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Update on Tropical Storm Nate in New Orleans: Rainfall, safety, flood tracking

Expected to make landfall on the coast this Sunday

By Eric Craig Updated

As Hurricane season approaches its end on November 30, New Orleans is not in the clear yet. As of Friday, October 6, several models show a Tropical Storm could hit Southeast Louisiana and Central Mississippi as a Hurricane.

Just a few weeks ago, New Orleans narrowly escaped Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

What we know about the storm

The National Hurricane Center elevated a disturbance near the Western Caribbean to a tropical storm on Thursday, October 5. Current models predict that this tropical storm, which could possibly turn into a Hurricane upon landfall, will continue to head Northwest, potentially hitting the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The Center expects Tropical Storm Nate to make landfall on early Sunday morning.

On Friday, October 6, Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced that a citywide curfew will be in effect starting 6 p.m. on Saturday until Sunday morning. On Thursday afternoon, Landrieu declared a state of emergency for New Orleans.

The National Weather Service announced a hurricane warning for New Orleans, urging residents to prepare for heavy storm winds.

New Orleans is under a Costal Flood Advisory until Sunday, October 8, ending at 12 p.m. Potential storm surging is likely to occur during the weekend if the storm continues to approach Southeast Louisiana.

Heavy winds and rain remain primary concerns throughout the weekend. According to the National Weather Service, 3 to 6 inches of rain is expected to fall over a large area with up to 12 inches in local areas affected by the Hurricane.

Evacuation?

As of now, Mayor Mitch Landrieu has not made plans for a mandatory evacuation.

Pump operation

As of Friday, October 6, New Orleans’s Sewerage and Water Board marked 109 of the 120 drainage pumps and three of its turbines as fully operational. To monitor operation status of active pumps, S&WB releases a daily report on its official website.

Though, S&WB confirmed that it does not have enough energy to power all functional pumps a full capacity.

RTA Schedules

On Friday, the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority announced that all public transportations services will operate on weekend schedules in its Hurricane preparedness plan. All Streetcars, except the Riverfront line, will be temporarily replaced with busses on Saturday and Sunday. The Riverfront streetcar will run from 5:15 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Saturday. RTA expects service to resume on Sunday.

Public closures

All NORD recreation centers will be closed starting Saturday, October 7, until further notice. No other public buildings are schedule to close at this time.

Where to get free sandbags

Free sandbags will be distributed by the New Orleans Fire Department at the following stations:

  • Station 13: 987 Robert E. Lee Blvd.
  • Station 16: 2000 Martin Luther King Blvd.
  • Station 17: 4115 Woodland Ave.
  • Station 27: 2118 Elysian Fields Ave.
  • Station 36: 5403 Read Road

Underpasses, intersections, and streets to avoid during heavy rain

The New Orleans Police department has 146 barricades at several locations to prevent drivers from driving in flooded areas. These new barricades follow the event where several drivers were flooded out of their vehicles during the August 5 storm.

Residents are allowed to park vehicles on sidewalks and neutral grounds during the storm as long as they do not block intersections or streetcar tracks.

NOPD will bar the following underpasses in case of heavy rain and during the 6 p.m. curfew on Saturday, October 7.

  • Downman Road & Haynes Blvd.
  • Gentilly Blvd. & Peoples Ave.
  • Franklin Ave. & I-610 East and West,
  • Gentilly Blvd. & Paris Ave. (Popeyes),
  • Paris Ave. & Gentilly Blvd. (Parisite Skate Park),
  • St. Bernard Ave & I-610 Exit,
  • N. Broad St. & A.P. Turead Ave.,
  • Marconi Drive & Roosevelt Mall St.,
  • Canal Blvd. & Navarre Ave.,
  • Tulane Ave. & S. Carrollton Ave.,
  • Metairie Road & Pontchartrain Blvd.,
  • Gen. De Gaulle Drive & Hwy. 90,
  • Gen. De Gaulle Drive & Woodland Drive,
  • Press Drive & L. C. Simon Drive, and
  • the I-10 Carrollton Off-Ramp.

Track flooded streets using this app

This past August, New Orleans’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness released a web application to monitor street flooding around the city. Check out NOLA Ready’s streetwise on its official website.

Sign up for emergency alerts

To stay in the loop with emergency notifications during Hurricane Harvey, sign up at NOLA Ready’s official website.