Tropical Storm Nate: What’s Open, Closed In New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, LA — The city of New Orleans has announced several closures in preparation for Tropical Storm Nate, which is strengthening and expected to be a hurricane when it makes landfall Saturday night or Sunday morning. The National Hurricane Center on Friday upgraded its tropical storm warning to a hurricane warning for New Orleans to Lake Pontchartrain and Grand Island.

The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is restricting its parking garages to ticketed passengers only, and those traveling out of New Orleans or coming to the airport to pick someone up should have a copy of the flight reservation to gain access to the garage. Those who are traveling in the coming days should check their airline’s website for any possible delays or cancellations prior to coming to the airport.

Hotels will remain open. The city said it is in with hotels and the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau (to ensure safety of New Orleans visitors as well as New Orleans residents. (Sign up for newsletters and real-time news alerts from New Orleans Patch, or find your local Louisiana Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

All structures in the Flood Protection System, managed by the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East are ready and fully operational. Of the 252 floodgates within the system, 178 of the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System gates will close by Saturday afternoon. Of the 74 river gates, 36 are always closed and the authority does not anticipate closing the remaining 38 at this time.

The Flood Protection Authority activated its Emergency Operations Center Friday and it will remain open around-the-clock through the duration of the storm. The Flood Authority will have the drainage pump operators stationed in the Lake Borgne Basin Levee District staffed around the clock starting Saturday afternoon.

Friday afternoon and evening, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) Lake Borgne Sector Gate, the Seabrook Complex gate, the Lakeshore Drive and West End floodgates Closed. Those closing Saturday morning are located at Bonnabel Boulevard, Lake Pontchartrain, Williams Boulevard at Lake Pontchartrain, Lakefront Airport, Highway 90, and Highway 11. Updates on closures are found here.

All New Orleans Recreation Development Commission recreation centers and facilities will be closed starting Saturday until further notice. Also, the following parks will be closed Saturday and Sunday: Jackson Square, Louis Armstrong Park, Washington Square, Mississippi River Heritage Park, Joseph Bartholomew Golf Course, and Brechtel Park. All parks will re-open Monday at their regularly scheduled time unless further affected by weather-related issues.

All New Orleans Public Libraries closed Friday at 5 p.m., will be closed Saturday and Sunday, and are scheduled to reopen Monday at 10 a.m., weather conditions permitting.

Regular garbage and recycling service will continue as scheduled until further notice as weather permits. Residents are reminded that it is their responsibility to secure all garbage and recycling carts, on their property, after collections. There may be a cost associated with obtaining a replacement garbage cart and there will be a cost to obtain a replacement recycling cart.

New Orleans Regional Transit Authority is making pre-storm preparations under its hurricane preparedness plan. Currently, all buses are operating their regular schedules. If sustained winds exceed 35 mph or roads become impassable, RTA transit services will be discontinued to protect the safety of the riding community. Paratransit services will continue regularly scheduled pickups through 7 p.m. tomorrow. Public notice will be sent out detailing service interruptions as weather conditions change.

Beginning at 5:15 a.m. Saturday, all streetcars will be replaced with buses. The Riverfront streetcar will operate from 5:15 a.m.-10 a.m. The Riverfront line will shut down at 10 a.m. so RTA can begin banking its fleet of “Red Lady” streetcars along the line.

As mandated by the U.S. Coast Guard, ferry services will be suspended starting tomorrow morning until further notice. Ferry crews are on standby to service and secure all equipment, vessels and landings should the weather conditions require Ferry revenue services be suspended.

The Cemeteries Transit Center project team will secure all equipment and construction materials and ensure all approved traffic controls are in place.

To stay up-to-date on transit services and storm-related detours, visit www.norta.com and follow @NewOrleansRTA on Twitter and Facebook,, or call the Customer Care Rideline at (504) 248-3900.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu said the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Engagement’s District C Catch Basin Cleaning Day scheduled for Saturday will be postponed until further notice. The Catch Basin Cleaning Days will resume on Saturday, Oct. 14 in District B. For more information on the Catch Basin Cleaning Days, click here.

The New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (NOHSEP) has postponed its full-scale active shooter exercise scheduled for Monday, Oct. 9. The city will notify residents of the rescheduled date of the exercise in the coming days.

Residents are encouraged to call 311 for general information and to report non-life threatening emergencies. 311 will be open around the clock starting 7 a.m. Saturday.

The city is also encouraging individuals who require special assistance during emergencies to enroll in its Special Needs Registry. The registry does not guarantee assistance, but allows first responders to appropriately plan for, prepare for and respond to community needs.

The Special Needs Registry includes all individuals, regardless of age, with a chronic condition, disability, special healthcare need, or who may require additional assistance during an emergency. These include those who:

• Use life support systems such as oxygen, respirator, ventilator, dialysis, pacemaker, or are insulin dependent;
• Have mobility disabilities and use a wheelchair, scooter, walker, cane, or other mobility device;
• Are visually impaired, blind, hard of hearing, or deaf;
• Have speech, cognitive, developmental or mental health disabilities; and,
• Use assistive animals or a prosthesis.

A family member, caregiver, or authorized representative can enroll an individual on their behalf. Residents may enroll in the Special Needs Registry by calling 311.

Residents are encouraged to text “NATE” to 888-777 to receive updates from the City of New Orleans on Tropical Storm Nate. Additionally, residents are advised to look for updates regularly posted on ready.nola.gov, on Twitter @NOLAReady, and on Facebook @NOLAReady.

A view of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway from above Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans.. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik: File)