The southeastern US coast is under threat from Tropical Storm Bertha approaching from the Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center has issued a tropical storm warning for a wide stretch from northwestern Florida to Louisiana.
As of the evening of July 21, the storm was located about 190 kilometers southwest of Panama City, Florida. Moving westward at about 9 kilometers per hour, Bertha's sustained winds reached 95 kilometers per hour.
Meteorological officials expect the storm to gradually weaken between July 22 and 24. Michael Buchanan, a meteorologist with the Louisiana National Weather Service, said Bertha would reach a sparsely populated coastal strip southeast of New Orleans on Wednesday evening, and that the main threat would be wind.
While 2 to 4 inches (5-10 cm) of rain is expected in the region, some areas could see higher amounts. This could lead to flash flooding, especially in urban areas. Additionally, a storm surge warning of up to 1.2 meters has been issued for the Louisiana coast from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Alabama-Mississippi border.
Officials in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida opened sandbag distribution points for the public. At some beaches, double red flags were raised due to the risk of rip currents, and swimming was completely banned. Beaches near Pensacola remained largely empty except for tourists wanting to photograph the powerful waves.
Candice Henderson, manager of the Crab Trap restaurant in Perdido Key, said, "For locals, this is an ordinary storm. When it rains and you're on vacation, you have two options: go shopping or go to a restaurant," expressing that residents are accustomed to the situation.
Bertha became the second tropical storm of this year's Atlantic hurricane season. Last month, Tropical Storm Arthur brought heavy rainfall to the southeastern US. Although the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expects the Atlantic hurricane season to be less active than normal this year, the possibility of destructive storms remains.
Jeff Clark, an official in Harrison County, Mississippi, said he hoped the public was closely monitoring the situation in the area, which is recovering from the flooding caused by Arthur. While six sandbag distribution points were opened in the county, as of July 21, no evacuations or shelter openings were needed.
