The state is ramping down its emergency response activities as most of Louisiana appears to have dodged a bullet from once Hurricane Barry. There were concerns that the levees in New Orleans would have difficulty handling the storm, but Governor John Bel Edwards says the upgraded levee system held up…
cut 10 (10) “…extremely well”
Some people are upset that Barry was talked up as a big storm, but didn’t live up to the predictions of massive flooding. State Climatologist Barry Keim says wind shearing and dry air attacked the storm. But Keim says federal forecasters did a good job of predicting a hurricane would make landfall along Louisiana’s coast several days before it happened…
cut 6 (12) “…this event”

LSU receives a grant worth nearly $400k from the Institute of Museum and Library Science in an effort to tell the stories of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and active duty military through the creation of virtual footlockers. Assistant Professor of Library and Information Science Ed Benoit says these virtual footlockers will not only be important family heirlooms but important documentation for historians.
Cut 13 (08) “…a time period.”
The virtual footlockers would include social media posts, digital photos, videos, emails, and stories from the troops.

Barry did not deliver a blow to Louisiana that forecasters were predicting. Jeff Palermo looks at what happens….

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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 Louisiana officials are feeling pretty good about how crucial state infrastructure held up under the weight of Barry. Kevin Barnhart has more.

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LSU receives a grant funding a project focusing on the preservation of photos, videos, emails, and social media posts of 21^st century veterans.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

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Barry is a tropical depression in Arkansas this morning after dumping several inches of rain, knocking out power and producing some flooding along the coast. But Barry didn’t live up to projections of major flooding, because of 15 of 20 inches of rain. State Climatologist Barry Keim says you can thank wind shear that the models didn’t take into account…

Cut 4 (12) “       storm” 

Keim says forecasters use multiple models in order to come up with a rainfall prediction, but in this case, they were not accurate

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But Keim says you have to forgive forecasters for using the information available and predicting a Category One hurricane would make landfall in southwest Louisiana four days before it actually happened…

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Today is the first day of SEC Media Days. LSU Coach Ed Orgeron, along with Joe Burrow, Grant Delpit and Lloyd Cushenberry will speak to hundreds of reporters today. Braden Gall covers college football for Athlon Sports and ESPN-U Radio. He says LSU and Florida are two dark horses to make the college football playoff

Cut 7 (12) “…that point”

Gall says LSU will be good on defense once again, but the play at quarterback could be the best it’s been at LSU in a long time…

Cut 8 (08) “…you games”

Gall says Alabama goes in as the preseason favorites in the SEC West again. Texas A-and-M is facing a difficult schedule, so Gall believes Auburn could be the other team that challenges the Crimson Tide for SEC West supremacy

Cut 9 (10) “…who knows”

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Most of Louisiana appears to have dodged a bullet from once Hurricane Barry, and Governor Edwards says the state will begin ramping down it’s state of emergency activities.

On Friday there were serious concerns that some levees in New Orleans may have difficulty handling the storm, but Edwards says the upgraded levee system held up.

Cut 10 (10) “…well.”

There were concerns of over topping due to the Mississippi River being at around 16 feet due to historic rainfall in the Midwest.

Edwards thanked the emergency personnel who rose to the occasion during the storm. He says operations took place in a number of locations.

Cut 11 (08) “parishes”

48 of those came from one facility that was evacuated early Sunday morning in Iberia Parish.

The system knocked out power all along the coast as hurricane and tropical storm force winds knocked down power lines. Edwards says the final numbers were substantial.

Cut 12 (08) “…once”

The majority of those outages occurred in coastal parishes.

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LSU receives a grant worth nearly $400k from the Institute of Museum and Library Science in an effort to tell the stories of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and active duty military through the creation of virtual footlockers.  Assistant Professor of Library and Information Science Ed Benoit says these virtual footlockers will not only be important family heirlooms but important documentation for historians.

Cut 13 (08) “…a time period.”

The virtual footlockers would include social media posts, digital photos, videos, emails, and stories from the troops.  Benoit says much of the documentation may get lost in data migration through time, but he is consulting with soldiers in an effort to make the preservation as encompassing as possible.

