From the Dominican Republic, to Florida, Ala, Miss, La and parts north - Issac's human components do not give up.

Waves tear apart a pier along the Mobile Bay near Dauphin Island on Aug. 28. Alabama took
 a glancing blow from Hurricane Isaac on Tuesday as it headed toward landfall in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, but the storm still threatened the coast with high winds, torrential rain and pounding surf.

People sit on a bench along the seawall in the storm surge from Isaac, on Lakeshore Drive along Lake Pontchartrain, as the storm approaches landfall, in New Orleans, on Aug. 28.

A couple takes photos as Hurricane Isaac churns the surf on Tuesday, Aug. 28, in Bay St. Louis, Miss. Many residents of the area decided to stay in their homes instead of evacuate ahead of the arrival of the Category 1 hurricane. The area was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Residents gather to watch the surf as Hurricane Isaac approaches Gulfport, Miss., Aug. 28.

A flood barrier is built to protect Highway 23 in Oakville, La., on Aug. 28 as Isaac headed towards the coast. The National Hurricane Center upgraded Isaac to a hurricane Tuesday at 12:20 p.m. ET. It's expected to make landfall in the New Orleans area seven years after the city was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

New Orleans resident Diana Whipple stands on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain as Isaac started to kick up waves on Aug. 28.

A satellite image shows Isaac in the Gulf of Mexico on Aug. 28. Isaac has prompted memories of 2005's disastrous Hurricane Katrina. "It's quite ironic that we have a hurricane threatening us on the seventh anniversary of Katrina,' Mayor Mitch Landrieu said in a briefing on Aug. 27.

Estanislao Fabian loads the car as Jordan Fabian, 6, and Jaylah Cole, 6, comfort Jaden Fabian, 1, as they evacuate their home in Oakville, La., ahead of Isaac on Aug. 28.

Bourbon Street in New Orleans was virtually empty ahead of Isaac on Aug. 27.

A woman enjoys the heavy rain in the Tampa area on Aug. 27.

Andrew Marino, left, and Colby Collier wheel a cart of sandbags back to their homes ahead of Isaac, Aug. 26 in St. Pete Beach, Fla.

A steady stream of cars moves north in the middle Keys as the Florida Keys prepare for Tropical Storm Isaac, Aug 25. Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency and a hurricane warning was issued 

for the Florida Keys, as officials warn tourists to leave.

A houseboat is towed in the middle Keys in preparation for Isaac, Aug. 25.

Two elephant sculptures that decorate a shopping mall are tied to a column in Havana, Cuba, Aug. 25. Tropical Storm Isaac pushed into Cuba after sweeping across Haiti's southern peninsula. Isaac's center made landfall just before midday near the far eastern tip of Cuba. 

Men stand behind a seawall as waves brought by Tropical Storm Isaac splash over them in Baracoa, Cuba, Aug. 25. 

Catiana Pierre, left, and her brother Dickenson Prudhomme walk up a hill near the Marassa 14 Tent City where their family's tent collapsed overnight as Tropical Storm Isaac swept through the area, Aug. 25. 

A woman walks by a new home after Tropical Storm Isaac destroyed the roof in Zoranje village in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Aug. 25. 

A boy tries to take cover from the cold behind an appliance sitting higher than the floodwaters triggered by Tropical Storm Isaac in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Aug. 25. 

Residents who live on the Ozama River bank play in the floodwaters triggered by Tropical Storm Isaac in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Aug. 25. Authorities said they evacuated nearly 3,000 people from low-lying areas, and at least 10 rural settlements were cut off by flooding. Power was out in parts of the capital, Santo Domingo, but there were no reports of injuries.