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Tropical Storm Barry Live Updates: Louisiana Braces for Landfall Tropical Storm Barry Live Updates: Storm Shifts West as Gulf Coast Braces for Landfall
(about 2 hours later)
Tropical Storm Barry is expected to sweep into south Louisiana as a Category 1 hurricane early Saturday morning. By 4 a.m. local time, the storm’s rain bands had begun battering the coast, though it had yet to make landfall. Maximum sustained wind speeds are currently at 65 miles per hour. Tropical Storm Barry is expected to sweep into south Louisiana as a Category 1 hurricane Saturday morning. By 7 a.m., the storm’s rain bands were battering the coast, though it had yet to make landfall. The storm has strengthened slightly, with maximum sustained wind speeds currently at 70 miles per hour.
But wind speeds are not what is troubling much of the region. Experts predict possible rains of up to 25 inches in parts of southern Louisiana and coastal Mississippi, and the slow-moving storm could create big flooding risks in inland areas like greater Baton Rouge. Officials issued mandatory evacuation orders in communities along the coast, including parts of Plaquemines, Jefferson and Lafourche parishes. Barry is moving at 5 m.p.h., with some models predicting landfall around Intracoastal City, La., about 160 miles west of New Orleans.
Forecasters predicted that Barry would run ashore near Morgan City, a small town about 20 miles from the southern coast of Louisiana where residents said they had been lucky to elude recent hurricanes, including Katrina. The storm is just shy of hurricane strength. But wind speeds are not what is troubling much of the region. Experts predict possible rains of up to 25 inches in parts of southern Louisiana and coastal Mississippi, and the slow-moving storm could create big flooding risks in inland areas like greater Baton Rouge. Officials issued mandatory evacuation orders in communities along the coast, including parts of Plaquemines, Jefferson and Lafourche parishes.
New Orleans, while not expected to take a direct hit, is worrying about whether its flood-protection infrastructure will be up to the task. More than 62,000 people were out of power in Louisiana as of about 7:20 a.m. on Saturday, and the number was increasing by the minute, according to the state’s largest energy companies.
Entergy Louisiana reported that 55,198 of its customers had been affected by power failures, mostly in the southern parts of the state. Two other power companies reported a combined 7,000 customers affected.
All morning flights in and out of the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport were canceled on Saturday. Several major airlines, including Delta, Southwest and Spirit, canceled flights for the whole day, and others, including American, canceled all outbound flights.
Forecasters had predicted that Barry would run ashore near Morgan City, about 20 miles from the coast. But David Naquin, homeland security director for St. Mary Parish, which includes Morgan City, said the latest reports indicated that the storm had shifted.
“It’s going to push a little bit further west,” he said.
This did not bring him any relief. “Every time it moves west, it’s actually worse for us,” Mr. Naquin said. “We get the worst side of the storm. It just puts us in the bull’s-eye of all the rain.”
As of daybreak, he said, Barry’s impact in the parish “hasn’t been too, too severe.”
As dawn broke in Morgan City, there were scattered scenes of broken trees and other minor damage but no reports of injuries or deaths. The power had gone out throughout about two-thirds of this oil hub city of about 12,000. But the torrential downpours that city officials have been fearing had not arrived.
This storm could be among the biggest tests to the city’s complex pump-and-levee protection system since Hurricane Katrina.This storm could be among the biggest tests to the city’s complex pump-and-levee protection system since Hurricane Katrina.
The city, which is largely below sea level, relies on dozens of massive drainage pumps to flush water out of its streets, and on miles of federal levees to block storm surges. But the aging pumps have proved vulnerable to breakdowns and power losses in recent years, while spring flooding has pushed the river higher over the last several months, nearly to the top of the levees.The city, which is largely below sea level, relies on dozens of massive drainage pumps to flush water out of its streets, and on miles of federal levees to block storm surges. But the aging pumps have proved vulnerable to breakdowns and power losses in recent years, while spring flooding has pushed the river higher over the last several months, nearly to the top of the levees.
