At around 6 p.m., Delta made landfall at Creole, Louisiana as a Category 2 storm, hitting the same region that was pummelled by Hurricane Laura just six weeks ago.
The storm is expected to bring hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge. Nearly a foot of rain could hit some areas of the state. Wide spread power-outages are expected, and some areas have been under mandatory evacuation. Louisiana gov. John Bel Edwards has already declared a state of emergency. He's expected to tour southwest Louisiana Saturday by helicopter to survey the damage as the region -- still recovering from Hurricane Laura -- now deals with another major storm.
As of 4 p.m. Friday, Delta was located just 35 miles south of Cameron, Louisiana, and moving toward the coast at about 14 miles per hour.
Hurricane-force winds extend “up to 40 miles” from Delta’s center, according to the NHC, and tropical storm-force winds extend about 160 miles outward.
Delta has weakened slightly today, with maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour, and could weaken a bit more before the storm’s eye moves over land, the NHC said.
Still, life-threatening impacts are expected as it moves ashore — including peak storm surge of 7-11 feet somewhere between the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge and Morgan City, Louisiana. Heavy rainfall is also expected to cause “significant flash flooding” Friday and Saturday, as well as river flooding.
1 p.m. Friday
Mayor LaToya Cantrell breathed a sigh of relief this morning as the worst impacts of Hurricane Delta were expected to stay to the city’s west, but urged residents not to let their guard down.
Cantrell said officials had received “increasingly encouraging news” about Hurricane Delta, calling Friday a “better day in the city of New Orleans” at a morning press conference.
“But at the same time, we remain prepared for any adverse weather that comes our way,” she said. ”We remain very much concerned and on guard should we need to help our neighbors along Southwest Louisiana.”
New Orleans is still expected to see gusty winds beginning around 4 p.m. Friday and lasting until about midnight, New Orleans Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director Colin Arnold said.
“I would say we’re not out of the woods, the woods just might not be as thick as we think right now,” Arnold said.
The metro region is also forecast to see up to 1.5 inches of rain from Hurricane Delta’s outer bands, down from previous forecasts. Still, there could be some local street flooding.
Tornadoes are also possible.
Cantrell and Arnold urged residents to pay attention to emergency alerts on their phones, radios, and televisions and be prepared to seek shelter.
City employees will be dismissed by 3 p.m.
Cantrell said that trash collection would likely proceed on Saturday, but that officials would assess the situation in the morning. Residents are asked to secure their trash bins and not to place them at the curb this evening in order to prevent them from tipping and spilling garbage into the streets.
RTA service is expected to remain in place Saturday as well, but Cantrell said it could be suspended briefly if winds exceed 35 miles per hour.
Support for the Coastal Desk comes from the Greater New Orleans Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and local listeners.
