Barry strengthened into a category 1 hurricane on Saturday as it neared the Louisiana coast, US meteorologists said -- prompting millions of residents of the southern US state to hunker down for expec
ted major flooding.
But the outside edge of the storm was already punishing the US Gulf Coast with heavy rains. Authorities ramped up evacuations, airlines canceled flights and flood gates were slammed shut. Governor John Bel Edwards said New Orleans was well prepared to withstand the storm, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, but urged vigilance by residents across the state, tens of thousands of whom had lost power.NHC Director Ken Graham warned of the potential for inland flooding: "It's not just a coastal event.
But local revelers and tourists drank "hurricane" cocktails and sang arm in arm as they walked down Bourbon Street late Friday. River levels are expected to peak at just over 17 feet, according to Saturday's forecast by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .
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