LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) - The Latest on Harvey in Louisiana (all times local):
5 p.m.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards is asking for expansion of a federal emergency disaster declaration as Tropical Storm Harvey moves through the state.
President Donald Trump already has issued such a declaration for five southwestern parishes: Beauregard, Calcasieu (KAL’-kah-shoo), Cameron, Jefferson Davis and Vermilion.
In a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday, Edwards sought the addition of Allen, Acadia, Iberia, Natchitoches (NACK’-uh-tish), Rapides (rap-EEDS’), Sabine and Vernon.
The declaration authorizes the federal government to cover 75 percent of costs of certain emergency protective measures.
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4:45 p.m.
High water has forced closure of a few state highways in northwestern Louisiana as Tropical Storm Harvey chugs through the state.
Louisiana’s highway department reports closure of sections of Louisiana highways in Natchitoches (NACK’-uh-tish) parish were closed Wednesday afternoon due to high water.
Harvey’s center was about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of the central Louisiana city of Alexandria as of later afternoon.
Rain was letting up in southwest Louisiana. But storm surge warnings remained along the coast and heavy rain fell farther north. Every Louisiana parish was under some type of flood advisory - with coastal flood warnings in the south and flash watches and warnings elsewhere.
But Harvey is moving faster as it weakens and wasn’t expected to cause the kind of catastrophic flooding that Texas experienced.
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1:25 p.m.
Gov. John Bel Edwards says the threat of flooding in southwest Louisiana appears to be diminishing as Tropical Storm Harvey pulls away from the region.
But he says Louisiana remains committed to assisting officials in Texas, where another overnight round of torrential rains stranded many residents in flooded homes.
Edwards says 330 people were staying at a Lake Charles shelter as of Wednesday afternoon. He expects that number to grow as more people are rescued from floodwaters in eastern Texas, just over the state line.
Edwards says another shelter in Shreveport is ready to accommodate up to 3,400 flood victims from Texas if officials accept the state’s offer to shelter them in north Louisiana.
Edwards planned to travel to southwest Louisiana on Wednesday afternoon to meet with local officials there.
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10:55 a.m.
Conditions are improving for many in Louisiana as Tropical Storm Harvey moves inland after an early morning landfall, but severe weather remains a danger.
Much of eastern Louisiana was under a tornado watch issued Wednesday. And flash flood watches covered the state as Harvey moved to the northeast.
High water forced closure of westbound Interstate 10 at the Texas line.
However, Cameron Parish, on the southwest Louisiana coast at the Texas state line, is lifting a mandatory evacuation order for low-lying areas. Residents were being allowed in as of 10 a.m.
In nearby Calcasieu (KAL-kah-shoo) Parish, emergency officials say some people were rescued in flooded areas around the city of Vinton Tuesday night and early Wednesday. But, conditions overall were improving.
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9:10 a.m.
Heavy rains around the border of Louisiana and Texas are causing some flooding in western Calcasieu Parish.
Fields and roads have flooded around the town of Vinton, Louisiana. However, few homes appear to be flooded.
The Louisiana State Police has closed Interstate 10 to westbound traffic at Vinton and is only letting emergency workers pass through there.
Agents from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries have been deployed to perform boat rescues in eastern Texas, near Orange.
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8:10 a.m.
Weather forecasters say they now expect less rain and wind from Tropical Storm Harvey in Louisiana.
National Weather Service meteorologist Roger Erickson said Wednesday that 1 to 3 inches (3 to 8 centimeters) of rain are likely across most of western Louisiana, although there could be up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) in spots.
Erickson says the heaviest rains are likely to be in west central Louisiana, well north of the coast.
There’s still a chance for isolated tornadoes. Erickson says at least five tornadoes have been confirmed in Louisiana since the tropical system began.
Winds are expected to gust up to 40 mph (64 kph), but weaken as Harvey moves away from the coast.
Flood warnings remain posted for a number of rivers in southwest Louisiana, including the Calcasieu and Mermentau.
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8 a.m.
New Orleans is bustling again - with parents packing kids off to school under partly cloudy skies - after yet another night of intermittent rain from Tropical Storm Harvey.
There were still on-and-off showers occurring. And the city remained under a flash flood watch Wednesday after Harvey moved over the southwest part of Louisiana.
