As Marco is turning out to be a non-event and Laura’s path shifted farther west of New Orleans, Mayor LaToya Cantrell says although the city is no longer in the direct path of Marco, now is not the time for people to relax.
“Just because we are outside of the cone does not mean we cannot be significantly be impacted, and we are prepared for that,” New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said in a Monday news conference. “I want everyone to stay vigilant, and to do…not…let…up. We are where we need to be in terms of preparedness.”
Tropical Storm Laura is expected to intensify in the Gulf of Mexico before bearing down on Louisiana and the metro New Orleans area as a possible category 2 hurricane.
Cantrell says five of the Sewerage and Water Boards’ pumps are working and the Electro-Motive Diesel electric generators are operational, all to ensure the city’s pumps stay on during the storm.
“So while we know that Marco has weakened, we still have to be ready for rainfall,” Cantrell said. “We do believe with Laura we will get more, four to six inches, but EMDs are in place and will remain in place.”
“It continues to remain a fluid situation,” Cantrell said. “But an upward of six inches of rain is a big deal. We want Laura to continue to kind-of move. We definitely don’t want her to sit over us. That rate of water – how fast we get it – which will have an impact on how fast we can drain our city.”