Flash floods hit some areas of Louisiana, with officials urging residents to seek higher ground immediately.
“This is a flash flood emergency for Tangipahoa Parish, including the city of Hammond,” the National Weather Service said in a statement early Friday. “Seek higher ground now!”
Up to 14 inches of rain have fallen in some areas, and an additional 1 to 3 inches are possible.
New Orleans shut down some schools because of the flash floods Friday. Officials warned that flood waters could rise above a levee and place thousands of homes in jeopardy.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency, and the National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for several parishes.
A series of storms have killed four people, flooded homes and wrecked highways in parts of the Southeast.
State offices in 17 Louisiana parishes were closed Thursday, according to CNN affiliates KTAL and KMSS. The northwest part of the state could see another 8 to 10 inches on top of the drenching it received when some isolated locations got more than 14 inches.
That means the region is at risk of further flooding until Monday.
Bossier City
In Bossier Parish, officials said they had closed at least 100 roads.
They issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents of 3,500 homes this week that could be at risk if flood waters keep rising.
They expanded that evacuation order Thursday, warning that levees will likely overtop by Friday morning, putting even more homes in jeopardy.
Some bayous and creeks near Shreveport are expected to crest at levels not seen since 1991, according to CNN meteorologist Michael Guy.
Mississippi, warnings
In Mississippi, officials warned of flash flooding. Gov. Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency.
“The water’s still rising,” said David Buford, the Washington County emergency management director.
Four people killed
At least four people have been killed in storms across the region, officials said. In Texas, a man died after his kayak capsized in Dickinson Bayou, near Galveston, police said.
Three people have died in Louisiana, Edwards said. In one case, a driver died when his vehicle was swept off the road in floodwaters in Bienville Parish, a spokesman for the state’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness said.