NEW ORLEANS - Another round of heavy rains drenched the New Orleans metro area, flooding homes and streets, stranding motorists, swelling rivers, closing schools and is responsible for at least one death as part of the wettest month ever recorded at Louis Armstrong International Airport.
Though only halfway through December, record rain has been reported -- over 21 inches of rain has fallen at the airport, surpassing May 1995, when 21.8 inches was recorded.
(See photos of flooding in the metro area.)
After a night and early morning of heavy rain, homes reportedly flooded in River Ridge, Kenner and St. Charles Parish.
Nathanial Holmes had to abandon his car after driving off the flooded road and becoming partially submerged near Louis Armstrong Airport Tuesday morning.
St. Charles Parish closed all schools after getting inundated with rain – reportedly Luling received 10 inches of rain from midnight to 10 a.m.
“We know that Luling has been hard hit. We actually had three homes with water reported in them, so that has been ground zero for the flooding,” said Rene Alleman Simpson, public information officer for St. Charles Parish
A small five-foot levee behind River Ridge Drive in Boutte overtopped in an approximately 40-50 yard section, according to Simpson. She said the parish is currently using all available resources to sandbag the area.
The chair of Tulane University’s Department of Pharmacology died Saturday evening, after driving through floodwaters and into a canal on the Westbank.
On a night when heavy rainfall flooded streets across the city, investigators say the Tulane University professor and his wife detoured onto Marr Avenue from Gen. DeGaulle Avenue in Algiers.
But with so much water covering the roadway, Agrawal drove into the Donner Canal.
The couple managed to get out of their car, but police say Agrawal disappeared while trying to help his wife get to higher ground.
Investigators found his body in the canal Sunday afternoon.
Tulane officials called the professor's effort to save his wife “heroic.”
In a letter to students and faculty, a Tulane official wrote, "Krishna was a passionate teacher and an accomplished researcher. He will be sorely missed."
Tulane officials say they'll hold a memorial service within the next few days.
Agrawal left behind a wife and three children.
Three rivers in Washington Parish are above flood stage, including the Pearl River, which is three feet above flood stage and is expected to crest later this week. Parish President Richard Thomas declared a state of emergency.
Lafourche Parish also declared a state of emergency after residential flooding has been reported in the Alidore community in Raceland, as well as other residences in Bayou Blue and North Thibodaux, according to Brendan Matherne, parish spokesman.
Communities in Central and Northern Lafourche are also reporting street flooding, especially in the communities of Raceland, Bayou Blue, Choctaw and Kraemer, said Matherne.
And the area is bracing for more as additional rain is expected throughout the evening and forecasted for later in the week, leaving little time to dry out, assess the damage and clean up.
