Tropical Storm Nate is scheduled to make landfall late Saturday, bringing heavy winds and rain to the Washington Parish area.

Parish President Richard “Ned” Thomas declared a state of emergency for Washington Parish on Friday morning. The parish was also placed under a hurricane warning Friday.

As of Friday afternoon, Nate was projected to bring a 50-to-60 percent chance of tropical storm force winds (58 mph to 73 mph), from late Saturday night into Sunday morning, Thomas said. In addition, there is the potential for two to four inches of rain during the weekend, although impacts could be higher if the storm’s track changes.

Three locations are open for those who may need to get sandbags. The locations will be open Saturday, from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m., and will be manned by parish road crews.

The locations are:

• Washington Parish Public Works Location No. 2 — corner of Highway 10 and YACC Road (west of Seven Mile Road), in Franklinton.
• Washington Parish Public Works Location No. 3 — 801 Pearl St. in Franklinton.
• Washington Parish Fire District No. 7 — 17380 Bill Booty Road, in Bogalusa.

In a Facebook post, the Washington Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (HSEP) detailed Nate’s potential:

“We are under a hurricane warning, which may cause significant damage to roofing and siding materials, along with damage to porches, awnings, carports, and sheds. A few buildings experiencing window, door, and garage door failures. Mobile homes damaged, especially if unanchored. Unsecured lightweight objects become dangerous projectiles. Several large trees snapped or uprooted, but with greater numbers in places where trees are shallow rooted. Several fences and roadway signs blown over. Some roads impassable from large debris, and more within urban or heavily wooded places. A few bridges, causeways, and access routes impassable. Scattered power and communications outages, but more prevalent in areas with above ground lines.”

In addition, HSEP officials said that the Washington Parish Emergency Operations Center would be activated Saturday, and coordinating shelters would be opened sometime during the day.

Thomas urged all citizens to be vigilant and watch local media outlets for updates. In addition, information will be posted at www.washingtonparishalerts.com and at two Facebook pages — the page for Washington Parish HSEP and also the page for the Washington Parish Government.