Beaches closed and sandbags filled as Tropical Storm Bertha approaches the Gulf Coast

UNDATED-AP- Communities on the U.S. Gulf Coast distributed sandbags and closed beaches before Tropical Storm Bertha brings flooding and wind from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana. Bertha is forecast to make landfall Wednesday night (July 22, 2026) on Louisiana’s coast southeast of New Orleans. The National Hurricane Center said the storm was about 145 miles west-southwest of Panama City, Florida, and 75 miles east of the mouth of the Mississippi River early Wednesday. It was moving west at 6 mph with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. Storm surges up to 4 feet are forecast for Louisiana with rain between 2 to 4 inches from western Florida to the southern Louisiana coastline.