As Tropical Storm Barry continues to intensify, the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) is urging U.S. Gulf Coast residents to heed local advisories and warnings – and asking logistics professionals to be ready to help.

“There’s already significant flooding in South Louisiana, especially New Orleans, and if Barry continues on its predicted path, it could bring as much as 15 additional inches of rain to the area.  As a result, we have good reason to believe this could be the first significant hurricane of the 2019 season,” said Kathy Fulton, ALAN’s Executive Director.

According to Fulton, ALAN is actively in touch with key partners at local, state, and federal agencies and non-profits, and it is standing by to offer logistics support as needed.

“While there have been no requests for our assistance yet, that situation could quickly change if Barry continues to strengthen and travel on its predicted path,” she said. “So stay tuned, because if we do receive requests, we’ll try to communicate them quickly via our Disaster Micro-site as well as our Twitter, Facebook and Linked In accounts.”

Logistics businesses that wish to offer their assistance in advance can do so by visiting ALAN’s web site at: https://www.alanaid.org/offer-inkind-services-or-equipment/, while non-profits that require ALAN’s assistance can so by logging onto https://www.alanaid.org/request-support/.

Meanwhile, Gulf Coast area businesses can get additional information at: LA BEOC https://labeoc.org (for assistance) or the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness GOHSEP http://gohsep.la.gov (for tips about preparation)

“On a final note, ALAN encourages Gulf Coast residents to follow the advice of local emergency management and law enforcement officials regarding everything from safely evacuating to sheltering in place – and to use the “Turn Around, Don’t Drown” rule when traveling near flooded areas,” said Fulton.