July 11, 2019

Tropical Storm Barry nears Louisiana, New Orleans under state of emergency

WATCH: Louisiana braces for impact as Tropical Storm Barry draws near

Tropical Storm Barry is churning in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday as the dangerous storm nears the coast, threatening to bring heavy rain, flash flooding and storm surge.

Tropical storm conditions are expected in Louisiana on Friday and hurricane warnings were issued for southeastern parts of the state. The storm is expected to make landfall late Friday into early Saturday.

"This is going to be a major weather event for a huge portion of the state," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards warned Thursday.

NOAA via AFP/Getty Images
This satellite image obtained from NOAA/RAMMB, shows tropical storm Barry in the Gulf of Mexico, on July 11, 2019, at 11:40am local time.

Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish and Grand Isle are already under mandatory evacuations.

Dan Anderson/EPA via Shutterstock
People drive away from low lying areas in Plaquemines Parish, La., July 11, 2019.
Dan Anderson/EPA via Shutterstock
Patra Parker packs up her car to leave her home in Plaquemines Parish, La., in advance of Tropical Storm Barry, on July 11, 2019.

In Lafitte, Louisiana, residents rushed to fill up sandbags.

Dan Anderson/EPA via Shutterstock
Kerry Warren works to get sand bags ready for flood prevention ahead of a tropical system in Lafitte, La., July 11, 2019.
(MORE: How you can protect your pets during an evacuation as Tropical Storm Barry targets Louisiana)

Heavy rains already inundated New Orleans on Wednesday, flooding streets and homes and leaving drivers stranded. As much as 9 inches of rain fell in the city, with more to come.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell declared a state of emergency in the city, but the city has not issued evacuation orders; Cantrell said Thursday, "sheltering in place is our strategy."

David Mora/Handout via Reuters
A Tulane University building floods in New Orleans, July 10, 2019.
Ryan Pasternak/Handout via Reuters
A woman stands photographing the scene in a flooded street in New Orleans, July 10, 2019.

Residents are encouraged to store 72 hours' worth of food, water and medication for everyone in the home, including pets.

New Orleans Fire Department officials urged residents to pack emergency items in the event of a last-minute evacuation.

"We have to be prepared for all impacts," the mayor said.

Nick Reimann/The Advocate via AP
People cope with the aftermath of severe weather in the Broadmoor neighborhood in New Orleans, Wednesday, July 10, 2019.

Immigration enforcement has been suspended through the weekend in Louisiana and Mississippi areas impacted by the storm, New Orleans officials said.

"The city of New Orleans, our residents, should not be affected by ICE at all," the mayor said. "We want them to be protected, we want them to be safe."

Matthew Hinton/AP
Eric Ehlenberger pauses as he goes through his damaged home in New Orleans on July 10, 2019, following a storm that swamped the city and paralyzed traffic.
(MORE: NOAA forecasts near-normal 2019 Atlantic hurricane season)

The main concern is how much water the storm is forecast to bring, from the heavy rain to storm surge.

As much as 20 inches of rain is possible, especially in southern Louisiana, and because the storm is especially slow-moving, the rain will extend inland, flooding the Mississippi River Valley.

Storm surge warnings have been issued for the southeast Louisiana coast, where life-threatening inundation could reach 3 to 6 feet from the mouth of Atchafalaya River to Shell Beach.

A storm surge watch was issued elsewhere along the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts, where the surge may reach 4 feet in some areas.

The Mississippi River in New Orleans is expected to crest at 19 feet, and the levees in New Orleans are 20 to 25 feet -- so this is good news for the city, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told ABC News.

But as the forecast may still change, this will be a major test of the city's levee systems.

Gov. Edwards has requested a federal emergency declaration.

ABC News' Stephanie Ebbs, Brandon Baur and Rachel Katz contributed to this report.