WASHINGTON – As Tropical Storm Barry moves toward land, FEMA urges all residents to execute emergency planning and final preparedness actions now for dangerous storm surge, heavy rains and high winds.
A large and slow-moving system, Tropical Storm Barry is forecasted to strengthen to a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall on the central Louisiana coastline early Saturday. In the central Gulf Coast, rain accumulations between 10 and 20 inches are expected, through early next week, with isolated maximum rainfall amounts of up to 25 inches. In the Lower Mississippi Valley, rain accumulations between 4 and 8 inches are expected, with isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches.
This is not a coastal-only event. Inland residents should remain vigilant and make final preparations now.
Many of the areas in Tropical Storm Barry’s predicted track are still engaged in recovery activities from previous disasters, including ongoing flooding that began in early 2019. As a result, the significant rainfall predicted and the potential for response on top of recovery could mean the storm could have significant impacts.
FEMA recommends residents in the path of Tropical Storm Barry:
- Follow instructions from local officials. If the storm is impacting your area and local officials give the order to evacuate, do so immediately
- Avoid flooded areas. Be prepared to take detours and adjust your route due to road closures if there is standing water. Just 12 inches of floodwater can float a car or small SUV. Turn around, don’t drown!
- Download the FEMA App.
- Visit Ready.gov and Listo.gov for preparedness information in English and Spanish.
Coordinated federal efforts to serve survivors
On July 11, President Trump approved an expedited emergency declaration for Louisiana to assist with any life-safety resources that may be needed. FEMA staff and commodities are in position, ready to support local and state response efforts as needed.
FEMA
- FEMA Incident Management Assistance Teams in Louisiana and Texas are supporting state emergency management personnel.
- Liaison Officers are deployed to the New Orleans, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama Emergency Operations Centers.
- FEMA Integration Team members are embedded with state emergency management in Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
- DHS’s highest priority remains preservation of life.. There will be no immigration enforcement initiatives associated with evacuations or sheltering related to the storm, except in the event of a serious public safety threat.
American Red Cross
- The American Red Cross opened four shelters in Louisiana.
U.S. Army Corps (USACE)
- USACE deployed response and actively monitors levee and flood gates.
- Additional staff are on alert for potential deployment.
Corporation for National and Community Service / AmeriCorps
All available AmeriCorps disaster response teams are on standby and ready to deploy.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
- DOE industry partners position power crews from Florida, Kentucky, and North Carolina to assist local companies with power restoration if needed.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- Two HHS Disaster Medical Assistance Teams are pre-staged to assist local and state response, as needed.
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