At 4 o’clock the National Weather Service advisory places the center of Tropical Storm Barry was 20 miles West Southwest of Lafayette and moving towards\ the north-northwest near 7 mph. This motion is expected to continue throughout the evening. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 65 mph. Additional weakening is expected as the center moves farther inland, and Barry is forecast to weaken to a tropical depression on Sunday.
The Acadiana area of the state is in the crosshairs of Tropical Storm Barry, Lafayette Parish Director for Emergency Preparedness Craig Stansbury says Barry is very reminiscent of the system that flooded Lafayette in 2016 which damaged many resident’s homes. He says they’ve mobilized with that flood in mind.
The storm is slowly creeping along up the middle of the state even slower than predictions said it would, and Governor Edwards says that means residents need to be ready to hunker down for the entire weekend.
Many Parishes across the state have issued curfews in hopes of keeping people off the roads to reduce flooding deaths and limit sightseers.
Utility companies are reporting thousands are without power from the strong and steady winds from Tropical Storm Barry. Several power polls have fallen and Entergy spokesperson Lee Sabatini says they can’t be fixed until the winds fall below 30 miles per hour
Sabatini says outage along with coast will take longer to repair due to the lack of accessibility at this time.