Barry weakens into tropical storm after making landfall west of New Orleans, but fears of flooding remain in coastal Louisiana
- Power cuts and flooding reported along the Gulf coast, with weather experts warning residents not to be complacent
Barry, which was briefly listed as a category one hurricane, made landfall in Intracoastal City, which is located about 265km (165 miles) west of New Orleans, the National Hurricane Centre said in its latest advisory.
Barry already knocked down power lines, flooded coastal motorways and trapped some residents in their homes.
Before dawn, nearly a dozen residents were stranded on Isle de Jean Charles, a slender strip of land southwest of New Orleans that was already slowly sinking due to wetland erosion. At 4:30am, the coastguard received a distress call that several families were trapped on Island Road as water rose to the roof of their homes.
Helicopters rescued 11 people – more than a quarter of the island’s population – and two cats, said Lexie Preston, a spokesman for the coastguard. Most of the island’s residents evacuated before the storm.