Nervous New Orleans residents prepared to flee as Tropical Storm Barry closed in on Thursday, with forecasts of “extreme rain” and more flooding ahead of the storm’s predicted landfall by early on Saturday as the first Atlantic hurricane of 2019, reports Reuters.
Storm Approaching at 45mph
Barry coalesced in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday morning, packing maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour (64 kph), a day after heavy showers from the gathering storm drenched New Orleans with nearly a foot (30 cm) of rain, the National Weather Service said.
A tropical storm warning was posted on Thursday afternoon for metropolitan New Orleans, and a hurricane warning for a stretch of the Louisiana coast south of the city. The weather service later reported winds increasing to 45 mph (72 kph), with higher gusts.
Live Update: Storm Wreaks Havoc, 2 Cruises Rerouted
- New Orleans Port stopped cargo operations on Thursday and reopened the Mississipi Floodgates to prepare for the storm.
- The River is said to have reached the record height of 19-20 ft on friday and is likely to set a new record.
- Storm wreaked havoc in US Gulf Coast on Friday making 2 cruise ships Carnival Valor with 29000 passengers, Carnival Freedom stationed Galveston to change routes.
- 100 buses are enlisted to help the people stranded in the storm which soon became a Hurricane
- Carnival regretted the inconvenience while Disney and Royal Carribean have stated that their ships aren’t affected and in case of any rerouting they would issue a statement.
- The danger of life-threatening storm inundation as the slow approach of the storm will result in prolong durations of heavy rains
- Federal Declaration by the President
For more info on the storm visit the Business Insider
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Source: Reuters
