topic Re: Tropical Storm Barry... in Community Chat

Tropical Storm Barry...

Susan Louise — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 01:13:38 GMT

I have been saying prayers that all of the folks in the path of this storm remain safe and are fully preparing...even leaving if need be.

The rainfall potential for Louisiana & Mississippi is off the charts...they are talking not just inches, but in feet. The forward motion of this storm is expected to crawl at a snail's pace.

I'm sure most remember what the slow moving Hurricane Harvey did to the Houston area in 2017...dumping 30+ inches of rain.

Stay safe everyone.

Re: Tropical Storm Barry...

AuntG — Thu, 11 Jul 2019 22:57:52 GMT

Those numbers are off the charts. This isn't even a hurricane and still it packs a wallop.

Re: Tropical Storm Barry...

Drythe — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 00:20:07 GMT

Please say a prayer for the animals.

Even those not directly in the path will be effected as rescuers work to relocate to safer locations.

Already moving some sheltered animals to higher ground.

I know many are thinking about them as we speak,♥️

but felt moved to add this note.

Re: Tropical Storm Barry...

shoesnbags — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 00:13:51 GMT

@Susan Louise

Thank you so much. Your prayers are appreciated!

Re: Tropical Storm Barry...

1Snickers — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 01:06:02 GMT

I’ve been praying for the people and animals. They need our help! Slow moving storms are the worst, and flooding terrible. My area has many huge trees, scary.

My grandson is in Houston where flooding is bad. My son and granddaughter go to visit him and his new baby girl in August. I hope there are no storms then!

Re: Tropical Storm Barry...

beach-mom — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 03:50:34 GMT

DS just graduated college in NOLA and has his first job there. He is in a first floor apartment. Wednesday his street was flooded, but the water receded that night. He doesn't have a car. Most of his neighbors are staying. A few of his friends who have family in the area have invited him over. One of his close friends left for her boyfriend's home and gave him her keys. She is across the street in a two-story duplex. He has plenty of non-perishable food and water, and since his power was out all day Wednesday it will probably go out again. Tonight he's been playing video games on the computer with his 3 closest friends from home. I asked him what they thought, and he said, "They trust me. I wish you would too. I can handle this."

If it gets bad, his plan is to go across the street to his friend's duplex, where at least he can go upstairs.

I am a nervous wreck, but he is comfortable with his decision to stay. The lady in the apartment behind him told him she's stayed during storms worse than this. And his former college has closed, but not evacuated their students. Friends have been calling and texting us, and everyone is praying - that's all I can do.

Re: Tropical Storm Barry...

aroc3435 — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 13:32:23 GMT

@beach-mom Praying for your son. Do as he asks and stay calm and do your best to, as he says, trust his judgement. At some point, even though we always worry about them, grown children make their own way.

@Susan Louise Praying for everyone, including the animals, who are/or will be experiencing this storm.

Re: Tropical Storm Barry...

Susan Louise — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 13:52:30 GMT

@aroc3435 wrote:
@beach-mom Praying for your son. Do as he asks and stay calm and do your best to, as he says, trust his judgement. At some point, even though we always worry about them, grown children make their own way.

@Susan Louise Praying for everyone, including the animals, who are/or will be experiencing this storm.

@aroc3435 I also pray for all the wildlife/birds too.

Re: Tropical Storm Barry...

PamfromCT — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 14:00:33 GMT

@beach-mom, I am praying for all in the path of this storm. I don’t blame you for worrying, but I am sure your son will be fine. He sounds like a young man who makes sound decisions. I will be thinking of you.

Re: Tropical Storm Barry...

ripka junkie — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 14:01:20 GMT

@AuntG @Susan Louise @aroc3435 @beach-mom @1Snickers

Updated new in my area says it will be probably a hurricane 1 when reaches landfall. Prayers for all in this path!

Re: Tropical Storm Barry...

Q-Anu — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 14:25:25 GMT

@beach-mom - special prayers for your son's safety, and for you as you wait it out. There is the unique levee system in New Orleans that will hopefully be up to the task.

I hate to think about how much water this slow-moving storm is picking up off-shore to dump on so many in its path.

🙏🏻 May God be with them all, great and small.

Re: Tropical Storm Barry...

Spurt — Sat, 13 Jul 2019 00:56:22 GMT

Praying for all people, all the animals (and all critters) and birds who are in the area that will be impacted by this storm.

Re: Tropical Storm Barry...

1Snickers — Sat, 13 Jul 2019 00:55:23 GMT

@beach-mom I would be worried also, we are Moms and that’s what we do.

I was worried about my son driving back from taking my granddaughter to camp during flash floods. I told him to locate the tool I gave him to break the window and cut the seat belt. And not to drive through water. They were both laughing.

On the way to camp the road to the North was almost flooded so when he returned he checked radar and it was closed so he returned by ferry in a thunderstorm. He called from the ferry to let me know he was ok. They know we worry.

Like my son,yours will make the right decisions and he is with others. But my thoughts are with you, I understand.

Re: Tropical Storm Barry...

beach-mom — Sat, 13 Jul 2019 02:54:53 GMT

Thank you everyone for making me feel a little better. It's hard to let go. During college he was still "home," but now he's not. It hasn't been easy this summer for me to realize this. And he's so far away, and alone. Some of his friends and co-workers left; some stayed.

@1Snickers - I hope he has the common sense your son did. When we lived in Texas there were always cars swept away in those low water crossings. One time DD's school closed because there was only one road that wasn't a low water crossing into the school, and we were having a lot of rain. It always amazed me that the water would rise, cars and people were in danger, and an hour later the sun was out and the crossings had dried up.

