Baton Rouge residents are being urged to prepare for a tropical system that’s expected to bring torrential rains and cause flash flooding in some areas of south Louisiana.
The National Weather Service says the slow-moving system currently in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to impact the Louisiana coast today through Thursday. The storm is expected to reach the coast late Wednesday. Some parts of the Gulf Coast could see as much as 6-9 inches of rainfall, with maximum totals of 12 inches, the National Hurricane Center says.
The Mayor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says it is monitoring the situation. The primary threat to Baton Rouge is heavy rainfall, the agency says. Flooding is possible in some areas.
The mayor’s office has urged Baton Rouge residents to take extra precautions. Sandbags are available for pickup at fire stations at 5758 Claycut Road, 835 Sharp Road, and 3150 Brightside Drive.
Residents also are urged to have an emergency plan in place as well as a disaster supply kit that includes nonperishable food, water, extra medicine, important documents, cash and emergency contact information.
The Louisiana Department of Revenue says residents should protect tax records and other financial documents from possible flood damage and other weather-related threats.
Paper records vulnerable to water damage should be placed in airtight containers. Electronic records should be uploaded to cloud storage or stored on portable devices secured in waterproof storage.
Energy traders also are closely monitoring the Gulf storm as well as a potential system in the Atlantic.
The Louisiana and Texas coastline is home to offshore rigs and platforms, accounting for roughly 17% of U.S. crude oil output and 4.1% of natural gas production, Bloomberg notes. The storms can lead to the evacuation of nonessential personnel from rigs and platforms, cause power outages and also disrupt shipping.
