After a one-day break from heavy rain, water-logged Houston braced for another round of precipitation Saturday from a lingering storm system along the western Gulf of Mexico. The storm also has prompted Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards to declare a state of emergency because of the severe weather. Houston, which sits just above sea level, has faced several days of heavy rains on extremely saturated ground. Police rescued scores of stranded motorists since Thursday night from high water that even forced the shutdown of part of Interstate 10. The storm knocked out power to nearly 160,000 customers on Friday, while Bush Intercontinental Airport diverted more than 62 flights, the Houston Chronicle reports. The Chronicle itself faced storm-related headaches, advising readers that delivery of the Saturday newspaper could be delayed because of the severe weather. "The safety of our newspaper carriers is of the utmost importance to us and we ask for your patience," the newspaper said on its website. The latest forecast set up another round of likely flash flooding from rain expected throughout the day. The threat of more rain also extended eastward along the Gulf Coast. "Portions of the south-central U.S. have been inundated with flooding rain, large hail and continuous lightning this week, and the threat is not yet over," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said. In Louisiana, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened the Bonnet Carre Spillway on Friday for only the 14th time since it was built in 1927. The spillway, located about 12 miles west of New Orleans, allows floodwaters from the Mississippi River to flow into Lake Pontchartrain and eventually into the Gulf of Mexico. Corps Maj. Gen. Richard Kaiser said this has been the wettest period in 124 years, WAFB reports. “This is not business as usual. This is the first time in the 90 year history of that structure that we’ve opened it twice in one year,” he said. "So based on the weather conditions that existed here today and the excessive heavy rain that we experienced, we had no choice but to open the spillway today."<doc-sep>There have been more than 20 reported tornadoes in four states this week. A powerful storm moving through the Plains and Deep South brought a second day of severe weather on Wednesday. There were four more reported tornadoes on Wednesday, bringing the count from this outbreak to 26 in 4 states (Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas). The threat for severe weather will continue across parts of the Mississippi River Valley on Thursday, and some of the strong storms will reach the East Coast by Friday. However, a multi-day flash flood threat is also about to get underway in parts of the hard-hit South, including Texas and Louisiana. The threat for severe weather continues across the south today for 18 million Americans from Texas to Alabama. A line of severe storms moving through Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama early Thursday afternoon has prompted a Tornado Watch. Severe storms will become more widespread from Corpus Christi to Houston by Thursday evening with mainly a large hail threat and possible damaging winds. The storm system will drag severe storms across the Mississippi River Valley through the day Thursday, with damaging winds, large hail and brief tornadoes possible from Louisiana to Tennessee. Then, another disturbance will bring a round of severe weather to southeast Texas and Louisiana at night, with damaging winds, large hail and brief tornadoes possible. However, the biggest concern for this next disturbance is torrential rain. Rainfall rates in parts of southeast Texas could exceed 2 inches per hour Thursday evening, which could cause flash flooding on saturated grounds. On Friday, strong storms with locally gusty winds will move into the Appalachians and impact parts of the Northeast. At this time, the severe threat looks to be marginal, but the forecast could change as the system evolves Thursday. Meanwhile, yet another blast of heavy rain will move into southeast Texas and southern Louisiana Friday and bring more rainfall rates that could exceed 2 inches per hour. Locally, 6 to 10 inches of rain is forecast through the end of the week and into the weekend across parts of southeast Texas and Louisiana. Given that some of this area -- especially near Houston -- already saw 6 to 10 inches of rain this week, there is growing concern for major flash flooding through the end of the week.<doc-sep>Flooding is occurring and is forecast to continue for Red River, and Big Cypress Bayou at Caddo Lake. As of 8-9 a.m. Thursday morning, the Red River was at 30.2 feet and Caddo Lake was at 173.7 feet, according to the National Weather Service. The river is predicted to rise to near 30.5 feet by Saturday evening, but then begin to lower. "The Red River has reached flood stage. There’s also the potential for flooding around Cross Lake and along area bayous. Especially in North Shreveport," Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins said in a video the mayor's office released on social media Thursday afternoon. Shreveport parks including Riverfront Park, The Dog Park, Hamels, C. Bickham Dickson and portions of the walking trail are closed because of flooding, Perkins said. The lake is anticipated to continue rising to near 175 feet by Friday morning, with possible additional rises afterward. The flood stage for the river is 30 feet. The flood pool stage for the lake is 172 feet. Residents are advised to not drive their vehicles through flooded waterways, and to use caution when walking near flooded riverbanks. Residents are also told not to try to wade or swim in flooded rivers or bayous, per the NWS. Possible tornado damage Wednesday night the National Weather Service posted on social media eight possible locations of tornado damage in Louisiana, and Texas. One area of possible tornado damage is in the southeast Shreveport area of Caddo Parish. Beginning Thursday, teams began surveying the multiple areas. However, Caddo Parish was not surveyed on Thursday. The area is scheduled to be surveyed sometime Friday, the National Weather Service told The Times. Hazardous weather Strong to severe thunderstorms