Barry made landfall on the Louisiana coast as a hurricane Saturday afternoon and them immediately weakened to a tropical storm as it continued to wallop the state with powerful gusts of wind and massive amounts of rainfall.
Emergencies were declared this week in preparation for the extreme weather in both Louisiana and Mississippi, where residents were urged to either shelter in place or evacuate their homes.
Barry, the first hurricane of the 2019 hurricane season, had maximum sustained winds of up to 75 mph earlier in the day as it continued to crawl toward the Louisiana shore. According to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center, the storm now currently boasts wind speeds of around 70 mph and is moving northwest at about 6 mph.
Storms are upgraded to hurricanes when their sustained winds reach 74 mph or higher.
National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham said the Barry had been gathering a “big slough of moisture” just off the central Louisiana coast, which means “a lot of rain is on the way.”
Forecasters have warned of disastrous flooding and predicted 10 to 20 inches of rain through Sunday across portions of Louisiana, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge, while other isolated locations could see as much as 25 inches.
“Life-threatening storm surge and inland freshwater flooding is expected,” the National Weather Service warned. “Please take this seriously.”
The outer edges of the hurricane have already dumped huge amounts of rainfall on Louisiana and parts of coastal Mississippi and Alabama, leaving many roads already underwater. In New Orleans, residents and business owners either made their way to evacuation shelters or laid down sandbags and boarded up windows in a bid to protect from the winds and heavy rainfall.
According to tracking site PowerOutage.us more than 70,000 homes and businesses were already without power Saturday, including 66,830 in Louisiana and 3,140 in Mississippi.
Streets in the famous French Quarter, usually alive with residents and tourists, were mostly empty at the start of the weekend.
The potential storm surges and flooding in Louisiana is reminiscent of the deadly Hurricane Katrina and will test protections and infrastructure put into place after the 2005 storm.
Authorities in New Orleans have already taken unprecedented precautions in closing floodgates and raising the barriers around New Orleans.
Gov. John Bel Edwards said it was the first time all the gates have been sealed in the New Orleans-area Hurricane Risk Reduction System since Katrina in 2005. Still, he said he does not expect the Mississippi River to spill over levees despite already high water levels.
Forecasters on Friday said the mighty Mississippi is expected to crest in New Orleans at about 17.1 feet, lower than the initial predictions of 19 feet.
The levees protecting the city range from 20 to 25 feet in height.
About 3,000 National Guard troops were stationed throughout Louisiana on Saturday along with rescue crews, boats, high-water vehicles and helicopters.
President Trump earlier this week declared a federal emergency for the state, allowing for the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate with local authorities on disaster relief efforts.
“To everyone on the Gulf Coast: As you make your preparations to protect your homes & loved ones from flooding & the coming storm, it is imperative that you heed the directions of @FEMA, State & Local Officials,” Trump tweeted Thursday.
“We are working closely with them. Please be prepared, be careful & be SAFE.”
With News Wire Services
