John Bel Edwards, Louisiana Governor, announced a state of emergency on Wednesday after a 10-year-old boy died in Alabama when tropical storm Cindy broke through the Gulf Of Mexico toward the coast, hitting the region with heavy rains and high water, according to the USA Today.
According to forecasts, Cindy, with steady gusts of approximately 80 km/h and 15-30 cm of precipitation in the form of rain, is expected to hit Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the western part of Florida until Thursday.
Areas possibly affected by Cindy
The storm could create life-threatening floods along the central coast of the Mexico's Gulf, the National Meteorological Service reported.
Power outages and floods were already reported on Wednesday, a few hours before the storm was expected to come to the southwestern part of Louisiana and southeastern Texas at the beginning of Thursday. A warning about a tropical storm was declared from San Luis Pass, Texas, to the mouth of the Mississippi River.
On Wednesday, the National Meteorological Service removed the warning for New Orleans, but Mayor Mitch Landrieu requested residents to be on the alert.
We've learned not to be complacent during storms. We're being prepared and measured here during TS #Cindy
— Mitch Landrieu (@MayorLandrieu) June 21, 2017
High alert by the officials
Because of the flood, some streets in New Orleans were closed, and the mayor asked the residents to remove the cars from the road and not ride on standing water.
Cindy broke through the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday and on Wednesday, at 11 am Eastern Time, the storm was 273 kilometers southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana, and approximately 290 to the southeast of Galveston, Texas.
In Alabama, a statewide emergency was declared by the Governor, referring to the National Meteorological Service's forecasts of a violent sudden flood that was possible on Thursday, as tropical moisture moved north to the state.
Storm Cindy covers Louisiana, on the turn of Texas and Florida pic.twitter.com/VtPrMjknaX
— VICKY VERMA (@verma2470) June 22, 2017
In Texas, the State Operations Centers are ordered to upgrade to the "high alert" level, starting from midday on Wednesday. Localized flooding has already been recorded in Louisiana, and in Morgan City were reported power outages.
The flood was also reported on the island of Dauphin in Alabama. The Louisiana National Guard sent water vehicles and helicopters to areas prone to flooding. The Federal Emergency Management Agency moved 125,000 meals and 200,000 liters of water to Louisiana.
In Texas, Abbott activated four teams from the Texas working group and two teams from the Texas military department of five cars, each to respond to any emergency situations. The Department of Emergency Medical Services, the Texas Military Force, and the shelter teams were put on hold.
