Things are getting back to normal today in New Orleans which was spared the most ominous predictions for Tropical Storm Barry.
Red Lobster convention attendees arrived in the city on Sunday for its 2019 Leadership Conference. The Rolling Stones concert scheduled for Friday will be held tonight in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is resuming normal operations although travelers are encouraged to check with their airlines for specific flight details before going to the airport.
The slow-moving storm caused significant flooding in Louisiana and led to massive power outages throughout the Gulf Coast, affecting over 150,000 homes and businesses.
Hefty precautions were taken in flood-prone New Orleans and Baton Rouge as levees began to overflow. Air travel in and out of both cities was locked down throughout Saturday, canceling thousands of flights.
The most significant event to be affected by the storm was an annual meeting of Delta Sigma Theta sorority scheduled to be held in the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center through Sunday. The meeting was ended early in preparation for the storm, but conference attendees made sure not to let the 17,000 meals prepared for the conference go to waste. The sorority’s national leadership asked the conference vendor, Centerplate, to donate the remaining food to the Second Harvest Food Bank of South Louisiana.
“The safety and well-being of our members and friends is our top priority,” said Beverly E. Smith, Delta Sigma Theta’s national president and chief executive. “We are delighted that Centerplate donated the food we purchased, making it available as a result of us terminating our convention early. With 16,000 attendees and two food functions canceled – our Sisterhood Luncheon and closing Soiree Celebration – there was inordinate amounts of food that would have been wasted. Kudos to Centerplate.”
Conventions are important to the Crescent City. According to MeetingSource, a site selection search engine, the city ranks third in the country as a top convention city for 2019.
