On Monday, at least one casino in the New Orleans area remained closed as two storms headed towards the Crescent City moving from the Gulf of Mexico.

Storms interrupt casino business

According to security supervisor Paxton Pou, the Boomtown Casino in Harvey remained closed on Monday “until further notice.” He said that the casino is located near the canal floor wall. Harvey Is located south of downtown New Orleans. The Mississippi River is on the opposite side of the town.

The Gulf Coast is witnessing a movement of two tropical storms- Marco and Laura, with winds of 35 mph or stronger. The storms were expected to make landfall on August 24 in the New Orleans area before moving west towards the Houston area.

Tropical Storm Laura could be upgraded to hurricane status and is expected to hit the coast on the Louisiana-Texas border by Wednesday. It would then move through Norther Louisiana and Arkansas and finally turn eastward. Casinos in the Gulf Coast usually suffer low revenues during the peak hurricane season of August and September. This is a time when high winds and rainfall keeps customers from arriving at gaming properties.

New Orleans and Mississippi are alert

The storms could be specifically devastating for New Orleans, a large part of which is located at least 4 feet below sea level. According to the US Geological Survey, in some places, the elevation is 9.84 feet below sea level. This causes issues related to flooding during the storms, especially for homes and properties that are located close to the waterways and the canals. Widespread flooding is common with tropical storms and hurricanes.

Mississippi Gaming Commissions’ executive director Allen Godfrey noted,

“While we do not plan to require properties to shut down at this time, I am requesting that you discourage any patrons or staff from arriving at your properties after 10 a.m. Monday morning, until further notice.”

The Gaming Commission of Mississippi has issued a warning to casinos in the state and has also urged employees and patrons to keep away from gaming properties in the state starting Monday. It has asked people to wait until the weather condition becomes favorable.