Anxiety grips New Orleans as storm draws closer
NEW ORLEANS — As New Orleans prepared for expected landfall Saturday of a complex storm system — resulting in a rare and dangerous combination of drenching rains, near- hurricane- force winds and high water levels in the Mississippi River — some residents and tourists made lastminute decisions to escape the city while others heeded officials’ calls to shelter in place Friday.
Local officials expressed confidence in the $ 14 billion flood- mitigation system built to protect the city after Hurricane Katrina, which killed more than 1,800 people in 2005. The system of water pumps had quickly removed floodwaters after a deluge of rain hit the city Wednesday, said Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards during a news conference on Friday afternoon.
But Tropical Storm Barry— which is expected to make landfall on the central or western coast of the state Saturday morning, bringing “life- threatening storm surge” and as much as 2 feet of rain in some places, beginning overnight
Friday— is presenting a unique test to the system. The Mississippi River has been in flood stage for an unprecedented 260 days.
For the first time in the history of the new flood- protection system every floodgate has been closed. Mr. Edwards warned residents to be prepared for long- term power outages.
State and New Orleans officials’ decided not to order evacuations until late Friday when voluntary evacuations were issued for a few communities outside of the levee system. Some residents, shaken by Wednesday’s downpour and memories of Hurricane Katrina, had mixed responses to officials’ optimism.
“All I want to know is should we leave,” wrote Tymara Cosey in an online response to Mr. Edwards news conference.
That question hung over the city Friday, as residents weighed the disruption and costs of leaving against the risk of staying in a city that seemed to many like a bathtub sunk into a swamp.
Some fled toward family in Houston, hotels in Jackson, Miss., and friends in Atlanta, many citing Wednesday’s unexpectedly high floods as a reason to go.
Bolanle Soyombo, who moved to New Orleans about a year ago from Houston, booked a ticket Thursday, and was on a flight to Indianapolis to stay with a friend. She was in Houston during Harvey, an experience that drove her decision to leave immediately.
“Harvey was a Category 1, but the amount of rain in such a short time was what was devastating. We physically couldn’t open the door to our house. . . . I’m not going to risk it,” she said.
New Orleans resident Matt Gibson has never evacuated for a storm until now. Like others, he didn’t want to risk flooding his car after it narrowly escaped a dousing on Wednesday.
“Honestly, this was a purely financial decision,” he said. “To me, it’s just not worth the risk.”
At a news conference, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said, based on current weather forecasts, Tropical Storm Barry probably did not require a mandatory evacuation order. But even if it had, the city would not have had enough time to undertake a mandatory evacuation, she said.
Under a joint plan among city, state and federal agencies after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, it takes about 60 hours to evacuate New Orleans. The plan requires the marshaling of military and civilian aircraft, 750 charter buses, Amtrak and the contraflow of major highways.
Most government offices and major businesses were closed Friday. The Superdome’s Twitter account announced that a Rolling Stones concert Sunday had been postponed. Galleries shut their doors. Workers who did show up were stashing sandbags around doorways, electrical vents and street- front windows.
President Donald Trump has declared a federal emergency for Louisiana. At his Friday news conference, Mr. Edwards urged caution, emphasizing the importance of preplanning and that the threat is statewide.
“Be where you want to be, and have what you need to have,” he said. The rain “remains a very significant threat.”