Dangerous flood warning in New Orleans due to storm Nicholas

Storm Nicholas weakened into a tropical depression but moved slowly over southwest Louisiana Wednesday, leaving heavy rains in an area already hit by Hurricane Ida in August.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has warned of

dangerous flooding

for the central Gulf Coast in parts of southern Louisiana (where accumulations of up to 6 inches are expected), southern Mississippi, southern Alabama and the

panhandle

 of Florida.

In these three states, up to 10 inches of rain is expected throughout Friday, and tornadoes are feared.

"This is a very serious storm, particularly in those areas that were so heavily impacted by Hurricane Ida

," Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards warned of Nicholas, who made landfall in Texas after becoming a Category 1 hurricane.

Galveston, Texas saw nearly 14 inches of rain from Nicholas, the fourteenth named storm of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, while Houston saw more than six inches.

In the small community of Pointe-aux-Chenes in this state, Ida broke the tin roof of Terry and Patti Dardar's house, leaving them without electricity or water for more than two weeks.

Patti said the family had nowhere else to go after Ida, so they were doing their best to survive during Nicholas' passage.

"We have no other place,"

said Patti, 

"this is our home

.

"

It "got ugly" in parts of Texas when Storm Nicholas began to hit the state

Sept.

14, 202101: 48

According to the Poweroutage page,

nearly 80,000 people are still without power more than two weeks after Ida's passage.

But an Entergy Louisiana spokesperson said Nicholas has so far not caused any delay in the announced times to restore power. 

Hurricane Laura caused significant structural damage in Lake Charles, a city of nearly 80,000 people.

Weeks later, Hurricane Delta ripped through the same area.

Freezing January temperatures blew pipes across the city, and then a May storm flooded homes and businesses again.

"With what people have been through in the last 16 months here in Lake Charles, they are, understandably,

very dejected

. Every time a sign of a weather phenomenon approaches,

people

freak out,

" said the mayor of the city, Nic Hunter.

With information from The Associated Press.