ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH, La. — Low-lying areas in St. John the Baptist Parish are under a voluntary evacuation order ahead of Tropical Storm Cristobal, which is expected to hit the parish Saturday night.
The order, which became effective at 3 p.m. Saturday, covers Pleasure Bend and areas north of the I-10 in Laplace, including Frenier Peavine and Manchac.
"We need to make sure (our) residents are safe, and we are taking all necessary precautions so they can be prepared for any inclement weather conditions," Parish President Jaclyn Hotard said.
Residents have been asked to take cars, boats or campers to higher ground ahead of the storm, which is expected to dump several inches of rain on Southeast Louisiana.
St. John Parish joins several others in issuing voluntary evacuations throughout the state. Jefferson and Plaquemines Parish have both said evacuations are voluntary for areas not protected by the levee system.
Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes have mandatory evacuation orders in place for their vulnerable areas.
The storm is expected to hit Louisiana Saturday evening, with the heaviest rain and strongest winds happening sometime between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning.
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