But improving conditions led the city’s officials to reopen schools and government buildings that had closed a day earlier.
While Harvey’s rains have caused some minor street flooding in recent days, there hasn’t been a repeat of flash flooding that plagued homes and businesses during an unexpected downpour on Aug. 5. Those floods revealed problems with the city’s drainage pump system, which remains under repair.
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7:25 a.m.
Officials in southwestern Louisiana are saying Tropical Storm Harvey appears to have produced little damage overnight.
Calcasieu (KAL’-kuh-shoo) Parish Sheriff Tony Mancuso said Wednesday that while he’s still cautious, things are “looking much better,” as Harvey’s main rains continued to stay west of Louisiana, just across the Sabine River in Texas. Lake Charles recorded only about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) of rain overnight.
Sheriff’s spokeswoman Kim Myers says deputies rescued a few people on the far western edge of the parish, where rainfall has been heavier.
Cameron Parish Administrator Ryan Bourriaque says storm surge appears to have caused little damage along Louisiana’s southwestern coast, although some water remains on roadways in parts of the parish. He says officials are likely to consider lifting a mandatory evacuation order for the southern end of the parish once damage assessments are complete.
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7 a.m.
Strong winds from Tropical Storm Harvey are causing power outages in southwest Louisiana.
Entergy Corp. reports about 5,000 customers without power in Calcasieu (KAL’-kuh-shoo) and Cameron parishes, while Beauregard Electric reports about 2,700 of the cooperative’s customers have seen their electricity cut.
The National Weather Service has reported steady winds of about 25 mph (40 kph) in both Lake Charles and on the coast in Cameron, with gusts of up to 35 mph (55 kph).
The storm returned to land about 5 miles (8 kilometers) west of Cameron, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph).
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6:30 a.m.
Forecasters say there’s a risk of tornadoes across a large part of the South after Harvey made landfall again Wednesday and trudged northeast toward northern Louisiana.
The national Storm Prediction Center said a few tornadoes are expected to develop in northeast Louisiana and across southern and central portions of Mississippi.
Forecasters say tornadoes also will be possible across parts of southern and central Alabama, near the eastern edge of Harvey’s rain bands.
The storm returned to land about 5 miles (8 kilometers) west of Cameron, Louisiana, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph).
As dawn broke Wednesday, heavy rain was pounding the Mobile area in south Alabama, and some parts of western Louisiana. Some of the strongest storms early Wednesday were just west of Louisiana, especially over the Texas cities of Beaumont and Port Arthur.
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4 a.m.
The National Hurricane Center says Harvey is back on land after coming ashore early Wednesday just west of Cameron, Louisiana. The tropical storm is expected to weaken and continue to the north.
The storm returned to land about 5 miles (8 kilometers) west of Cameron with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph).
Center meteorologist Dennis Feltgen said Tuesday that when Harvey came back to shore, “it’s the end of the beginning.”
Harvey is forecast to drop substantial amounts of rain on Louisiana before moving on to Arkansas, Tennessee and parts of Missouri, which could also see flooding.
Feltgen said there’s still a lot of residents in multiple states “who are going to feel the impacts of the storm.”
Harvey first made landfall Friday in Texas as a Category 4 hurricane.
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2:30 a.m.
Western Louisiana residents are bracing for more wind and water as Tropical Storm Harvey heads their way after dumping record rainfall on Texas.
National Weather Service meteorologists say officials expect Harvey will make another landfall near the two states’ border early Wednesday, after hitting Texas and meandering back into the Gulf of Mexico.
Forecasters say another 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters) of rain could fall in western Louisiana. Meteorologist Roger Erickson warns that some coastal rivers won’t be able to drain rains effectively because Harvey’s winds are pushing in storm surge, aggravating flooding in areas already drenched by more than 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain.
Cameron Parish’s Office of Emergency Preparedness says a curfew is in effect until the threat has passed.
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For complete Harvey coverage, visit https://apnews.com/tag/HurricaneHarvey
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4:45 p.m.
High water has forced closure of a few state highways in northwestern Louisiana as Tropical Storm Harvey chugs through the state.
Louisiana’s highway department reports closure of sections of Louisiana highways in Natchitoches (NACK’-uh-tish) Parish were closed Wednesday afternoon due to high water.
Harvey’s center was about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of the central Louisiana city of Alexandria as of later in the afternoon.
