State of Emergency Declared Ahead of Beta, Some Waterways Closed

Ascension and Livingston parishes have announced plans to close waterways to recreational traffic due to the threat of Tropical Storm Beta. All waterways were closed at 11:00 am on Monday, September 21, and will remain closed until further notice. According to WBRZ in Baton Rouge, the closures were due to expected rising waters. The announcements were made by officials of Ascension Parish, Livingston Parish President Layton Ricks, and the Livingston Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

And in Baton Rouge, Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency in Louisiana ahead of the storm. He told WBRZ that "Tropical Storm warnings are in effect for much of Louisiana’s coastline and the slow movement of Tropical Storm Beta puts southwest Louisiana at risk for flash flooding and river flooding today through Wednesday or Thursday. Storm surge of one to four feet is expected across the Texas and Louisiana coast tonight through Wednesday or Thursday. This could be especially problematic in areas that are already recovering from Hurricane Laura and residents should take this threat seriously.”

Officials are also reminding residents that a wealth of information concerning the tropical storm, and how to prepare for it, is available at www.getagameplan.org. Water has already invaded the Strand area of downtown Galveston ahead of Beta, and you can see the flooding from several hours ago in the video below from KHOU in Houston.