Plaquemines Parish President Kirk Lepine has issued an evacuation order for the entire east bank of the parish and the west bank of the parish south of the Oakville to Venice, a spokeswoman said.

The evacuation order will go into effect at 6 a.m. Thursday, the spokesman said. Before that, a voluntary evacuation was called at about 4 p.m. Wednesday.

The evacuation will impact approximately 8,000-10,000 people, the spokeswoman said.

Lepine issued the call amid the approach of a tropical system expected later this week to strengthen into Hurricane Barry and historic high river levels that have led the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to predict that levees in Plaquemines Parish will be overtopped as the system pushes surge into lower-lying areas.

There will be pickup locations for Plaquemines Parish residents who need assistance evacuation. A shelter is planned for north Louisiana, the spokeswoman said. Residents who need assistance with evacuation are encouraged to preregister by calling (504) 934-6940 or (504) 274-2470 and leaving their names, address, pets and other information for follow up.

Editor's Note: This story has been clarified to include west bank sections in the evacuation order.

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