Forecasters are predicting a hurricane in New Orleans
3 min read
The flooding has already hit New Orleans and forecasters predict for a hurricane.
On the same day that a National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration report cautioned Americans of a “floodier” future, some streets in Louisiana’s largest city, including in the famed French Quarter, seen more like rivers.
Analysts said, Lines of thunderstorms connected with a weather system that is expected to develop into a hurricane by Friday smash into New Orleans with as much as 7 inches of rain within a three-hour period Wednesday morning.
The city was submerged with water, leaving residents to oppose with damp streets, upturned trash cans and waterlogged vehicles. Some even paddled their way down the street in kayaks.
Chandris Rethmeyer said she lost her car to the flood and had to walk through water about 4 feet profound to reach to shelter area.
She added, she was on her way home after working an overnight shift when she got jammed behind a car accident in an underpass and the water began to rise.
“I was going to sit in my car and let the storm pass,” she said. “But I reached back to get my son’s iPad and put my hand into a puddle of water.”
Valerie R. Burton awakened Wednesday to what looked like a lake outside her door.
“There was about 3 to 4 feet of water in the street, pouring onto the sidewalks and at my door,” Burton said. “So, I went to my neighbors to alert them and tell them to move their cars.”
They are not joking when that flash flood warning goes off in New Orleans 🙈 pic.twitter.com/QkQrfeGxp2
— Jessica Parker (@TripWhisperer) July 10, 2019
New Orleans resident Angela Catalano, whose house is already flooded, said she was worried.
New Orleans, Mid-City by Easton Park is flooding. Avoid at all costs. pic.twitter.com/z34LU1JpaK
— Angela Catalano (@AngelaJC) July 10, 2019
The tides were evocative of sudden overflowing that took the city by surprise in August 2017.
Forecasters said that Louisiana could see up to 12 inches of rain by Monday, with some insulated areas receiving as up to 18 inches.
Here is a quick look at what we are seeing on satellite. There is some broad circulation but it is a very messy system. It still has a ways to go but is expected to organize over the next 24-48 hrs & could bring us very heavy rain, coastal flooding, & strong winds. #92L pic.twitter.com/luxdhhXHxp
— NWS New Orleans (@NWSNewOrleans) July 10, 2019
That heavy rain could push the swollen Mississippi River perilously close to the top of the city’s levees, officials cautioned.
The agency was not expecting widespread overtopping of the levees, but there are concerns for areas south of the city, a spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers in New Orleans said.
The river was expected to rise to 20 feet by late Friday at a key gauge in New Orleans. The area is protected by levees 20 to 25 feet high, he said.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency: “The entire coast of Louisiana is at play in this storm,” Edwards said.
