Hurricane Isaac 'Overtops' Louisiana Levee

A general view of pumping-station equipment at the 17th Street Canal as Hurricane Isaac approached Metairie, Louisiana, on August 28.

Officials in the United States say rising waters from Hurricane Isaac have spilled over a levee south of the city of New Orleans and flooded a residential area.

The neighborhood was ordered evacuated ahead of the arrival of the storm, and no details on possible injuries or victims were immediately available.

Officials of the Plaquemines Parish area said water was running over a 29-kilometer stretch of the levee, with flooding causing waters to rise to 3.6 meters in some zones.

Officials said at least half of the 2,000 people living in the area had left ahead of the storm.

Hurricane Isaac has largely stalled since it made landfall on the southern coast of Louisiana on August 28, seven years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.

Based on reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters