'There is no system in the world that can handle that amount of rainfall in such a short period,' says Mayor LaToya Cantrell.
St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office inmate workers move free sandbags for residents in Chalmette, La., Thursday, July 11, 2019 ahead of ahead of Tropical Storm Barry from the Gulf of Mexico.Tropical Storm Barry is poised to make landfall as the first Atlantic hurricane of 2019.Meteorologists warned that torrential rain - as much as 2 feet in some places - could unleash severe flooding as the storm moves inland from the Gulf of Mexico.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered in outlying coastal areas beyond the protection of levees in neighboring Plaquemines and Jefferson parishes south of the city. The impending storm could test beefed-up flood defenses put in place since the 2005 calamity of Hurricane Katrina, which left much of New Orleans underwater and killed about 1,800 people.The brunt of Barry's force was expected to skirt the western edge of New Orleans, avoiding a direct hit on a low-lying city virtually surrounded on all sides by rising waters.
Authorities were paying specially close attention to the levee system built to contain the lower Mississippi River, which winds through the heart of New Orleans and was already above flood stage from months of heavy upstream rainfall over the Midwest. The level of Lake Pontchartrain, an estuary on the city's northern flank, rose by 3 feet on Friday, triggering closure of a floodgate on a drainage canal that breached during Katrina, officials said.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Growing storm in Gulf of Mexico could bring worse flooding to New OrleansWith a hurricane watch in place for Louisiana, the flooded Mississippi River could reach the tops of levees this weekend.
Read more »
New Orleans braces for Mississippi flooding as storm Barry bears downSome residents and visitors prepared to flee New Orleans on Thursday as Tropical...
Read more »
New Orleans already underwater as tropical storm approachesTropical Storm Barry is expected to strengthen into a hurricane before making landfall, and could bring another 20 inches of rain to the beleaguered Gulf Coast.
Read more »
As Tropical Storm Barry Looms - 4 Surprising Facts About New Orleans And FloodingAs the Gulf Coast braces for Tropical Storm Barry, here are 4 facts about New Orleans and flooding that may surprise you.
Read more »
New Orleans Film Production Shuts Down As Dangerous Storm ApproachesFilm production is shutting down completely in New Orleans in advance of Tropical Storm Barry, which is expected to make landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on Saturday. “All shows here are shut dow…
Read more »