BARRY AFTERMATH- When Tropical Storm Barry made landfall early Saturday morning it was briefly upgraded to a category 1 hurricane and once it passed the Louisiana coastline, it lost strength and was downgraded back to tropical storm status. As of now the National Weather Service has rated Barry a tropical depression as the center of the storm is near Little Rock but the bulk of rainfall is to the eastern portion of the state along the Mississippi River and areas there are on alert for heavy rains, possible tornadoes and flooding.
As for Louisiana, Barry didn’t do as much damage as expected. There were some high winds initially and some damage to buildings in the New Orleans area. Right now the concern turns to the possibility of flooding as many parishes in Southern Louisiana and portions of Southeastern Texas are under flash flood watches. Yesterday Governor John Bel Edwards held a post-storm press conference after the bulk of the storm passed.
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This was a storm that could have played out very, very differently," Edwards explained. "We were prepared for the risks, the threats that had been forecasted and again, we're thankful that the worst-case scenario did not happen."
Some areas in South Louisiana are without power but crews have restored many of the outtages, approximately 51,000 outtages were reported at the storm’s peak. There were some rescues due to flooding, the office or Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness reports 90 people had been rescued in 11 parishes but there were no reports of storm-related fatalities.
Right now the concern shifts to potential flooding and the possibility of tornadoes. The public is urged to keep up to date with weather conditions as changes could occur rapidly.
