Forecasters warned on Thursday of more flooding in parts of Texas and Louisiana, where heavy rains this week have inundated homes, submerged cars and prompted evacuations and rescues by boats and military vehicles.
Advertisement
The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch stretching from the Gulf of Mexico coast of Texas, Louisiana and MS north into the southern parts of IL.
The National Weather Service says up to 7 inches of rain was expected through Wednesday and up to 12 inches by the end of the weekend along the Texas-Louisiana border and central Arkansas.
Haughton, La. resident David Stewart takes photos of flooded homes in the Tall Timbers subdivision Wednesday March 9, 2016.
The flooding in north Louisiana has caused the state to close offices in six parishes. The road into the area is flooded and another outlet that has a bridge is closed because of water.
Brinkerhoff says roads closed by water Thursday morning would re-open once the water was gone.
“It’s going to continue to be a pretty high impact storm”, Oravec said, noting that rains could linger into Saturday.
In Bossier City – across the Red River from Shreveport – some 3,500 homes were under a mandatory evacuation as a precaution because a bayou was approaching the top of its levee.
“This morning it was touching the bottom of the houses”, she said.
Three people died in northern Louisiana, deluged with some of the heaviest rainfall.
Louisiana State Police closed a section of Interstate 20 near Gibsland after both the eastbound and westbound lanes were covered with a foot of water, making the road impassible.
The National Weather Service has issued flood warnings and flash flood warnings for areas of the state that have been drenched by a stalled-out storm system.
Harrison County Judge Hugh Taylor predicted “major flooding” along Caddo Lake and urged residents to leave as waters were forecast to continue to rise through Sunday.
Heavy rains could dump more water into rivers and streams, but around south Louisiana, water levels have been falling, so there is room to accommodate at least some of the additional rainfall. Some areas could get up to 14 inches of rain, he said.
Several parishes in northwest Louisiana have declared a state of emergency over widespread flooding, and the National Guard is being sent in to help.
Authorities in Oklahoma say a 30-year-old man drowned after his SUV was swept away by floodwaters.
Three people drowned in Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana.
Advertisement
Almost a foot of rain fell Tuesday night into Wednesday in Louisiana, prompting scores of rescues.