He's on the phone with DH right now - he says a little wind and rain, but not much else yet.

Prayers for everyone in the path of Barry.

Re: Tropical Storm Barry...

hennypenny — Sat, 13 Jul 2019 05:07:37 GMT

My thoughts and prayers are going out to all in the storm's path.

Mary if you are reading I hope you and your family are safe.

xoxo, henny

Re: Tropical Storm Barry...

LTT1 — Sat, 13 Jul 2019 11:49:36 GMT

@beach-mom

I can SO RELATE to you and in your situation!🥰

When DD left home to start “adulting” she made some trips alone by car across the country! (In the snow, no less!)

The feelings of that have never left me and are brought back up by reading your posts.

I will be checking back to see how your DS is doing.❤️

Re: Tropical Storm Barry...

Maestra1 — Sat, 13 Jul 2019 12:04:30 GMT

The Carolinas had Florence last yearand are still in recovery mode.

Re: Tropical Storm Barry...

shoesnbags — Sat, 13 Jul 2019 18:09:13 GMT

@beach-mom wrote:
DS just graduated college in NOLA and has his first job there. He is in a first floor apartment. Wednesday his street was flooded, but the water receded that night. He doesn't have a car. Most of his neighbors are staying. A few of his friends who have family in the area have invited him over. One of his close friends left for her boyfriend's home and gave him her keys. She is across the street in a two-story duplex. He has plenty of non-perishable food and water, and since his power was out all day Wednesday it will probably go out again. Tonight he's been playing video games on the computer with his 3 closest friends from home. I asked him what they thought, and he said, "They trust me. I wish you would too. I can handle this."

If it gets bad, his plan is to go across the street to his friend's duplex, where at least he can go upstairs.

I am a nervous wreck, but he is comfortable with his decision to stay. The lady in the apartment behind him told him she's stayed during storms worse than this. And his former college has closed, but not evacuated their students. Friends have been calling and texting us, and everyone is praying - that's all I can do.

@beach-mom

Hoping this might make you feel better. It was written by the editor of a NOLA newspaper:

When I got a call from my mom at 6 a.m. her time this morning, I panicked a bit as I fumbled to answer. But it was her who was panicky:

"I'm nervous about that storm."

I knew what must have happened; she woke up, put on the coffee and turned on the TV to see Scary Barry pictures plastered all over the news.

All day long I've been hearing from nervous friends and family via text and Facebook, asking the same things: Are you staying? Are you sure? How bad is it?

It's not their fault. They remember Hurricane Katrina and the levee failures, of course.

If you're not used to hurricane and tropical storm warnings, the "wet side" and the "dry side," the levee protection districts, drainage in various New Orleans neighborhoods and elevations and so many other factors — well, all Gulf storms look alike when they're whirling and twirling in lurid colors.

I was pleased to hear The New York Times hired former NOLA.com reporters Beau Evans and Emily Lane to contribute to the Times' Tropical Storm Barry coverage. But then there was The Washington Post story, which was headlined "Anxiety grips New Orleans as residents flee city, brace for heavy rain and hurricane-force winds."

[Update, 10 a.m. Saturday: Barry has been upgraded to a hurricane.]

That kind of headline ain't helping. (And, yes, reporters don't always write their own headlines, but that doesn't excuse the story's claim that Jefferson Parish called for a mandatory evacuation, which it didn't.) But a more accurate headline that read "Tropical storm heads west of New Orleans, expecting to bring heavy rain" just doesn't have the same pow factor.

It was irresponsible enough that the city of New Orleans' official Twitter account had to complain:

Your headline is not factual and there are multiple inaccuracies in this reporting. Follow authorized city accounts for up to date information on #Barry https://t.co/g4KJ0bpSvk
— The City Of New Orleans (@CityOfNOLA) July 12, 2019

But it's not just the Post, which is a good paper. It's the various weather-flavored channels, who send people down to stand around in slickers and yell into microphones while standing in floodwaters (or puddles) while telling the home viewer not to do exactly what the guy with the microphone is doing.

That's not helpful. That's not even news. That's just weathertainment, but it also scares the hell out of people who have family and friends in south Louisiana.

Those who've decided to stay for Tropical Storm Barry have listened to our local experts — municipal authorities, meteorologists, engineers — and made our decision based on the best knowledge available. Our friends and family don't have access to those sources. They just have what they see on TV or scary headlines they read on Facebook.

So don't panic them, OK? It doesn't make for the sexiest story, but just: chill. That's what we're trying to do.

Thanks.

Re: Tropical Storm Barry...

lovesrecess — Sat, 13 Jul 2019 18:21:15 GMT

It reached hurricane status right before it made landfall and then downgraded to tropical storm...but the heavy rain is what the biggest danger...not the category. General Honore, who was such a great help when he took control of the Katrina chaos, said too many people decide to stay where they are because it is “only” a cat 1 and not a cat 4 or 5....but seeing the flooding predictions would make me move to higher ground ASAP. Have family in Missippi and LA and pray for their safety. FEMA seems to be on top of things.

Re: Tropical Storm Barry...

lovesrecess — Sat, 13 Jul 2019 18:23:28 GMT

My brother and his family are also in Houston...I know the policies have changed since Katrina...there were many who stayed in their homes because they were not allowed to take their pets with them when evacuation was taking place. Now they will allow pets to go with their owners if they are in a carrier.