NEW ORLEANS — Two weeks after a burst of heavy rain flooded several neighborhoods in New Orleans, residents watched Saturday’s rain with unease. No major street flooding was reported this time around, though an issue with a power source that supplies the city’s pumps still has not been resolved.
On the morning of December 2nd, the city was being deluged by heavy rain when one of the Sewerage and Water Board’s power sources went offline. Turbine 4 is more than a century old and WWL Louisiana has reported extensively on problems with it in the past.
Turbine 5 was already off. The S&WB acknowledged the issue prevented the pumps draining the streets as quickly as usual. Streets across the city were under feet of water, which got into many peoples’ cars and homes.
“Walked outside, didn’t see any flooding, thought okay, then I got in my car and it was squishy,” said Joanna Haug. She and Aaron Rothko were parked outside their Broadmoor home that day. The water had receded by the time they woke up, but they would later discover that both of their cars had flooded. “I spent the better part of two days shop vac-ing my car,” said Haug.
Rothko said his car was “finally starting to dry up and smell better” when it became clear there could be more heavy rain Saturday. The S&WB had announced the day before that Turbine 5 was back online. Turbine 4 was still out.
That knowledge spurred both Rothko to “park a little bit higher.” He and Haug checked their street frequently throughout the day. “It’s a really stressful situation,” Haug said of the city’s frequent problems with its pumping system.
Those with outdoor plans kept an eye on the forecast as well. The Jingle on the Boulevard parade rolled in New Orleans East Saturday morning as planned. Many people brought umbrellas and ponchos, but the weather did not get worse than a drizzle.
Fans who came to the city for the New Orleans Bowl were not so lucky. It had turned cold and rainy by the time the Ragin’ Cajuns’ lost in overtime. “It’s put a real damper on our plans tonight,” said Wake Allen, who had driven in with a group of friends to celebrate a birthday.
The city’s Christmas light displays were also affected by the weather. Lafreniere Park closed its Christmas in the Park show early and City Park’s Celebration in the Oaks opened late to avoid the rain.