over southeastern Missouri. Preparations In advance of the storm, the National Hurricane Center issued tropical storm watches and warnings for much of the U.S. Gulf Coast. They were upgraded to a hurricane warning when the storm was predicted to reach hurricane intensity. Because that strengthening failed to occur, the hurricane warning was downgraded to a tropical storm warning shortly before landfall. Westward, the warnings for Louisiana and Mississippi were discontinued. After Tropical Storm Barry made landfall, all tropical storm warnings for the Florida Panhandle were discontinued. Flood warnings were issued for parts of Leon and Wakulla counties, while a flash flood watch was in effect for parts of southern Georgia. A tornado watch was issued for the eastern Florida Panhandle, southern Georgia, as well as portions of central and eastern Alabama. As Barry approached the Florida Panhandle, voluntary evacuations took place in eight counties. Shelters opened in six counties, though most were placed on standby. In parts of Franklin County, mandatory evacuations were ordered, and in Okaloosa County, tolls on the Mid-Bay Bridge were suspended. Forty C-130 cargo aircraft and about 300 personnel from Hurlburt Field were moved to the Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas to flee the storm's projected path. In Tallahassee, county officials filled sandbags in areas vulnerable to flooding. At Grand Isle State Park, park rangers moved picnic tables out of tidal range and closed the camping grounds for a period of time. Additionally, the storm forced NASA to delay a shuttle launch in southern Florida. Elsewhere, thousands of personnel were evacuated from several offshore oil platforms. The city of New Orleans closed 60 of its 72 floodgates to avoid possible flooding. Throughout southeastern Louisiana, including New Orleans, roughly 500 Red Cross volunteers and staff members were on standby. The threat of the storm forced the cancellation of an 'N Sync concert at Pro Player Stadium. Impact Cuba and Florida The precursor tropical wave to Barry dropped widespread rainfall in western Cuba, but no damage was reported. Offshore, high seas sank a Cuban refugee boat, drowning 6 of its 28 passengers. Three people in Florida were killed by the storm, and total damage is estimated at around 30 million (2001 USD). In southern Florida, the precursor to Barry produced 3 in (75 mm) to , with rainfall peaking at . The rain helped relieve persistent drought conditions; however, it caused significant flooding in Martin County