By T. Scott Boatright
Lincoln Parish is in a Flash Flood Watch that will continue at least through Thursday morning.
The National Weather Service Office in Shreveport cautions that the Watch may need to be extended beyond Thursday.
According to the NWS, soils remain near saturation from previous heavy rainfall across the area this month.
Additional rainfall totals of 2 to 5 inches to what the parish has already experienced can be expected with isolated higher
amounts in excess of 6 inches possible.
The NWS warns that flooding may occur in urban and poor drainage areas. Heavy rainfall may also cause flooding of creeks, streams, and rivers.
Flooding in south Louisiana caused extensive problems on Wednesday.
During a press conference held Wednesday afternoon to update the situation, Gov. John Bel Edwards said that some parts of the Lake Charles area received up to 15 inches of rain in a span of eight to 10 hours, causing extensive flooding to streets, homes, and businesses.
Edwards also said the recent heavy rains caused damage to some places that weren’t badly affected by hurricanes Laura or Delta that struck the Lake Charles region last year.
He also said East Baton Rouge and Ascension parishes were the most heavily affected areas of southeast Louisiana, with upwards of 13 inches of rain in some parts, causing widespread flooding.
Edwards said four deaths had been reported following the severe weather and were being investigated as storm-related. He confirmed there was a body recovered from a vehicle on the Bluebonnet Boulevard underpass in Baton Rouge and that death was flood-related.
The governor joined the NWS in warning people that during a flash flood event, the worst place a person can be is inside their vehicle, and urged people to stay off the roads in regions experiencing flooding unless it is absolutely necessary.
