Waning Isaac heads north but eyes turn to stricken dam

NEW ORLEANS (REUTERS) - Torrential rain dumped by Hurricane Isaac threatened to burst a dam in Mississippi on Thursday, triggering the mass evacuation of local residents, while large areas of the region were still flooded and without power but getting ready to mop up.

Isaac, which was downgraded to a tropical depression on Thursday, did little damage to New Orleans, where stronger barriers were installed after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Only one fatality linked to the storm has been confirmed so far.

But it produced a soggy mess across widespread areas of the Untied States Gulf Coast and could still bring heavy downpours and flooding before moving into the central United States (US) - where rain is badly needed - over the next few days.

Some 700,000 homes and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi were still without power on Thursday, down from about one million overnight. As winds subsided, crews were able to start assessing damage.