Wednesday's storms left streets across the city of New Orleans flooded, and the city's Sewerage and Water Board says its pumps are working to drain that water.
However, officials said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon that it could take several hours before all of the city's streets are dry.
"New Orleans experienced heavy rainfall with several drainage pumping stations recording between five to seven inches of total rain with high rain intensities at times," officials said in that statement. "This surpasses our capacity to handle one inch of rain per hour for the first hour and half an inch of rain every hour after. This means it takes roughly five hours for three inches of rain to be drained and pumped out of our city, especially low-lying areas. Even after the rain stops, it will take some time for the stormwater to clear."
Streets in Gentilly, Uptown, the Central Business District, and other parts of the city were inundated as a result of Wednesday's deluge. The Interstate 10 and Interstate 610 underpasses were closed because of high water. Despite warnings, some drivers drove through high-water areas, stalling out their vehicles.
According to the Sewerage and Water Board's online dashboard, Turbine 5 and 6 are online, with Turbine 5 in use. However, electrical power remains an issue, as only 40.5 megawatts of electricity is available for the pump system to operate. SWB officials say 44 megawatts are needed at peak demand. However, 92 of 99 major pumps are available.
