New Orleans already under water ahead of Tropical Barry's formation
Before it became Tropical Storm Barry Thursday morning, an area of low pressure over the northern Gulf of Mexico already swamped parts of the coast on Wednesday, including New Orleans, where major flooding is expected to last into the weekend.
Tropical Storm Barry, the second of the Atlantic hurricane season, prompted hurricane and storm surge watches along the coast of Louisiana, where a surge of up to 5 feet (1.5 metres) is expected. Combine that with a drenching rainfall of more than 200 mm and you're looking at major problems for a city that already sits below sea level.
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With waters expected to continue to rise -- a lot -- scenes of flooding already emerging from the city paint an grim picture of what may be to come.
The state declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm.
"The storm system will likely produce storm surge, hurricane force winds," said Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards at a news conference on Wednesday. "No should take this storm lightly."
Acording to Edwards, the Mississippi River was already high from previous rains upriver. New Orleans officials are urging residents to stock up on drinking water, non-perishable food items and other emergency supplies.
