VPCC gets updates on T.S. Barry

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Liz Hill, director of Evangeline Parish 911 and Office of Emergency Preparedness, updated Mayor Jennifer Vidrine and the Ville Platte City Council about a low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico that could become Tropical Storm Barry following a conference call that took place earlier Tuesday afternoon with the National Weather Service.
Hill, during the city council meeting, read a report she had received during the conference call. “A tropical depression or tropical storm is expected to develop Wednesday or Thursday over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico,” the report stated. “The system will drift to the west with an increasing threat for damaging winds, deadly storm surge, and flooding rains in Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana by this weekend. This system has a potential to be a dangerous hurricane. Since this system has not developed yet, there is still considerable uncertainty to the exact timing, magnitude, and location of these threats. Everyone should continue to monitor the weather this week.”
Hill then explained the outlook for our area in the state. “They warned us on the conference call to be leery of what the news media is putting out there because the forecast is too broad right now,” she said. “It’s really uncertain right now. I think they’ll know more once they can get the aircraft out there.”
She continued, “For our area, they expect the heavy rain to come in Saturday afternoon and Saturday night.”
Hill also told the council and the public updates from the National Weather Service are available on the Evangeline 911/OEP Facebook page.
Mayor Jennifer Vidrine reported sand bags are available ahead of the impending storm and she has been in contact with the state to clear the drains on Main St. and LaSalle St.
Governor John Bel Edwards, on Wednesday, issued a state of emergency declaration for the entire state “in preparation for the impact of the low-pressure system, Invest 92L, in the Gulf of Mexico,” according to a press release from the governor. The release continued, “The system will likely produce storm surge, hurricane-force winds and up to 15 inches of rain across the state.”