As Tropical Storm Isaac advances through the Gulf, attendees of the Republic National Convention in Tampa, Fla. continue to move forward with planned activities. Aside from a brief opening session, all Convention plans for Monday were canceled in anticipation of the storm’s trek across the Florida Coast, but the rest of the week’s schedule should proceed without interruption.
Columbus banker and first-time attendee Larry Cantrell said Monday afternoon that the weather never turned out to be much of an issue.
“It’s strange to say, but the weather here is actually pretty nice,” Cantrell said. “It’s not the typical Florida weather. It’s not even raining here.”
Even though the opening ceremonies were delayed, Cantrell said he had participated in a full day of activities with the Mississippi delegation. Cantrell said one notable delegate decided to stay in the Magnolia State.
“I have been talking to Governor Bryant’s wife, Deborah,” said Cantrell. “She said Governor Bryant was not going to attend the Convention. He decided to stay in Mississippi and monitor the storm and be there should he be needed. He said his heart wasn’t in it with Mississippi being threatened by another hurricane.”
The timing of Isaac coincides with the date Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast and New Orleans in 2005. Cantrell said the possibility of another storm had been a much-discussed topic.
“We’ve been talking about it a lot,” Cantrell said. “We are very thankful it went west of Florida. We are all praying it will dissipate as it continues to move west. We are all very concerned about the residents of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the residents of Louisiana.”
Jeff Clark was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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