By Michael Depp
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Bill has slammed into southern Louisiana with gusting winds and pouring rains that flooded low-lying areas.
Evacuations were ordered in coastal Mississippi, while residents of Grand Isle, Louisiana, got cut off from the mainland by tides rising over the lone highway outbound.
Heavy rains pelted the Gulf Coast on Monday all the way to western Florida as Bill made landfall south of Morgan City near Louisiana’s central coast and its effects spread eastward.
The storm, which brewed up Sunday off Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, had sustained winds up to 60 miles per hour (96 kph), but the National Hurricane Centre in Miami lifted a hurricane watch, signalling that Bill was not expected to strengthen to hurricane force.
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In a 1 p.m. CDT (7 p.m. British time) advisory, it said Bill’s Centre was 20 miles (32 km) south of Morgan City near latitude 29.2 north, longitude 91.3 west. Rains up to 10 inches (25 cm) were expected and tides could rise five feet (1.5 metres) above normal, the advisory said.
In New Orleans, heavy showers and sporadic wind gusts swept across a city soggy from eight inches (20 cm) of rain the past two weeks.
Mayor Ray Nagin sent all "nonessential" city personnel home while flood gates that keep the Mississippi River out of the low-lying city were being closed.
In the French Quarter, a number of Bourbon Street bars that seldom closed were shuttered.
U.S. Coast Guard petty officer Jonathan McCool in New Orleans said the Coast Guard had received a few distress calls, and was delivering pumps to a ship that reported taking on water in the heavy rain.
An advisory was issued warning people to stay off the water, but the Coast Guard could not force vessels to seek safe harbour, he said.
Some oil companies evacuated workers from offshore platforms and shrimpers tied down their boats.
The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port said it stopped offloading oil tankers because of the storm.
At Grand Isle, Mayor David Camardelle said tides four feet (1.2 metres) above normal were pounding the beach and flooding streets.
"We’ve asked people to get off the streets right now. I’m asking people to stay put. Hopefully, in a few hours it’ll be all over," he told reporters.
Bill was the second named storm of a year in which experts are predicting an above-average number of hurricanes. Tropical Storm Ana developed in April, but disappeared harmlessly in the Atlantic.
