No sandbags have been issued for the public to protect their homes and businesses in New Orleans ahead of Tropical Storm Barry, according to an unidentified spokesman for the New Orleans Fire Department.
In past storms, the city has issued thousands of sandbags to fire stations across the city for residents to come fill and take home to protect their property. A spokesman for the fire department reached by phone said no sandbags had been issued by the City of New Orleans for this particular storm. When the reporter asked him for his name, the spokesman refused to identify himself, saying all information about the storm should come from New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell's office.
The mayor's office has not returned WWNO's request for information or comment. But a tweet from the city's emergency management twitter account says New Orleans is "not issuing sandbag distribution in this instance."
Other nearby parishes have issued sandbags ahead of what is predicted to be a major flooding event, including St. Bernard Parish, St. Charles Parish, St. Tammany Parish and Plaquemines Parish.
The City of New Orleans has issued sandbags ahead of past storms predicted to impact the city, including Hurricane Nate and Hurricane Harvey in 2017, under former mayor Mitch Landrieu's administration.
Tropical Storm Barry is predicted to make landfall on the Louisana coast Saturday as a Category 1 hurricane, bringing heavy rain. Meteorologists say it's likely to cause flooding similar to Wednesday's deluge that flooded streets, homes, cars and businesess across the city.
