Lafourche announces bridge closures due to Hurricane Sally
September 14, 2020
Hurricane Sally’s track shifts farther east
September 14, 2020
Port Fourchon is in Storm Phase 5, which is Storm in Port. This means that a tropical storm or hurricane will make landfall within 24 hours. Lafourche Parish has issued a mandatory evacuation for all residents and businesses south of the Leon Theriot Lock in Golden Meadow as of 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 13, 2020.
Hurricane Sally is now a Category 2 hurricane and could strengthen, as uncertainty remains in forecast intensity. Coastal flooding, heavy rainfall, storm surge, and strong winds are all expected to impact the northern Gulf Coast region today through Thursday.
Sally’s forecast track has shifted further eastward and is now expected to make landfall along the area from extreme eastern portions of the southeast Louisiana coast to the Mississippi Gulf coast on Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning.
Roads are currently open to vehicular traffic, but this will transition to road closure if tides rise and overtop the roadway on low-lying areas of LA 1 below the Golden Meadow Lock. LA DOTD has suspended tolls on the elevated LA 1 Expressway in Leeville.
Port Fourchon Harbor Police will be monitoring the condition of the roadway, and the Port Commission will send out updates as they become available.
A checkpoint manned by Port Fourchon Harbor Police has been put in place at GLPC’s Fourchon Operations Center on LA 3090 to monitor traffic in and out of the port and maintain safety during mandatory evacuation.
After the storm has passed and roadways are cleared for passage, the Port Commission will notify port businesses when limited or full access is given to tenants to return and assess any damage to facilities.
All GLPC offices are on office closure until 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 16, 2020, but GLPC Harbor Police and essential personnel will remain on duty during the storm to monitor conditions and take action as needed.
NOTE: Emergency services may not be readily available in areas under mandatory evacuation during extreme weather events. As during any emergency, dial 911.
POSSIBLE IMPACTS IN THE PORT FOURCHON AREA:
RAINFALL:
Potential for heavy rainfall. Slow movement of this system could create significant rainfall and associated flooding threats.
TIDES/STORM SURGE:
Elevated tides are moving in. Storm surge of 1-5 feet possible, depending on storm track and intensity.
WINDS:
Strong, gusty winds with 30-50% chance of sustained tropical force winds.
ROADWAYS:
Roads are currently open to vehicular traffic, but coastal flooding is a concern as always on Hwy 1 between Leon Theriot Flood Gates in Golden Meadow and Elevated Hwy 1 in Leeville.
WARNINGS, WATCHES, & ADVISORIES (Updated 9/14/2020 @ 4:00 PM):
Hurricane Warning
in effect for Lafourche Parish.
Storm Surge Warning
in effect for coastal LA, including the Port Fourchon area.
EMERGENCY STORM HARBOR MARINA:
GLPC has opened the Emergency Storm Harbor Marina to commercial fishing vessels seeking safe harbor within the South Lafourche Levee System. Utilization of this marina will be on a first come, first served basis. Harbor Police will be on scene to monitor marina activity.
