Barry's flood threat persists despite the weakening of the wind system – Xinhua

HOUSTON, July 14 (Xinhua) – Tropical Storm Barry weakened Sunday afternoon to become a tropical depression, while its rainbands still created a threat of flooding extending from the center from Louisiana to the east of Mississippi and beyond.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) ended Sunday's tropical storm warning in southeastern Louisiana. Barry is expected to move to central and northern Louisiana, then to Arkansas on Sunday night and Monday.

"The risk of sudden floods is high today in parts of Louisiana," NHC said on Twitter earlier on Sunday morning, while Barry was heading north at a speed of 39 seconds. about 10 km / h, spilling large quantities of rain.

According to the NHC, a portion of south-central Louisiana could still contain up to 30 inches of rain.

The Mississippi River's level, already inflated by historical rains and upstream floods, was nearly 5.2 meters in the largest city in the state, New Orleans – just below the stadium. ;flood.

A day after Barry struck the United States on Saturday, he continued to rain heavy rains on the region when it was downgraded to a tropical storm.

All flights into and out of New Orleans airport have been canceled since, while thousands of people have evacuated their homes, tens of thousands have lost electricity and first responders are ready to move to action.

However, at a press conference Sunday night, Louisiana's governor, John Bel Edwards, said he was "extremely grateful" that Barry had not caused the catastrophic floods previously announced.

Barry's rains could have been much worse, Edwards said, adding that the state is now better prepared for future storms.

Until Sunday morning, more than 100,000 customers in Louisiana did not have electricity and more than 60,000 were customers of Entergy Corporation, which primarily engaged in manufacturing activities. 39 Electric Power and Retail Distribution in the Great South of the United States.

However, new forecasts indicate that many rivers would not reach the maximum height forecast before the storm, although flash floods remain a threat, Edwards said Saturday.

At the same time, most airlines, which canceled their flights due to Saturday's storm, resumed operations at New Orleans International Airport on Sunday at noon.