New Orleans ? Tropical Storm Isidore on Wednesday drenched the Gulf Coast, swamping parts of New Orleans with thigh-deep water and chasing tourists and residents inland as it swirled toward land with a potential 20 inches of rain.

By late evening, the center of the sprawling storm was 125 miles south of New Orleans and moving north at 13 mph. Forecasters said Isidore was expected to come ashore along Louisiana’s swampy shoreline early today, but tropical storm force winds sustained winds of more than 39 mph were already hitting the coast Wednesday evening.

The storm spawned a tornado 223 miles east of New Orleans, near the Florida panhandle town of Santa Rosa Beach. No injuries were reported, but Gov. Jeb Bush declared an emergency for most of the panhandle.

Residents fled flooded coastal communities in Louisiana and Mississippi. In Alabama, pounding surf eroded beaches and storm preparations were under way as far north as Birmingham, 200 miles from the Gulf of Mexico.

At Bayou La Batre, Ala., Wilson Johnson pulled away from Coden Bayou in his pickup truck, giving his crab boats a last wistful look. “I hope they’re here tomorrow,” he said.

Isidore battered Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula as a hurricane last weekend, killing at least two people before losing its punch. But the storm strengthened after moving back over the Gulf, and it was packing 65-mph winds as it headed toward the U.S. mainland.

More than 8 inches of rain fell on parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Another foot of rain was forecast in some places, including low-lying New Orleans, where drainage pumps were struggling to keep up.

Paul Trosclair watches as water rises in his yard in Yscloskey, La. Southeast U.S. residents have been heading inland before Tropical Storm Isidore hits.

Streets in several neighborhoods were swamped by more than 2 feet of water after rain fell at a rate of 3 inches an hour. At one flooded overpass, a stranded motorist tried to sell cans of beer for $20.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin closed City Hall at noon and ordered a 10 p.m to 6 a.m. curfew to keep streets clear for emergency vehicles. Mississippi officials issued similar curfews in Biloxi and Gulfport.

In suburban New Orleans, Jefferson Parish authorities said rainwater infiltrated the sewer system, causing backups in homes and businesses. Residents were told to limit their use of washing machines, dishwashers and bathrooms.

Schools across the Gulf Coast were closed and dozens of flights were canceled across the region. Gamblers were sent home from Mississippi’s coastal casinos, and Northrup Grumman shut down its shipyards in Pascagoula and Gulfport.