LAPLACE, La. — The Interstate 10 / Highway 51 interchange in Laplace was under water on Tuesday as tidal flooding from Tropical Storm Beta covered the roadway.
Strong east winds pushed water over the west shore of Lake Pontchartrain into low-lying areas of St. John Parish.
Parish President Jaclyn Hotard said area waterways were already swollen from Hurricane Sally, last week.
“Lake Pontchartrain is full, (Lake) Maurepas, everywhere we pump our water to is full and then the winds are also blowing that water to us,” Hotard said. “It’s two unique things working at one time against us.”
The high water forced St. John Sheriff Mike Tregre to close some roads.
"The onramp to I-10 and 51 is shut down,” Tregre said. “The offramp to 51 is shut down. We’re prepared for an emergency and water rescues. We had a few motorists that flooded.”
There was also mild to moderate street flooding in some Laplace neighborhoods Wayne Kimble has lived in the River Forest subdivision for 41 years.
“We’ve had water higher than this before, so I’m just hoping that it stays like that and let the storm keep on moving,” Kimble said.
Kimble complained about sightseers driving down his street.
“There’s a lot of people who don’t have a problem with water until these big pick-up trucks come and it picks the wave up in their house,” Kimble said.
St. John leaders said the water level shouldn’t get much higher and conditions should soon start to improve.
They are hoping the wind will change direction in the next day or two and help blow some of the water back out.
“The good news is that the rain has stopped,” Hotard said. “So, we’re not putting any additional water on the ground.”
“Right now, it’s just in the street and it should be okay, but we’re checking it hour by hour,” Tregre said.
Back in River Forest, Kimble said whatever happens, is out of his hands.
“You’ve got two bosses in the world, God and Mother Nature,” Kimble said.
The St. John Sheriff’s Office is asking people to stay off flooded streets and to avoid low-lying areas north of I-10 until the water recedes.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Belle Terre exit off on I-10 in Laplace remained open.