12-Inch Rainfall Swamps New Orleans
A second day of heavy rain Tuesday flooded streets and homes, interrupted bus and streetcar service and closed City Hall. Two children were missing and feared drowned in rain-swollen ditches.
Some areas received more than 12 inches of rain over two days.
The deluge, which started during the evening rush hour Monday, caught New Orleans by surprise. The downpour abated overnight, then resumed Tuesday morning.
“To have it flood two separate times in 24 hours is just unheard of,” said Rob Spangenberg, who measured 16 inches of water on the ground floor of his house.
The city, between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, is bowl-shaped and uses an elaborate system of canals to pump out excess rain.
Streets were barricaded around Tulane and Loyola universities. Officials, anticipating more rain, sent city workers home and called for downtown businesses to close.
“Many of the streets are impassable and homes are flooded,” said chief administrative officer Leonard Simmons.
Even the French Quarter, at the highest elevation in town, had water in some streets. Resident Louis Lederman said his ground-level apartment had 17 inches of water inside.
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