Cut 14 (07) “…create the application..”

While the project is focusing on vets of the 21^stcentury, Benoit is hoping to eventually expand the scope of the project.

Cut 15 (09) “…help them too.”

At 7 o’clock the National Weather Service Advisory has the center of Tropical Storm Barry located 45 mile South Southwest of Alexandria and maximum sustained winds have decreased to 60 miles per hour.

Barry is moving toward the north-northwest near 8 mph and this

motion is expected to continue tonight.  A turn toward the

north is expected on Sunday.  The center of Barry will move across central Louisiana tonight, through northern Louisiana on Sunday, and over Arkansas Sunday night and Monday. Additional weakening is expected as the center moves farther inland, and is forecast to weaken to a depression on Sunday.

Governor Edwards says rescue teams will be mobilized if needed, and is warning against disaster sightseers who might be tempted to put themselves in danger to grab a captivating video to post on social media.

Cut 10 (11) “…the flood.”

The power is out for thousands across the Bayou state thanks to Barry and the strong and steady winds are delaying efforts for repair work. 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 outages along the coast will take longer to fix…

Cut 13 (11) “…are there”

At 6 o’clock this evening Entergy reported 68-thousand customers In Louisiana are without power.

Barry may be bringing a bit less rain than was projected this morning as it slowly works its way up the state. Baton Rouge is now in for five to eight inches of rain, down from 10 to 15 earlier today, but National Weather Service Slidell Forecaster Robert Ricks says it’s no reason to get complacent.

Cut 16  (10) “flood issues”  

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.

Cut 8 (08) “…prepared.”

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.

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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

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Sabatini says outage along with coast will take longer to repair due to the lack of accessibility at this time.

Affiliates,

We are concluding our Barry coverage with the 9:55 newscast tonight. At this time, we are not planning on any special coverage tomorrow, but that would change if we start to see significant flooding. Stay safe and try to enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Jeff Palermo

At 4 o’clock the National Weather Service says the center of Tropical Storm Barry was 20 miles West Southwest of Lafayette and is moving toward the north-northwest near 7 mph. This general motion is expected to continue throughout the evening tonight.  A turn toward the north is expected tomorrow. The center is forecasted to move across southern and southwestern Louisiana this evening, and through central Louisiana tonight, and through northern Louisiana on Sunday.

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.

Roads are beginning to close across the state Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Wilson says the new, slow moving track for Barry will complicate the situation on the roads…

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Strong winds from the slow-moving Barry is knocking out power for thousands of customers. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Demco is reporting 110-thousand and Entergry is reporting 71-thousand customers are currently without power.

Some areas of the state haven’t seen much rain yet, State Climatologist Barry Keim says expect conditions to change further into the night.

Cut 14 (06) “…pick up.”

At 4 o’clock the National Weather Service says the center of Tropical Storm Barry was 20 miles West Southwest of Lafayette and is moving toward the north-northwest near 7 mph. This general motion is expected to continue throughout the evening tonight.  A turn toward the north is expected tomorrow. The center is forecasted to move across southern and southwestern Louisiana this evening, and through central Louisiana tonight, and through northern Louisiana on Sunday.

Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 65 mph.and these winds are near the coast to the southeast of the center of the storm. Additional weakening is expected as the center moves farther inland, and Barry is forecast to weaken to a depression on Sunday.

Barry may be bringing a bit less rain than was projected this morning as it slowly works it’s way up the state.

Baton Rouge is now in for five to eight inches of rain, down from 10 to 15 earlier today, but National Weather Service Slidell Forecaster Robert Ricks says it’s no reason to get complacent.

Lafayette is now in the crosshairs for Tropical Storm Barry as forecasts show the system will either pass over, or skirt the edges of the capital of Acadiana.

The city will get tropical storm force winds, but Lafayette Parish Director for Emergency Preparedness Craig Stansbury says their biggest concern is the significant amount of rain that is on the way.

