LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas could see heavy rainfall and potential flash flooding as Tropical Storm Barry travels north. In Arkansas, this means people are working around the clock to make sure they're prepared for any situation.
Entergy Arkansas has already started getting ready for what's to come.
David Lewis, Entergy Arkansas spokesman, said they had a conference call at 3 p.m. Saturday to discuss preparations and this has been happening for the last couple of days.
"There are numerous conference calls happening around the Entergy system, the four-state system, over the last couple of days all having to do with the upcoming Hurricane Barry. The one we had this afternoon had to do with Arkansas’s involvement in that and our preparation for what’s to come here in Arkansas," he said.
Tropical Storm Barry hit landfall at 1 p.m. on Saturday, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds to southeast Louisiana.
Dylan Cross, National Weather Service Meteorologist, said for Arkansas this means more precipitation.
"What we are expecting is more rainfall to fall across portions of Arkansas, even central Arkansas could pick up some of the heavier rainfall," he said.
Cross said Barry is a slow moving storm and he does not expect it to speed up any time soon, but he said that lack of speed could cause problems.
"We should be able to take water initially. Now the concern, especially tomorrow and going into Monday and maybe even lasting into Tuesday, is going to be flash flooding," he said.
Lewis said Entergy Arkansas knew what was on the radar, so the workers began preparation on Friday.
"We have released a handful of our people to travel to a staging area near the coast and they are there now, but most of our people we kept here in Arkansas to wait and see if they were going to be needed here," he said.
Lewis said Entergy sent 160 contractors and 30 employees to the south on Friday.
He said for the ones in Arkansas, it is time to be ready to work at any hour of the night.
"What we are doing right now is waiting for the storm to make its appearance in Arkansas and we will find out after its passed through, how much damage, if any, we will have to deal with and we will certainly deal with it," Lewis said.
While the storm starts to move across Arkansas's state line, Entergy simply says "bring it on."
"This is what we do. We are very resilient, committed, and as soon as we are done with one storm, we start preparing for the next one," Lewis said.
A couple helpful pieces of advice Entergy has for their customers:
1) If the storm is headed in your direction, charge your devices now.
2) If the lights are out, don't open your fridge or freezer.
3) If you see any downed power lines, call Entergy and let them handle it.