR's Jon Hamilton.

Along the Gulf Coast, residents brace for another hurricane season, even as they recover and rebuild from the terrible trials of Katrina. We broadcast live from New Orleans as we ask residents what they learned, what they would do differently and whether they are ready for another hurricane.

Hurricane Katrina destroyed the homes of both rich and poor. Among the most prominent victims was Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS), whose home in Pascagoula, Miss., was destroyed. Lott is one of many Gulf homeowners suing their insurance companies.

Hurricane Rita has been downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 125 miles an hour. But the winds, rains and waves of the storm still poses a serious threat to the coastal regions of Louisiana and Texas.

Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff announces that Mike Brown, the embattled director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is being relieved from daily direction of the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

About 30 miles west of New Orleans, St. John the Baptist Parish was flooded quickly from two lakes, including Lake Pontchartrain. Hurricane Isaac's strong winds created a surge — forcing water into residential areas and evacuations of thousands of people.

The Mississippi Gulf Coast took a lashing overnight from Hurricane Isaac. A big storm surge, tropical force winds and pounding rain hit the area. But in some ways, the memory of Hurricane Katrina makes it harder for a much weaker hurricane like Isaac to garner that same sense of urgency.

Hurricane Dennis gathered strength overnight as it moved north in the Gulf of Mexico. The full force of the storm is expected to hit the U.S. mainland along the Florida, Alabama and Mississippi coast Sunday afternoon. Sandra Averhart of member station WUWF in Pensacola, Fla., talks to guest host Sheilah Kast about evacuation efforts.

Contracts awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for post-Hurricane Katrina work along the Gulf Coast were initially awarded to big firms. But some local, smaller firms are questioning the deals. Unsuccessful bidders say the government didn't follow its own rules.