NEW ORLEANS — A 'flash flood warning' was issued until 4:30 p.m. on Thursday for portions of Southeast Louisiana, including Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes, and neutral ground parking in New Orleans is allowed until 8 p.m.
The warnings was in effect for 4:30 for Metairie, Kenner and River Ridge in Jefferson Parish, and 4 p.m. for other areas in Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes.
Meanwhile, the NWS issued Thunderstorm Warnings until 2:15 p.m. for Hammond, Ponchatoula and Amite and 3 p.m. for Mandeville, Covington and Abita Springs and 3:45 p.m. for Bogalusa, Varnado and Sun on the Northshore.
As of 2 p.m., sweeping storms have left more than 4,600 without power in New Orleans. As of 3 p.m. that number was cut in half.
“Entergy is aware of outages currently impacting approximately 2,000 customers in the greater New Orleans area," said an Entergy spokesperson. "Our crews are working as quickly and safely as possible to restore service. Lightning strikes due to severe weather have impacted our system.”
Shortly after 4 p.m., Entergy listed less than 800 without power.
CLECO has reported about 700 outages on the Northshore.
According to the National Weather Service, urban and small stream flooding is expected due to forecasted heavy rainfall.
Residents and motorists are warned of possible minor flooding in low-lying and poor-drainage areas.
Up to 1 inch of rain has already fallen at the time the warning was issued and an additional 1-2 inches was expected over the area.
As of 2 p.m., between 4-6 inches of water over roads in Harahan were reported to WWL Louisiana. And the Carrollton Underpass in New Orleans has been closed to traffic. Other New Orleans street locations enduring high water includes Tulane Avenue at South Carrollton and Old Gentilly Road at Paris Road, as well as Clearview Parkway along Elmwood Shopping Center which saw up to 4 inches of rain fall within an hour in the area.
"Carrollton is certainly a concern when it rains like this," said Colin Arnold, Director of the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (NOHSEP). "There are about 12 underpass locations that are marked with flood warning lights. Please don't drive into those no matter the depth of the water. Turn around and don't drown is the best advise to give."
Arnold said the NOFD is en route to those locations to provide barricades and prevent motorists from entering those danger zones.
According to the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, the Old Carrollton Underpass Station has just one of three pumps currently operational. A temporary pump has been deployed to help reduce the amount of water currently flooding the underpass.
Aside from the Carrollton Underpass, the following intersections are currently closed:
- Ulloa Street at S. Cortez Street
- N. Gayoso St. at Bienville Avenue
- N. Claiborne Ave at Laharpe Street
- Tulane Ave at S. Carrollton Ave
- Old Gentilly Rd at Paris Rd
General Palmetto Canal also
As of 2:10 p.m., restrictions are in effect on the Causeway in both directions due to severe weather. No motorcycles, glass trucks or recreational vehicles are allowed on the bridges at this time.
Noah Scheeler took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to post a photo of street and parking lot flooding at the corner of Jefferson Hwy. and Hickory St. in Harahan.
Some locations that could experience flooding, include:
- New Orleans
- Harvey
- Timberlane
- Marrero
- Chalmette
- Belle Chasse
- Metairie
- Jefferson
- Gretna
- Westwego
- Terrytown
- Arabi
- Woodmere
- Bridge City
- Estelle
- Lakefront Airport
People are urged to move immediately to higher ground and avoid walking or driving through flood waters.
New Orleans city officials are asking motorists to not block intersections, streetcar tracks, sidewalks or bike paths while utilizing neutral ground parking.
This is an ongoing development and situations will be updated once further information becomes available.
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