Coast, New Orleans brace for Cristobal as 1 Louisiana parish reports ‘dangerous’ flooding
For the latest on Tropcial Storm Cristobal in South Mississippi, click here for live updates from the Sun Herald.
As the Mississippi Coast prepares for heavy rainfall and flooding from Tropical Storm Cristobal, officials in one Coastal Louisiana parish are already dealing with “dangerous” conditions and water taking over roads.
St. Bernard Parish Homeland Security Director John Rahaim said Florissant Highway and Delacroix Highway will likely be shut down by Sunday night due to flooding.
Flood waters are already coming over streets in lower St. Bernard Parish outside of the levee system, WVUE-TV in New Orleans reports.
Rahaim asks that residents and others stay away from lower St. Bernard because of the “dangerous” conditions.”
Cristobal is expected to make landfall near Houma about 1 p.m., according to the National Hurricane Center.
South Mississippi and New Orleans are on the east side of the center of circulation, and rain and winds have already picked up as Cristobal’s outer band tracked over land Sunday morning.
“The rain is just going to get heavier and more consistent throughout the day,” Weather Channel meteorologist Ari Sarsalari said in his morning Cristobal update.
Inland flooding and storm surge are also concerns.
Storm surge could reach 3 to 5 feet across the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coast and strong winds will extend east of Cristobal’s center, NWS said.
South Mississippi could see up to 12 inches of rain, and some streets in Hancock County are already flooding. Tornado warnings have been issued in Coastal counties.
New Orleans, also on the east side of Cristobal’s center, is bracing for flooding and heavy rain, according to a Nola.com report.
Louisiana could also see storm surge of up to 6 feet outside of hurricane levees, Nola.com said.