Cut 7 (08) “…receive”

Barry is expected to dump 10-15 inches of water across south-central Louisiana, and Governor Edwards says that’s creating a flood risk in the Baton Rouge area. He says the Amite river will crest lower than the Great Flood of August 2016, but…

Cut 9 (10) “…here.”

Tropical Storm Barry is continuing it’s path towards Lafayette after making landfall in Vermillion Parish, knocking out power to over 100,000 customers in coastal parishes. Jeff Palermo spoke with Entergy about the outages…

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And a weaker than expected Barry, combined with a more westerly track means that the Baton Rouge area may be in line to avoid some of the worst of the rains. Initial forecasts showed the region getting 10-15 inches of rain, but that’s since been downgraded to six to ten.

Governor John Bel Edwards says the state has mobilized it’s assets to prepare for any rescues that will need to be carried out as a result of rising waters from Barry. He says the Coast Guard has helicopters ready to save residents from sticky situations, but is asking people not to put themselves at risk voluntarily. He cautioned against disaster sightseers who might be tempted to put themselves in danger to grab a captivating Facebook video of the flood.

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As the waters rise and people need to be evacuated, Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Wilson wants residents to know that the state is ready to get refugees out of flood zones and into shelters

Cut 6 (11) “…school buses”.

The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority has distributed 29 water pumps.

Tropical Storm Barry is now working it’s way up The Boot after making landfall near Intracoastal City in Vermillion Parish, and the system is still expected to track just to the west of Lafayette before moving towards Alexandria, and off into north Louisiana.

The system is moving even slower than officials thought it would, which means this won’t just be a one day event. Governor John Bel Edwards says get ready to hunker down for the weekend and don’t go outside unless you need too.

Cut 11, 12 seconds, challenges

The slow-moving system is still projected to dump over a foot of rain across the south-central portion of the state. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Wilson says the new, slow moving track will complicate the situation on the roads…

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DOTD has closed 16 roads so far, mostly in coastal Parishes. 

After a mostly quiet morning conditions in the Baton Rouge area are beginning to deteriorate with heavy wind gusts cutting through the city and the rain continuing at a steady pace for the last two hours. Authorities are concerned that the significant amount of rainfall will lead to a record crest at the Comite River.

As nasty as those rains will be, at least the state looks set to dodge some of the worst cast scenarios that were projected in the previous 48 hours. State Climatologist Barry Keim has the new rainfall projections for Barry.

Cut 15 (10) “…yesterday”

The rainfall levels for the already saturated New Orleans have also thankfully been reduced to four to eight inches.

105,000 customers are now without power as Barry make’s his way onto land. Those outages appear to be clustered in coastal parishes, and Entergy spokesperson Lee Sabatini is warning that the power can’t be fixed until the winds fall below 30 miles per hour

Cut 12 (09) “…bucket trucks

Barry has made landfall near Intracoastal City in Vermillion Parish and has been downgraded to a tropical storm as it works it’s way to Lafayette.

The storm is expected to dump 10-15 inches of water across portions of south Louisiana, and Governor Edwards says that’s creating a flood risk in the Baton Rouge area. He says the Amite river will crest lower than the Great Flood of August 2016, but…

Cut 9, 10 seconds, here

And in St. Tammany, Parish President Pat Brister says they could see flooding similar to a March 2016 event that locked down portions of the parish. Brister has the timeline on when the Pearl, Tchefuncte, and Bogue Falaya river will crest.

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The rain is starting to pick up in parts of south Louisiana, but it’s still been a fairly dry morning. The Governor addressed that concern saying most of the rain that is coming is still falling in the gulf, and State Climatologist Barry Keim says expect conditions to get a lot wetter further into the afternoon.

Cut 14 (06) “…pick up.”

Winds are picking up in the Baton Rouge area as a 50 mile per hour gust was reported in Tiger Stadium earlier.

Power is starting to go out across the coast, and Entergy spokesperson Lee Sabatini warns that outages along the coast will take longer than usual to address…

Cut 13 (11) “…are there”

Some intense video from earlier showing a levee being overtopped has had some context added, as officials say that it was not a Mississippi River levee, but a backwater levee. They say this was expected, and the structure has not been breached.