DALLAS (AP) – A storm system that left widespread damage and some injuries in its wake in Texas drifted into Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama yesterday, possibly triggering “a regional severe weather outbreak”, the Storm Prediction Center said.
The affected areas, including the cities of Baton Rouge and Jackson, Mississippi, could see strong tornadoes, forecasters said.
Louisiana’s federal and state authorities reminded thousands of hurricane survivors living in government-provided mobile homes and recreational vehicle (RV) trailers to have an evacuation plan because the structures might not withstand the expected weather.
More than 8,000 households live in such temporary quarters spokesman for a joint information centre for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Bob Howard said on Monday.
In a joint statement, the agencies said floods might cause the most damage. “Repeated bouts of heavy rainfall can occur over the same areas, increasing the risk for flooding,” the statement said. “Move to higher ground if you hear of flood warnings.”
Nearly 1,800 households in trailers provided directly by FEMA are unable to return yet to homes damaged or destroyed by hurricanes Laura and Delta in 2020, according to a news release last week. Another 1,600 trailers were deployed for Hurricane Ida’s displaced households, Howard said, and Louisiana has set out more than 4,400 RV trailers for Ida’s victims under a test programme paid for by FEMA.
Anyone living in state or FEMA temporary housing needs to keep cellphones on and fully charged, with the volume high and severe weather alerts enabled, the agencies said.
“The danger is expected to be highest at night,” they added.
The release noted that the mobile homes and RV trailers are government property that cannot be moved.
