NEW ORLEANS, LA (CNN) — Communities in Louisiana are taking the first steps toward recovery after Hurricane Barry made landfall in the state as a Category 1 storm Saturday before being downgraded to a tropical storm.
More than 11 million people were under flash-flood watches Sunday from the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi up towards the southern tip of Illinois, CNN Meteorologist Michael Guy said.
Heavy rains and tornadoes are possible from the Gulf Coast through the mid Mississippi River Valley, through Monday.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced during a news conference Sunday that many staples of city life would soon resume, including public transportation and garbage pick up, while municipal offices would reopen Monday.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said all state offices would be open Monday, except in three parishes where there are still power outages.
Barry — which weakened to a tropical depression Sunday as it moved slowly north across Louisiana and into Arkansas — had put Louisiana on high alert for much of the weekend with a threat of epic flooding. Much of that threat failed to materialize. New Orleans, in particular, did not see the catastrophic storm surges that had been feared.