Up to 4 inches of rain, 50-mph wind gusts expected in Lafayette. Emergency officials and elected leaders in Lafayette Parish are keeping an eye on the Gulf but don't expect Lafayette Parish to suffer a direct blow from Tropical Storm Isaac, which is expected to grow into a hurricane before making landfall sometime overnight/early Wednesday.
Officials at the parish's Emergency Operations Center have been meeting regularly to assess the situation; at present Lafayette is expected to experience wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour and 2-4 inches of rain. With summer rainfall totals above average and the ground saturated, there is some concern over flooding in low-lying areas. Sand bags are being distributed at four locations in the parish: the LCG North District Barn; 130 Shantel Road (old landfill), the LCG South District Barn at 1017 Fortune Road, the George Dupuis Center (Brown Park), 1212 E. Pont Des Mouton Road and at the Robichaux Rec Center at 1919 Eraste Landry Road.
The Diocese Central Office is closed today and tomorrow and UL and the Lafayette public schools are closed Wednesday. City-Parish President Joey Durel signed an emergency declaration this morning, which makes the parish eligible for state and federal financial assistance, yet tonight's City-Parish Council meeting is currently still scheduled to go on as planned at 5:30 p.m.
The Daily Advertiser has a comprehensive list of closures related to the storm here.