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Flash Flood Warning lifted, water recedes from New Orleans

Several lines of storms moved through the area, flooding streets and cutting off power to residents in several southeastern La. parishes.

NEW ORLEANS — The Flash Flood Watch for the Metro Area has been canceled. Over the course of seven hours overnight, more than five inches of rain fell on New Orleans, city officials estimate. 

Emergency responders fielded more than 200 calls related to the weather over the weekend, according to a statement from the city. 

The Department of Public Works conducted "courtesy tows" throughout the day for stalled vehicles to allow traffic to pass. If a vehicle's owner was present when the tow truck arrives, the car was towed to the nearest safe area. If no owner was nearby, the tow truck took the vehicle to the city's auto pound at 44 N. Claiborne Ave. 

Residents will not be charged to pick up their vehicles from the lot after flooding, officials said. 

All buses and streetcars in New Orleans are back in service after being shut down for several hours Sunday due to safety concerns. 

The flash flood warning was extended from 8:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. by the National Weather Service as a smaller storm passed over the area. Radar shows that the worst of the storm is over, and officials are expecting pumps to make more progress on flooded areas throughout the day. 

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New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board officials confirmed Sunday that 115 of the city's 120 pumps were working to drain water from the storm. According to S&WB measurements, as much as five inches of rain fell on parts of the city overnight, leading to the flooding reported by many residents. 

"It is important to note that not all drainage pumps can operate simultaneously because such an effort would overflow downstream canals," S&WB officials said in a statement. "Drainage stations have redundant pumps in case in-service equipment experiences any issues during rain events."   

One pump did lose power near City Park around 5 a.m., at the height of the rainfall, according to S&WB officials. Crews were able to set up a backup generator at the location by 6 a.m. and return that pump to service. 

“My administration has been laser-focused on infrastructure as a whole and stormwater management in particular,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “As we face our issues head on, we are using data and experience to better live with water.”

Another heavy line of storms rolled through the metro area starting around 5 a.m.

This line has knocked out power to a few thousand residents of Orleans and Jefferson parishes, knocking out 18,000 customers' power at the peak of the outages. 

Streets that were closed in New Orleans

Credit: CIty of New Orleans

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