John Bel Edwards announces preparations for Tropical Storm Barry; mega-refuge will open in Alexandria | Political State



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The state began opening shelters on Thursday to welcome evacuees from coastal parishes, while Governor John Bel Edwards called for a federal emergency statement as the gulf storm turned around. in Tropical Storm Barry.

Governor John Bel Edwards said the low-level hurricane would come ashore in the Morgan City area. He expects to receive up to 15 inches of rain for much of the state, perhaps a few feet of water in some localized areas.

It's the first hurricane to hit land in Louisiana when the Mississippi River is flooding, Edwards said.

The Mississippi River flood forecast at Carrollton's New Orleans gauge has dropped from 20 to 19 feet, meaning that no lift should be exceeded. Tolls were raised on La. Hwy. 1 for the evacuees from Grand Isle and the lower parish of Lafourche.

"We are still exposed to a significant risk of flooding in south and southeast Louisiana," Edwards said after being briefed at the Baton Rouge State Command Center.

"We do not have to wait for the rivers to fill up, they already are," Edwards said.

Edwards said that he had spoken with FEMA and asked for a federal emergency declaration before landing, which will clarify the legality of disaster relief provision in the United States. ;State.


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He will travel to Chalmette and New Orleans this afternoon.

The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is pre-positioning pumps in the parishes of Grand Isle, Plaquemines, Saint-Bernard and Saint-Jean-Baptiste. The Department of Child and Family Services is responsible for the establishment and management of evacuation centers and the supervision of children in foster care.

Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain said: "We are asking all our farmers and farmers to prepare to move their livestock and equipment to the heights." He said the evacuation would take place in most of southern Louisiana. The state has also transferred cages and equipment to the mega-workshop in Alexandria to evacuate domestic animals, he said.

Strain said it was good that the state had not opened the Morganza spillway, which would have raised the water level in the Atchafalaya basin.

The approach of Tropical Storm Barry resulted in numerous closures in the Baton Rouge area. Forecasters have said several inches of rain …

Charles Lake, Abbeville, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, New Roads, Coushatta, Bossier City, New Orleans, Camp Beauregard, Plaquemine Armory, Esler Airfield, and Hammond Airfield.

Twenty-five bus drivers are located in Plaquemines parish for point-to-point evacuation operations, mainly to Monroe. Mandatory evacuations are in place in the parish south of Carnarvon and prisons and old people's homes have already been removed.

The parish of Ouachita is collecting 14,000 bottles of water and 500 blankets delivered to shelters for the evacuees of the parish of Plaquemines.

The state is preparing to open the mega-shelter in Alexandria.

The parish of Orleans received trucks to move 100 pallets, each filled with 5,000 sandbags.

According to current forecasts, which will likely change in the coming hours, one to three foot storm surges are expected far inland by Pontchatrain and Maurepas lakes. The storm is expected to land on Saturday morning, pass Baton Rouge and Lafayette on Saturday night and reach Interstate 20 in northern Louisiana by Sunday morning.

Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome will hold a press conference at 3 pm today to inform the public of the preparations and possi …

Watches for tropical storms have already been posted in the parishes of Orleans, Ascension and Livingston, as well as in most of the Florida parishes and rivers south of Baton Rouge.

Fifteen production platforms and four rigs were evacuated Wednesday, according to the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Protection. The price of crude oil at $ 67.04 is the highest price in seven weeks and is expected to continue to rise, according to the Energy Information Administration.

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