NEW ORLEANS — Folks in St. Bernard parish are closely watching Tropical Storm Francine as it approaches the Louisiana coast.
While the exact path of the storm has yet to be determined, parish leaders expect this one to be more of a wind than a water event.
Monday, there was plenty of traffic on Bayou la Loutre in Hopedale as fisherman moved their boats to safe harbor.
There was also a steady stream of recreational boats, trailers, and trucks on the road heading to higher ground as Tropical Storm Francine formed in the Gulf of Mexico.
Oysterman Daniel Naquin spent the morning on his boat, The Glory, preparing for the storm.
“Trying to get the boat ready,” Naquin said. “Trying to tie up and make sure everything’s good. The storms are unpredictable, you know.”
Crabbers got one last catch before moving their traps on shore.
Craig Melerine said at $60 a trap, if you leave them in the water during a storm, you could easily lose your investment.
He had already picked up 100 traps with about 200 to go.
“Just trying to get it out of harm’s way,” Melerine said. “Have a bunch of wind and rain coming, storm surge, no good for crab traps. Trying to get them all up.”
Charter Captain George Ricks said when you get a storm in the gulf, it’s time to pick up your boats.
“The spaghetti models don’t look good,” Ricks said. “We don’t take any chances. We can’t take any chances. This is my livelihood, my boat. Yeah, we’ve got to get out of here.”
St. Bernard parish leaders are expecting peak winds to hit between 39 and 57 miles per hour with a storm surge of 2 to 4 feet.
“The earliest arrival of tropical storm force winds on coastal Louisiana is approximately 8 to 10 o’clock tomorrow night,” St. Bernard Emergency Management Director John Rahm said. “Latest arrival time is sometime early Wednesday morning.”
Rahm reminded residents now is the time to complete your preparations before the wind becomes hazardous.
“People, listen to your elected officials, watch your news and be smart,” Rahm said.
As we’ve learned over the years, every storm is different, and you don’t know for sure where it will ultimately hit until it makes landfall.
“Hope everyone is taking it seriously, too,” Naquin said. “It don’t sound like much, but all of a sudden it could turn into something. That’s the way it’s going to go.”
SBPG is currently mobilizing necessary supplies and materials to several locations throughout the parish.
Self-serve sandbag locations are open at the following locations in St. Bernard:
St. Bernard Parish Government Complex Parking lot at 8201 W. Judge Perez Dr. in Chalmette.
St. Bernard Parish Port of St. Bernard in Chalmette, in the parking lot towards the back.
Meraux Fair Grounds OTB & Casino at 4242 E Judge Perez Dr, Meraux
Fire Station 10 at 3901 Bayou Rd in Verret.
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