are possible again overnight Thursday into Friday. They may have damaging winds and large hail. Thunderstorms continue in the forecast as a cold front moves across the area. Flash flooding will be the primary threat, according the National Weather Service. A flash flood watch will be in effect for the Shreveport-Bossier area into the early weekend as heavy rainfall is still expected over the next few days. The watch is effective Friday morning at 7 until Saturday night at 7. For Caddo, Bossier, DeSoto and Sabine Parishes, according to the National Weather Service on Thursday afternoon. The Shreveport-Bossier area could see anywhere between three to four inches of rain during that period. “Excessive heavy rainfall amounts will result in flash flooding conditions, especially across flood prone areas. In addition, area creeks, bayous, lakes and rivers remain very high from previous rainfall. This additional rainfall will likely result in additional rises and crests on all waterways,” the weather advisory read. To report fallen trees in Shreveport, residents are asked to call 673-6330 or 673-7600 after hours, according to the Shreveport Mayor's Office. Flooding and storm damage The Bossier City Fire Department with the assistance of the Bossier City Police Department to safely remove residents from homes where water had reached in the Northside Drive and Baradot Lane areas. At least 19 people were removed early Thursday morning, according to a Bossier City spokesperson. Street flooding also occurred in multiple locations throughout Bossier Parish; including but not limited to Airline Drive, Traffic Street, Hamilton Road, Bellevue Road, parts of Highway 157 in South Bossier, and the Fox Case Subdivision in Haughton. Heavy flooding also occurred on Cannon Road and residents were evacuated. “Neighbors in a pontoon boat helped evacuate a couple from a flooded home and brought them to the high water vehicle, and they were brought to dry ground. Another neighbor left on their own, while another family decided to stay with their livestock,” read a BPSO Facebook post regarding evacuations made in the Cannon Road area. Linton Road near Downs road in Bossier Parish is closed because of a road cave-in. Wednesday night, a tree fell onto a residence located along Old Plain Dealing Road in Bossier. The occupants were reported to be OK, according to BPSO. In Caddo Parish, a tree fell onto a Bethany home Wednesday, the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office told The Times. On Thursday, cowboys moved cattle from flooded pastures in the LA Highway 169 and Gamm Road area to dryer areas, CPSO said. Power outages More than 300 linemen and other personnel have been called to help the power restoration efforts in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. Approximately 6,388 customers in Caddo Parish and 815 customers in Bossier Parish were without power as of 4 p.m. Thursday, according to Southwestern Electric Power Company's online power outage map. Estimated times of restoration for 95 percent of customers that can take service is 10 p.m. Saturday for Bossier City, Haughton, Plain Dealing, Shreveport and Vivian areas, but many will be restored sooner, according to the utility's website. Emily Enfinger is the breaking news reporter for The Shreveport Times, covering crime and court. Follow her on Twitter at @EmilyEnfinger. To email, click here.<doc-sep>
As the flood-swollen Mississippi River rises across the South into Louisiana, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has opened the Bonnet Carré spillway north of New Orleans in a precautionary move to relieve potential stress on the city's levees, which protect from catastrophic flooding. The spillway is 28 miles north of New Orleans. Most of the city is at or below sea level, so it is protected by levee systems. New Orleans suffered deadly flooding in Hurricane Katrina when levees were breached. The Bonnet Carré spillway was recently closed on April 11 after it was opened to protect New Orleans was flooding and this is the first time in history the spillway has been opened two times in a year. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a statewide emergency on Friday due to flooding and heavy rains flooding that is continuing for some areas on Saturday. The Mississippi River, due to heavy regional rainfall, has risen 6 inches in the past 24 hours, according to the U.S. Corps of Engineers, and with more rain expected through the weekend, the river is nearing dangers levels – exceeding April flooding levels which were the worst since 1973. "These rains could elevate the Mississippi River above 17 feet with a peak as high as 17.5 feet at the Carrollton Gage," the Corps said in a release on Frida. "In an abundance of caution the operation date is being moved forward to ensure the safe passage of this high water by limiting the elevations downriver of the spillway. Operation of the structure will relieve pressure on main levees, maintain river stages, and regulate the flow downriver from the spillway. "This will be the 14 operation of the structure since 1937 and the first time it has been opened twice during the same high water event." Air boat out at Bonnet Carre during the second opening this year. pic.twitter.com/kkeQvcdESU — Corps of Engineers (@TeamNewOrleans) May 10, 2019 Already, flooding inside the south end of Mississippi's Delta region that is walled off by levees is experiencing record flooding that will prevent farmers from planting crops on hundreds of thousands of acres, according to the Associated Press. And it's still raining across the Deep South, bringing more rain to rain-soaked states including Mississippi and Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Texas, more than 42,000 homes and businesses remain without power due to flooding and the city of Houston is still grappling with heavy rain and flooding. Houston and parts of Harris County and nearby counties along the Gulf Coast under a flash flood watch through 7 p.m. Saturday. Parts of the Houston area received 5 inches of rain on Thursday within 90 minutes. Some schools were canceled in the Houston area on Friday. On Saturday, the heaviest rain in Texas is south of Houston, in coastal areas including Galveston and Freeport.