In September 2009, the President announced that—for the first time in history—White House visitor records would be made available to the public on an ongoing basis. Today, the White House releases visitor records that were generated in May 2012. Today’s release brings the total number of records made public by this White House to more than 2.5 million—all of which can be viewed in our  Disclosures section. In addition, due to personal safety concerns, the White House has withheld two visitor records related to participants in a meeting on domestic violence.

Ed. note: For more information, check out Ethics.gov.

Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that's happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. It's the summer's special Mailbag Edition of West Wing Week, featuring Elizabeth Olson, Director of Presidential Correspondence.  This week we're taking a moment to pick out a few of your letters from the thousands that arrive everyday here at the White House and answer some of your questions on immigration, healthcare, and the economy.  That's August 24th to August 30th or, "It's Summer Mailbag Time!"

First, we went over to the National Economic Council to see Deputy Director, Brian Deese, who answered some of your letters about the economy.

Then we went over to the Domestic Policy Council to talk with Cecilia Muñoz about some of the letters she'd read about healthcare reform and the new deferred action process.

Watch the West Wing Week here.

Tuesday, August 28th:

• The President made a statement about preparedness for the arrival of Hurricane Isaac.

Thursday, August 30th:

• We sat down with Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, who spoke about the upcoming two year anniversary of the end of the war in Iraq for 'The Rhodes Ahead.'

Related Links:

• President Obama Discusses Preparations for Tropical Storm Isaac

• The Rhodes Ahead: Second Anniversary of the End of the Combat Mission in Iraq

(August 28 - Personnel in the National Guard Command Center in Arlington, Va., monitor the progress of Tropical Storm Isaac as it makes its way through the Gulf of Mexico. The NGCC, which serves as a hub that provides an overall tracking and coordination of National Guard elements, has gone to 24 hour operations in preparation for Isaac making landfall. Isaac's predicted path has it hitting the Gulf Coast region sometime Tuesday or Wednesday. U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy.)

This morning, Hurricane Isaac was downgraded to a tropical storm, and by the end of the day, it's expected to further diminish to a tropical depression.

But as the storm continues moving north, federal emergency personnel are still monitoring its progress and mobilizing to provide relief for those in its path.

In the past 24 hours, federal officials have taken the following steps to respond Isaac. Check out the list, compiled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency below, or visit FEMA.gov for additional information.

(Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and FEMA Deputy Administrator Richard Serino hold a briefing with FEMA Regions in regards to Hurricane Isaac preparations.)

Late last night, as Hurricane Isaac made landfall along the Gulf Coast, FEMA provided another update about the ongoing efforts from federal officials to respond to the storm.

Earlier in the day, FEMA Adminstrator Craig Fugate and National Hurricane Center Director Dr. Rick Knabb briefed President Obama on the expected track for the hurricane and the preparations underway to provide relief efforts.

The President has already signed emergency declarations for the states of Mississippi and Louisiana in order to ensure local leaders get the support they need.

Before Isaac made landfall, FEMA dispatched four Incident Management Assistance Teams to emergency operations centers in Gulf states and positioned two Mobile Emergency Response Support teams and additional resources in locations nearby the areas expected to be affected by the storm.

FEMA also has supply distribution centers in Georgia and Texas and has established additional supply sites Mississippi and Louisiana. Federal officials have also deployed an urban search and rescue team to Louisiana, and additional support teams are ready to deploy as needed and requested.

For those currently in the path of the storm, FEMA has provided some useful safety information:

As Hurricane Isaac approaches landfall near southeastern Louisiana, residents throughout the Gulf coast are busy preparing for the impact of the storm. Federal response teams are ready to mobilize in support of state and local leaders.

Even for those of us outside the trajectory of the hurricane, now is a good time to sit down with family and talk about how to prepare for extreme weather.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has put together a list of guidelines to help you be safe and ready before, during, and after hurricanes. To learn more about FEMA hurricane guidelines, visit Ready.gov/hurricanes.

