Isaac: Lafayette Parish emergency declaration

Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel has signed an emergency declaration for Lafayette Parish, and non-essential government workers have civil leave Wednesday.

The parish is under a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning as Hurricane Isaac approaches the northern Gulf Coast. In Lafayette Parish, winds were expected to gust up to 30 or 40 miles an hour starting late Tuesday afternoon, with gusts of 50 to 60 mph expected for most of Wednesday.

Officials say Lafayette residents should drive only when necessary after 6 p.m. Tuesday.