City Sees Minimal Impact from Tropical Storm Barry
Alexandria, La. (July 14, 2019) — The City of Alexandria experienced minimal impact Saturday night as the center of Tropical Storm Barry passed to the west of Alexandria. While there were some scattered power outages from downed tree limbs, the heavy rains and threat of dangerous flooding did not occur locally.
“This is the most awkward storm I have ever seen,” said Alexandria Mayor Jeffery W. Hall. “This has been a good learning experience for all of us. I’m pleased we didn’t suffer the heavy rains and flooding that was predicted, and my hat is off to everyone for their hard work and preparations. I know we will get more storms in the future, and we know we have the people and processes in place to handle them.”
Alexandria Utility System workers restored power to 345 customers and repaired three broken poles related to the storm. There were no reports of serious flooding and there were only a handful of trees downed, including one on Turner Street. Before the storm hit, the Public Works team distributed approximately 35,000 free sandbags.
The Bolton Avenue Community Center served as a shelter facility Saturday night, serving 25 evacuees. Many began returning home Sunday. The shelter will remain open until all evacuees can return home or move to shelters closer to their home.
Staff members at the Alexandria Zoo remained on site overnight to protect the animals. The Zoo did not suffer any significant damage and all animals safely weathered the storm. However, there were numerous leaves and tree limbs down along the walkways. In the interest of public safety and to allow Zoo employees to remove the debris, the Alexandria Zoo was closed Sunday. They plan to resume normal operations Monday morning, including the Summer Safari camp.
Additionally, the Summer Enrichment Camp held at the Youth and Teen Center will resume Monday, and all community centers, parks and recreational areas will reopen with the exception of the Bolton Avenue Community Center, which will reopen after shelter obligations end.
The Alexandria Emergency Operations Center has closed, however city officials continue to monitor the weather and employees are on call to respond to issues as needed. Residents may report power outages or non-emergency issues by calling 318-473-1301 or by using the AlexConnects app.
Contact:
Jim Smilie
Communications
318.449.5038 (work)
318.730.1683 (cell)
jim.smilie@cityofalex.com
