(CNN) -- Louisiana's governor declared a state of emergency Sunday as Tropical Storm Debby approached, citing "the imminent threat" of heavy rainfall and flooding.
Debby was unleashing high winds and torrential rain Sunday along portions of the northeast Gulf Coast as it meandered offshore, forecasters said.
People in Louisiana stepped up preparedness efforts amid concern over a forecast track showing Debby could make landfall along its coast, although meteorologists noted the storm's path is still uncertain.
Gov. Bobby Jindal's declaration authorizes the governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness to undertake any activity its director deems necessary or appropriate.
In Plaquemines Parish, the state's southernmost parish, authorities were utilizing baskets and tubes in an effort to keep Highway 23 -- the parish's main evacuation and emergency route -- free of water should the 4-foot levees be topped, said Billy Nungesser, parish president.
Tropical Storm Debby preps "We want to be ahead of that as a precautionary measure," Nungesser said. The area is forecast to receive a storm surge of 2 to 4 feet, he said -- "with a direct hit, if it goes up a little bit more, we'll have those levees topped."
Officials were also sandbagging the levees as an additional precaution, he said.
Following his declaration, Jindal left Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's weekend retreat in Park City, Utah, early to return to Louisiana, spokesman Kyle Plotkin said.
As of 1 p.m. (2 p.m. ET), the center of Debby was about 200 miles east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and about 105 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola, Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Packing sustained winds of 60 mph and higher gusts, the storm was moving northeast at about 5 mph.
Parts of Florida were feeling the effects of Debby on Sunday. The Sunshine Skyway bridge on Interstate 275 over Tampa Bay was shut down because of high winds, according to CNN affiliate Bay News 9.
"We are receiving reports of drivers needing to be rescued in downtown Clearwater and reports of water reaching the bumpers of cars in Gulfport," the station said. Drivers were also reported stranded in other areas, with some intersections closed.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for coastal Louisiana from the mouth of the Pearl River westward to Morgan City, the weather agency said, not including New Orleans or Lake Pontchartrain.
A second warning was extended eastward Sunday from the Mississippi-Alabama border eastward to Florida's Suwannee River, and a tropical storm watch was issued for an area south of the Suwannee River to Anclote Key, Florida.
Some slight strengthening is possible within the next 48 hours, the hurricane center said, but "no significant motion is expected during the next 12 to 24 hours, and the track beyond that time is highly uncertain."
A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions, including sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph, are expected in the warning area within 36 hours, said CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider.
"If you are under this warning, take your precautions now," she said. "Tie down or bring inside any furniture, toys or decorations you keep outside. They may blow about in strong winds and cause damage or injuries.
"If you are in a low-lying area at risk for flooding, know the best route to higher ground where you live," Schneider said, and she urged people to stay abreast of local weather warnings.
A tropical storm watch means tropical storm conditions, including winds of at least 39 mph, are possible within the watch area within 12 to 24 hours, the hurricane center said.
The forecast track shows Debby strengthening into a hurricane early Wednesday off the coast near the Mississippi-Alabama state line, then coming ashore in coastal Louisiana early Thursday.
However, computer models a wide variety of places where the storm may make landfall, from the upper Texas coast to the Florida Panhandle, said Dave Hennen, CNN senior meteorologist.
If Debby does continue toward Louisiana, warnings including New Orleans may be issued, Hennen said.
In St. Mary Parish along the central Louisiana coast, officials were in "watch and wait" mode, according to Duval Arthur, the parish's emergency preparedness director.
"The way this storm is moving, so slow, it's really kind of hard to make any plans, to start any plans ... it's changed on us actually three times," he said.
Officials are planning to issue street-flooding warnings in recreational areas located on the water, he said. "As this storm gets closer, we're going to have 3-to-4-foot higher than normal tides."
Louisiana's Terrebonne Parish also issued a precautionary state of emergency Sunday, citing "the uncertainty of the storm's current track and the potential for flooding on some roadways and low-lying coastal areas."
BP said Sunday it was closely monitoring the progress of Debby and that all the company's oil and natural gas production in the Gulf was to be shut down by midday.
"Helicopters will continue evacuation of offshore personnel as weather conditions permit," BP spokesman Brett Clanton said. "Those unable to evacuate will shelter in place for the storm."
Nine oil and gas production platforms have been evacuated of the 596 manned platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, the federal government said Saturday. One of 70 rigs was evacuated.
Tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 200 miles from Debby's center, according to the hurricane center.
"Tropical storm conditions are already near or over portions of the northeast Gulf Coast and are expected to reach the remainder of the warning area by tonight," forecasters said Sunday.
Bald Point, Florida, about 45 miles south of Tallahassee, reported sustained winds of 37 mph Sunday morning with gusts to 43 mph, the hurricane center said.
"The combination of a storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters," the hurricane center said. Floodwaters along the coast from southeastern Louisiana to Florida's Apalachee Bay could reach 3 to 5 feet deep; waters south of Apalachee Bay could reach 1 to 3 feet; and the southwestern Louisiana coast could see 1 to 3 feet.
Debby is also expected to dump 5 to 10 inches of rain from southeast Louisiana to Florida's central west coast, with up 15 inches in isolated areas, the weather agency said.
"Given the recent heavy rainfall and wet soil conditions, these additional amounts will exacerbate the threat of flooding across portions of northern Florida and southern Alabama," forecasters said.
In addition, "isolated tornadoes are possible" over parts of west-central and southwestern Florida on Sunday.
Some adventure-seekers took advantage of high winds and large waves along the shore as Debby approached. A CNN iReporter sent a picture Sunday of a kite surfer on Grayton Beach, Florida.
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CNN's Ashley Hayes, Marlena Baldacci, Vivian Kuo, Phil Gast and Holly Yan contributed to this report.
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