Officials in Plaquemines Parish have notified an emergency contractor of levee overtoppings in the Myrtle Grove and Pointe Celeste areas.
The levees that are involved are back levees in those areas, not levees on the Missisippi River.
"It's a back levee in Myrtle Grove that potentially always has a little issue with it," Plaquemines Parish President Kirk Lepine told WWL's Newell Normand and Dave Cohen.
Plaquemines Parish Sheriff Jerry Turlich said the area that will be affected was told to evacuate, but he knows there are always people who refuse to follow those warnings, and now, they need to get them out.
"It's coming in at a pretty good rate right now," said Turlich. "I do think we can handle it, but we need assistance immediately."
Higway 23 is the only highway out of the area, and it could go under water. Turlich said their usual plan, to caravan people out of the area on top of the Mississippi River levee, is not viable because of the unseasonably high water on the river.
The contractor has been asked to mobilize equipment and materials to assist in flood fighting and repair any damages that result from the overtopping in those areas.
There have been no levee failures in the parish, but there are flooding issues that state and local officials had anticipated. Those issues are now being actively addressed.
Residents in the area are reminded that the mandatory evacuation for the entire East bank of the parish and the area from Oakville south to Venice on the West bank is still in effect.