Below are a few tips we wanted to highlight for your safety:

President Barack Obama delivers a statement to the press on Tropical Storm Isaac, in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, Aug. 28, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

After receiving the latest update about Tropical Storm Isaac from the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, and the National Hurricane Center, President Obama spoke from the Diplomatic Room about the steps his administration is taking to prepare for the storm.

"Yesterday I approved a disaster declaration for the state of Louisiana so they can get the help that they need right away, particularly around some of the evacuations that are taking place," he said. "And right now, we already have response teams and supplies ready to help communities in the expected path of the storm."

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and other federal officials have spoken with Gulf state governors and other local leaders to discuss their needs in advance of the storm.

The President urged those who live in potentially affected areas to pay close attention to warnings and evacuation orders posted by local officials.

"We’re dealing with a big storm and there could be significant flooding and other damage across a large area," he said. "Now is not the time to tempt fate. Now is not the time to dismiss official warnings. You need to take this seriously."

If you need information about what to do before, during, and after a hurricane, please visit Ready.gov

Watch the President speak on preparing for tropical storm Isaac.

As Isaac gathers strength in the Gulf of Mexico, forecasters with the National Weather Center are tracking the path of the storm, while federal disaster response teams are already in place throughout the Gulf region, coordinating with state response centers.

In a call with reporters earlier today, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and Dr. Rick Knabb, the director of the National Hurricane Center, discussed those preparations and the latest potential trajectory for the tropical storm.

Forecasters have issued storm warnings for an area stretching from central Louisiana to the Florida panhandle and through the course of the call, Fugate and Knabb stressed that now is the time to prepare for Isaac.  Local residents should be ready to heed evacuation orders, if and when state and local officials issues those calls.

While Isaac is likely to become a hurricane today, Fugate and Knabb urged those in the path of the storm to focus less on its particular classification and more on the storm's size and the potential for a storm surge that could reach 6 to 12 feet -- as well as record levels of rain fall.

President Obama received a briefing from federal officials yesterday on efforts to prepare for the storm. FEMA's Instant Management Teams are already in place on the ground, and supplies like bottled water, food, and infant kits are being shipped to states under the storm warnings.

FEMA is providing regular updates about efforts to prepare for Isaac at FEMA.gov. The National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Service are also providing new severe weather watches and warnings as they gather new information.

You can learn what to do before, during, and after a hurricane at Ready.gov.

Update: President Obama spoke Tuesday morning about preparing for Tropical Storm Isaac, click here for the video.

Watch the West Wing Week.

Here's a quick glimpse at what happened this week on WhiteHouse.gov:

First Lady Michelle Obama Hosts First-Ever Kids' State Dinner: On Monday, First Lady Michelle Obama hosted the first-ever Kids’ “State Dinner” at the White House, welcoming 54 budding chefs to a formal luncheon in the East Room as part of her Let’s Move! initiative. The guests, all between the ages of 8 and 12, represented all U.S. states, three territories and the District of Columbia.

Each of the guests, along with their parents, submitted a healthy recipe as part of Epicurious’ Healthy Lunchtime Challenge, which invited families to create an original lunchtime recipe that is healthy, affordable and delicious, and follows the nutritional guidelines of MyPlate.

“Believe it or not, more than 1,200 kids submitted recipes for this challenge -- 1,200.  It's a big competition,” the First Lady said.  A panel of judges from the organizations that teamed up with Mrs. Obama on this initiative -- Epicurious, the Department of Education and the Department of Agriculture—tasted each of the recipes that made it to the final round of the competition and picked their favorites from each state, as Mrs. Obama explained.

To learn more about the Kids’ “State Dinner,” visit letsmove.gov/kids-state-dinner.

President Obama Held a Press Conference: Also on Monday, President Obama took questions from reporters and discussed a big new announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

"Today, HHS announced that thanks to the health care law that we passed, nearly 5.4 million seniors with Medicare have saved over $4.1 billion on prescription drugs. That’s an average savings of more than $700 per person," he said. "This year alone, 18 million seniors with Medicare have taken advantage of new preventive care benefits like a mammogram or other cancer screening at no extra cost."