One of the biggest issues facing New Orleans-area residents from Isaac will be power outages. Entergy says the company is on full alert with trucks parked in key areas and ready for action.

In New Orleans, trees get the blame for many of the outages, especially in the Uptown area.  So does flying debris like lawn chairs and other stuff people don't secure.  Entergy CEO Charles Rice cautions they have to be concerned about worker safety.  Once the winds hit 35 to 40 miles per hour, no more workers going up in the buckets.

''They have families, they have people that want to see them come home after this event,'' said Rice.

Rice said if Isaac slows down and hangs over the area, that would be a recipe for widespread and lengthy outages.

''They have these huge transmission lines, once those go, they're very difficult to restore,'' he added.

Even though they may not be able to dispatch crews right away, Rice said customers are encouraged to call the company if their having power problems.  

''We need you to call, we want you to call,'' he said.

Sometimes it may seem like a widespread outage across your neighborhood, while it may just be a few houses.