‘It’s powerful’: Tropical storm starts lashing Louisiana
With the storm expected to blow ashore early Saturday near
The storm was expected to inflict the most damage on
About 3,000
"This is happening. ... Your preparedness window is shrinking,"
While 10,000 people or more in exposed, low-lying areas along the
"My concerns are just hoping it's not going to be another Katrina," said
Forecasters said slow-moving Barry could unload 10 to 20 inches (25 to 50 centimeters) of rain through Sunday across a swath of
The storm's leading edges lashed the state with bands of rain for most of the day, and some coastal roads were already underwater.
Barry was expected to arrive as a weak hurricane, just barely over the 74 mph (119 kph) wind speed threshold. But authorities warned people not to be fooled.
"Nobody should take this storm lightly just because it's supposed to be a Category 1 when it makes landfall," Gov.
Authorities took unprecedented precautions: The governor said it was the first time all floodgates were sealed in the
Workers also shored up and raised the levee system in places with beams, sheet metal and other barriers.
Barry's downpours could prove to be a severe test of the improvements made to
The
"The river should be taken seriously. It's a really powerful river," said
Employees at a
"Stock up on water. Stock up food. Get ready for the storm — ride it out," he said.
A Walmart Neighborhood Market in
Scientists say global warming is responsible for more intense and more frequent storms and flooding, but without extensive study, they cannot directly link a single weather event to the changing climate.
Late Friday afternoon, Barry was about 70 miles (115 kilometers) southeast of
In
"I told my son, it's better to be safe than sorry," she said.
In
All over town, people parked their cars on the city's medians — referred to around here as "neutral grounds" — in hopes their vehicles would be safe on the slightly elevated strips.
Tourists converged on the airport in hopes of catching an early flight and getting out of town ahead of the storm. At least one convention — that of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority — was cut short by a day. A Rolling Stones concert was postponed from Sunday to Monday.
Katrina caused catastrophic flooding in
In its aftermath, the
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