New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and city leaders urged residents on Thursday to hunker down at home as Tropical Storm Barry took aim at the city, with the officials emphasizing that they expect lots of rain but not wind from the oncoming storm.

The mayor said she would not issue either a voluntary or mandatory call for evacuations, given the timing and intensity of the storm.

"We look (for) a Category 3" before deciding whether to evacuate, Cantrell said.

Nonetheless, "we do expect that this storm will be slow moving....and that we will get heavy rainfall for up to 48 hours," she said.

City Hall will be closed on Friday.

Gov. John Bel Edwards held a briefing Thursday with Cantrell and local parish presidents at New Orleans City Hall after flying by helicopter from Baton Rouge with a stop in Chalmette.

"We’re imploring the public to take this very seriously," Edwards told reporters afterward.

Cantrell advised residents to shelter in place hours after U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials expressed confidence that the storm surge from Barry would not overtop levees around the Mississippi River that surround the city. The corps also said Thursday that the river is expected to top out at near 19 feet on Saturday when Barry makes landfall, rather than the 20 feet that was expected earlier.

"It’s a very important prediction," said St. Bernard Parish President Guy McInnis.

New Orleanians learned Wednesday, however, just how devastating even the heavy rains that are associated with such storms can be, as homes and businesses flooded after up to 7 inches of water hit the city in a six-hour span.

A tornado also hit in Gentilly, tossing a tree through one home and hitting another directly.

Jefferson Parish President Mike Yenni said Wednesday's rain flooded most streets in Westwego and urged residents to clean out catch basins in advance of the coming storm. Anyone needing help, he said, should call the parish at 736-6006.

More deluges are expected over the next two days ahead of Barry's landfall Saturday morning, National Weather Service officials said Thursday.

"We're expecting another 10 to 15 inches, and in some isolated locations, up to 20 inches, above what we've already seen in the past day or two," said forecaster Tim Oram.

Sewerage and Water Board chief Ghassan Korban said that amount of water would burden any system. But he also sought to build public confidence in his agency's ability to drain the city as quickly as possible.

"We believe that you are going to have a repeat of what happened yesterday, and again we will perform at the highest level possible to drain the city as fast as we can," he said.

Exactly 118 of the agency's 120 pumps were online Thursday, though Korban said that 21 of those are typically not used to drain water after a deluge.

That leaves about 99 pumps that will be available to clear the city when waters rise in the coming days.

About 5 megawatts of power are offline, he added, reducing the total number of megawatts of power for the city's drainage system from 80 to 75. The system only needs 50 megawatts at most, he said.

Meanwhile, New Orleans police officers will begin working overtime beginning Friday. The Louisiana National Guard will also be deploying officers and equipment to aid in search and rescues, if those are necessary.

"You need to gather your supplies and, again, secure your property in preparation to shelter in place," Cantrell added. "While it is uncertain what the impact will be, we need to be prepared to respond."

Other reminders for residents include:

The city will not pick up garbage on Friday or Saturday, and the city asks residents not to put their trash cans at the curb. Instead, make sure cans are secure on your property.

Clean gutters and catch basins. Call 311 for any catch basin that cannot be cleared and the city will do it

Have 72 hours of food, water and medication available for each person sheltering in place.

Information is available online at ready.nola.gov or on Twitter @nolaready

For text alerts from the city, text “Barry” to 888777

Interstate 610 East at Franklin Avenue remains closed, other exits could be closed if necessary

Do not drive through standing water or on levees

Staff reporter Tyler Bridges contributed to this article.

Stay with The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate for more.

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