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Tropical Storm Barry: Winds, rain begin hitting parts of the Gulf Coast

Adrianna Rodriguez   | Paste BN

Tropical Storm Barry’s wind and rain began hitting parts of Louisiana as New Orleans and coastal communities braced for what could be the season’s first hurricane. Low-lying roads near the coast were already covered with water Friday morning as the tide rose and the storm pushed water in from the Gulf of Mexico.

As of 5 p.m. ET, the storm was moving at 6 mph with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. The storm is located 110 miles from the Mississippi River.

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Weather advisories for Tropical Storm Barry:

(For more explanation on what each term means, scroll down.)

  • A Hurricane Warning is in effect from Intracoastal City to Grand Isle.
  • A Hurricane Watch is in effect for the mouth of the Mississippi River to Grand Isle and Intracoastal City to Cameron.
  • A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the mouth of the Pearl River to Grand Isle, Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas, including metropolitan New Orleans as well as Intracoastal City to Cameron.
  • A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect from east of the mouth of the Pearl River to the Mississippi-Alabama border.
  • A Storm Surge Warning is in effect from the mouth of the Atchafalaya River to Shell Beach.
  • A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for Shell Beach to the Mississippi-Alabama border, the mouth of the Atchafalaya River to Intracoastal City and Lake Pontchartrain.

Watch, Warning: What do they mean?

  • Tropical Storm Warning: Tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within the next 36 hours.
  • Tropical Storm Watch: Tropical storm conditions are possible in the area within the next 28 hours.
  • Hurricane Warning: Sustained winds of 74 mph or higher associated with a tropical cyclone are expected somewhere within the warning area in 36 hours or less.
  • Hurricane Watch: Sustained winds of 74 mph or higher poses a possible threat, generally within 48 hours.
  • Storm Surge Warning: The danger of life-threatening flooding from rising water moving inland from the shoreline somewhere within the area within 36 hours.
  • Storm Surge Watch: The possibility of life-threatening flooding from rising water moving inland from the shoreline somewhere within the area generally within 48 hours.

Source: National Weather Service

In Louisiana

President Donald Trump declared a federal emergency for Louisiana ahead of the storm, which is expected to make landfall late Friday or early Saturday along the state’s coast.

Forecasters say Barry could have winds of about 75 mph, just barely over the 74 mph threshold for a hurricane, which would make it a Category 1 storm when it comes ashore. The downpours are expected to pose a severe test of the improvements made in New Orleans' flood defenses since the city was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Several stores in the Lafayette area are running short on some food items, bottled water and generators, but many have more on the way. Food delivery service Waitr plans to continue regular service through the weekend, but it will an issue an alert if service is stopped due to worsening weather conditions.

The City of Abbeville and St. Martin Parish have issued curfews. The curfew in Abbeville will go into effect Friday night, and will be in effect every night from 11 p.m. until sunrise. The curfew will remain in effect until the state of emergency is canceled. All of St. Martin Parish will be under a curfew Friday night from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., and Saturday night from dusk to dawn of Sunday morning.

Here's a list of how some stores are stocked:

  • Walmart (3142 Ambassador Caffery Parkway): The store's supply of canned goods, bread and dry food is OK, but the store was running low on bottles of water. An associate said several trucks of water would be coming Thursday. The store does not have generators.
  • Walmart (2428 W Pinhook Road): The store had a truck bring in fresh bread and groceries Thursday afternoon. An associate said pallets of water would be near the front of the store. It does not have generators.
  • Walmart (3810 NE Evangeline Throughway in Carencro): An associate said the store still had plenty of dry food, canned goods and bread in stock, though not as much as usual. The store's supply of bottled water is low, but the associate said they do have generators.
  • Walmart (123 St. Nazaire Road in Broussard): A worker said the store was running low on some food items and bottled water, but it is expecting more but did not have a specific timeline.
  • Albertsons (2678 Johnston St.): The store was running low on bread but was stocked on other food items, an associate said. It still has bottled water.
  • Albertsons (2863 Amabassador Caffery Parkway): The store still has plenty of canned goods, but it is running low on bread. An associate said they are expecting a shipment Friday. The store still has bottles of water.
  • Rouses (601 Bertrand Drive): An associate said the store had plenty of bottles of water, but the manager referred questions about food supplies to the corporate office.
  • Home Depot (1700 NE Evangeline Throughway): The store was out of generators as of early Thursday afternoon, though they are expecting a truck to bring more Thursday afternoon.
  • Home Depot (213 St. Nazaire Road in Broussard): The store ran out of generators on Thursday.

In Mississippi

Tropical Storm Barry took affect in the state early Friday as the storm pushed more inland. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) say there’s the potential for a storm surge greater than three feet on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The south and central parts of the state could have heavy rainfall and flooding.

Self-serving sandbag locations have been stationed throughout the state:

Harrison County

  • Long Beach Harbor in Long Beach
  • Christian Harbor in Pass Christian
  • Harrison County Road Department at 11076 Lorraine Road
  • D’Iberville Work Center at 10085 Doris Deno Ave.  (District 1)
  • Lyman Work Center at 15001 County Farm Road (District 2)
  • Long Beach Work Center at 605 N. Seal Ave. (District 3)
  • District 4 Work Center at 8300 34th Ave. in Gulfport (District 4)
  • Woolmarket Work Center at 16395 Old Woolmarket Road (District 5)

Gulfport

  • Orange Grove Community Center on Dedeaux Road
  • The pier parking lot at the intersection of Courthouse Road and U.S. Highway 90 in Gulfport.
  • Fire Station on 42nd Avenue
  • The intersection of Hewes Avenue and Glover Street

D’lberville

  • Under the north end of the I-110 bridge, south of Rodriguez St.

Long Beach

  • Softball fields on Klondyke Road

MEMA asks the public to bring their own shovels when visiting these locations.

In Texas

Tropical Storm Barry is expected to bring heavy rain that could cause flooding in Texas. Central Texas appears to be outside of the storm’s path, according to the National Weather Service.

But the impact of the storm could stretch from west of Houston and north toward regions east of Dallas-Fort Worth. Texas search and rescue teams have been put on standby at the order of Gov. Greg Abbott. Officials have also begun to identify sites to shelter Texans who need to escape bad weather.

Abbott said the state's premier response unit, Texas Task Force I, along with units from the National Guard, the Texas Departments of Transportation and Health and Human Services and others are taking steps to deal with weather-related issues like flooding and high winds.

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