While the trauma of the levee failures from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 is still vivid in the city’s memory, New Orleans officials see the rain as the greatest threat to safety and are focusing on the performance of the drainage pumps. Mayor LaToya Cantrell urged city residents to shelter in their homes starting on Friday night.While the trauma of the levee failures from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 is still vivid in the city’s memory, New Orleans officials see the rain as the greatest threat to safety and are focusing on the performance of the drainage pumps. Mayor LaToya Cantrell urged city residents to shelter in their homes starting on Friday night.
Three years of crushing natural disasters have dwindled the ranks of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, potentially straining its ability to help victims of the storm.Three years of crushing natural disasters have dwindled the ranks of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, potentially straining its ability to help victims of the storm.
Fewer than a quarter of the 13,654 people in FEMA’s trained disaster work force are available to assist with Barry or indeed any other emergency, agency documents show, because the rest are deployed elsewhere or otherwise unavailable. That is down from the 34 percent who were available at this point in 2018, and from 55 percent two years ago.Fewer than a quarter of the 13,654 people in FEMA’s trained disaster work force are available to assist with Barry or indeed any other emergency, agency documents show, because the rest are deployed elsewhere or otherwise unavailable. That is down from the 34 percent who were available at this point in 2018, and from 55 percent two years ago.
“I’m worried,” said Elizabeth A. Zimmerman, who ran FEMA’s disaster operations during the Obama administration. “That’s of concern, to make sure that there are enough people to respond.”“I’m worried,” said Elizabeth A. Zimmerman, who ran FEMA’s disaster operations during the Obama administration. “That’s of concern, to make sure that there are enough people to respond.”
[Read more here about the concerns over short-staffing at FEMA.][Read more here about the concerns over short-staffing at FEMA.]
The Gulf Coast has always had hurricanes, of course. But the extreme rain associated with this storm, projected to be 10 to 20 inches or even more, fits into emerging research suggesting that climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of storms with heavy rainfall.The Gulf Coast has always had hurricanes, of course. But the extreme rain associated with this storm, projected to be 10 to 20 inches or even more, fits into emerging research suggesting that climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of storms with heavy rainfall.
A warming atmosphere can hold more moisture, dumping it out in form of heavy downpours — a phenomenon seen not just in storms like Barry, but in the record floods across much of the Midwest this year.A warming atmosphere can hold more moisture, dumping it out in form of heavy downpours — a phenomenon seen not just in storms like Barry, but in the record floods across much of the Midwest this year.
Those floodwaters have fed the Mississippi River, keeping it at flood stage at many points. The Army Corps of Engineers opened the Bonnet Carre spillway above New Orleans twice in one season for the first time since it was built in 1931.Those floodwaters have fed the Mississippi River, keeping it at flood stage at many points. The Army Corps of Engineers opened the Bonnet Carre spillway above New Orleans twice in one season for the first time since it was built in 1931.
[Read about how hurricanes are getting wetter as the climate changes.][Read about how hurricanes are getting wetter as the climate changes.]
The city has already flooded from the leading edge of the storm, and the additional rains and storm surge threaten to bring the level of the Mississippi perilously close the top of the city’s fortresslike levees. These simultaneous threats are consistent with a paper published last year that says such situations will become more common with climate change — “like a terror movie that is real.”The city has already flooded from the leading edge of the storm, and the additional rains and storm surge threaten to bring the level of the Mississippi perilously close the top of the city’s fortresslike levees. These simultaneous threats are consistent with a paper published last year that says such situations will become more common with climate change — “like a terror movie that is real.”
Richard Fausset reported from New Orleans and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs from New York. Reporting was contributed by Emily Lane and Beau Evans from New Orleans; Dave Montgomery from Morgan City, La.; Christopher Flavelle from Washington; and John Schwartz from New York.Richard Fausset reported from New Orleans and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs from New York. Reporting was contributed by Emily Lane and Beau Evans from New Orleans; Dave Montgomery from Morgan City, La.; Christopher Flavelle from Washington; and John Schwartz from New York.