As residents nervously await its impending arrival, the Gulf Coast's first Hurricane of the season is now mere miles south of making landfall on Louisiana.
Tropical Storm Barry has been upgraded this morning to Hurricane Barry, a Category One storm, with wind speeds up to 75mph, reports WSB-TV Atlanta. Major flooding and storm surges remain the area's most pressing concerns as it awaits the full force of the hurricane. Barry could bring "dangerous, life-threatening flooding" in areas of southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi, according to the National Weather Service.
WSB-TV's severe weather meteorologist is predicting between ten and twenty inches of rain and the possibility of three to six feet of storm surge, along with potentially catastrophic flooding along the Mississippi River.
Currently 40 miles south of Lafayette, Barry is expected to hit Morgan City, located about 85 miles southwest of New Orleans, as the morning progresses. More than 56,000 people in Louisiana are without power today and roads are flooded in the state's coastal communities, where heavy rains on the storm's outer fringe are already causing issues.
The storm has also forced airlines to cancel hundreds of flights in and out of New Orleans. WSB-TV's reporter on the ground at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport also said that American, Delta, JetBlue, United and Southwest airlines are currently issuing waivers for passengers traveling through select Gulf-Coast area airports to change flights without fees.
This morning, CruiseCritic reported that emergency officials have closed the ports of News Orleans and Mobile, affecting schedules of passenger cruise-ship sailings, as well.
The Carnival cruise ships Valor had to alter plans for a New Orleans departure yesterday, diverting to Mobile to begin its current sailing, and the Fantasy's Mobile departure, scheduled for today, was put on hold until Carnival could confirm the ship's arrival. The ship's scheduled return to New Orleans, scheduled for July 15, and the return Carnival Glory's from its current sailing on July 14, are still up in the air. Carnival has issued a statement, saying: "We will confirm our plans once the post-storm assessment process has been completed and the port [of New Orleans] reopens."
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