Local officials across southern Louisiana were clearing storm drains and distributing sandbags to prepare for Tropical Storm Francine, which forecasters said was expected to make landfall on Wednesday as a hurricane, bringing the potential for heavy rainfall and a dangerous storm surge.
Residents across the region were being urged to make their own preparations on Monday evening as the storm was nearing hurricane strength less than a day after forming in the Gulf of Mexico.
Sharon Weston Broome, the mayor-president of the city of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish, said at a news conference in Baton Rouge on Monday that residents in the area should prepare immediately.
“It’s crucial that all of us take this storm very seriously,” she said.
Before the storm hits, Ms. Broome said, residents should make disaster supply kits, with enough food and essential supplies to last at least 72 hours.
“When this storm starts affecting our area on Wednesday, I want everyone in East Baton Rouge Parish to have a plan to be inside a sturdy structure for the duration of the storm,” Ms. Broome said.
At a news conference in New Orleans on Monday, city officials asked residents to prepare enough essential supplies to last through Thursday or Friday. Sandbags will also be made available to residents, Mayor LaToya Cantrell of New Orleans said.
“Look out for one another,” Ms. Cantrell said.
The National Hurricane Center said in an update on Monday that cities along the coast in southern Louisiana could see up to eight inches of rain through Thursday morning. One of the greatest threats, forecasters said, was the risk of a “dangerous” storm surge that could combine with a tide and cause flooding in some areas.
From Cameron to Port Fourchon in Louisiana, floodwaters could rise up to 10 feet if the peak storm surge combines with high tide, the Hurricane Center said.
“This is kind of a reasonable worst-case scenario,” said Donald Jones, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Lake Charles, La.
Speaking in a in a video update on Monday, Mr. Jones added that not all coastal cities will see dangerous storm surges, particularly those west of where Francine makes landfall.
Ms. Broome said that local agencies were working to clear storm drains and basins to reduce the risk of flooding. Local governments were also stocking up on sand and sandbags that will be available for residents, she said.
Local officials were also ready to open shelters in case they are needed, Ms. Broome said.
Chief T.J. Morse Jr. of the Baton Rouge Police Department said at the news conference that residents should be mindful that venturing out on flooded streets could lead to water rescues that would pull city resources away from other emergencies.
“If you don’t need to be on the road, stay off the road,” he said. “Watch out for that high water.”
The U.S. Coast Guard warned on Monday that its ability to perform rescues during the height of the storm could be “diminished or unavailable.”
Preparations were also being made in the Gulf of Mexico. Shell said on Monday that it was evacuating nonessential workers from two offshore facilities, known as Enchilada/Salsa and Auger, near the Louisiana coastline as a precaution. Drilling operations were being paused at two other facilities, known as Perdido and Whale, the oil company said.
At the news conference in Baton Rouge, Clay Reeves, director of the East Baton Rouge Parish mayor’s office of homeland security and emergency preparedness, urged residents to make preparations that could be useful in what is expected to be a busy end to hurricane season.
“This is really a tuneup run,” Mr. Reeves said. “We’re going to have a very long season.”
The post Louisiana Prepares for Francine to Make Landfall as a Hurricane appeared first on New York Times.