Dozens of homes have flooded after slow-moving storms dumped as many as 11 inches of rain in parts of southeast Louisiana Friday morning. And now, as the rain moves to the east, several parishes on the Northshore are monitoring rivers in flood stage.
At least 18 homes in St. Charles Parish took on water after eight inches of rain fell in the Destrehan, Norco and Montz area. Parish President Larry Cochran said rainwater submerged most roads in Norco making it impossible to drive.
"It was so much rain in such a short period of time," Cochran said. "It was hard for us to get it all pumped out."
Destrehan resident Darren Vinett told Eyewitness News that he found a puddle of water inside his home when he woke up around 3 a.m.
"I went to salvage what I could, move things up before waking up the wife and kids. And then, when I realized that it got higher, higher and higher, then I knew there was a problem, Vinnett said.
St. Charles Parish was not the only area in southeast Louisiana impacted by heavy rain. Up to 11 inches of rain fell in parts of Washington Parish, flooding as many as 30 homes. While some of those residents were evacuated, parish emergency officials warned more areas could flood as nearby rivers rose.
"Our concern right now turns to our river stages," Bobbi Jo Breland, an assistant OHSEP director in Washington Parish, said.
Heavy rain has caused a rapid spike in water levels on several rivers on the Northshore, prompting flood warnings for parts of St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes. The Bogue Chitto, Bogue Falaya, and Tchefuncte rivers are expected to rise before cresting over the next couple of days.
Stay with Eyewitness News on WWL-TV and WWLTV.com for more on this developing story.