Rain was letting up in southwest Louisiana. But storm surge warnings remained along the coast and heavy rain fell farther north. Every Louisiana parish was under some type of flood advisory - with coastal flood warnings in the south and flash flood watches and warnings elsewhere.
But Harvey is moving faster as it weakens and wasn’t expected to cause the kind of catastrophic flooding that Texas experienced.
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1:25 p.m.
Gov. John Bel Edwards says the threat of flooding in southwest Louisiana appears to be diminishing as Tropical Storm Harvey pulls away from the region.
But he says Louisiana remains committed to assisting officials in Texas, where another overnight round of torrential rains stranded many residents in flooded homes.
Edwards says 330 people were staying at a Lake Charles shelter as of Wednesday afternoon. He expects that number to grow as more people are rescued from floodwaters in eastern Texas, just over the state line.
Edwards says another shelter in Shreveport is ready to accommodate up to 3,400 flood victims from Texas if officials accept the state’s offer to shelter them in north Louisiana.
Edwards planned to travel to southwest Louisiana on Wednesday afternoon to meet with local officials there.
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10:55 a.m.
Conditions are improving for many in Louisiana as Tropical Storm Harvey moves inland after an early morning landfall, but severe weather remains a danger.
Much of eastern Louisiana was under a tornado watch issued Wednesday. And flash flood watches covered the state as Harvey moved to the northeast.
High water forced closure of westbound Interstate 10 at the Texas line.
However, Cameron Parish, on the southwest Louisiana coast at the Texas state line, is lifting a mandatory evacuation order for low-lying areas. Residents were being allowed in as of 10 a.m.
In nearby Calcasieu (KAL-kah-shoo) Parish, emergency officials say some people were rescued in flooded areas around the city of Vinton Tuesday night and early Wednesday. But, conditions overall were improving.
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9:10 a.m.
Heavy rains around the border of Louisiana and Texas are causing some flooding in western Calcasieu Parish.
Fields and roads have flooded around the town of Vinton, Louisiana. However, few homes appear to be flooded.
The Louisiana State Police has closed Interstate 10 to westbound traffic at Vinton and is only letting emergency workers pass through there.
Agents from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries have been deployed to perform boat rescues in eastern Texas, near Orange.
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8:10 a.m.
Weather forecasters say they now expect less rain and wind from Tropical Storm Harvey in Louisiana.
National Weather Service meteorologist Roger Erickson said Wednesday that 1 to 3 inches (3 to 8 centimeters) of rain are likely across most of western Louisiana, although there could be up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) in spots.
Erickson says the heaviest rains are likely to be in west central Louisiana, well north of the coast.
There’s still a chance for isolated tornadoes. Erickson says at least five tornadoes have been confirmed in Louisiana since the tropical system began.
Winds are expected to gust up to 40 mph (64 kph), but weaken as Harvey moves away from the coast.
Flood warnings remain posted for a number of rivers in southwest Louisiana, including the Calcasieu and Mermentau.
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8 a.m.
New Orleans is bustling again - with parents packing kids off to school under partly cloudy skies - after yet another night of intermittent rain from Tropical Storm Harvey.
There were still on-and-off showers occurring. And the city remained under a flash flood watch Wednesday after Harvey moved over the southwest part of Louisiana.
But improving conditions led the city’s officials to reopen schools and government buildings that had closed a day earlier.
While Harvey’s rains have caused some minor street flooding in recent days, there hasn’t been a repeat of flash flooding that plagued homes and businesses during an unexpected downpour on Aug. 5. Those floods revealed problems with the city’s drainage pump system, which remains under repair.
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7:25 a.m.
Officials in southwestern Louisiana are saying Tropical Storm Harvey appears to have produced little damage overnight.
Calcasieu (KAL’-kuh-shoo) Parish Sheriff Tony Mancuso said Wednesday that while he’s still cautious, things are “looking much better,” as Harvey’s main rains continued to stay west of Louisiana, just across the Sabine River in Texas. Lake Charles recorded only about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) of rain overnight.
Sheriff’s spokeswoman Kim Myers says deputies rescued a few people on the far western edge of the parish, where rainfall has been heavier.
Cameron Parish Administrator Ryan Bourriaque says storm surge appears to have caused little damage along Louisiana’s southwestern coast, although some water remains on roadways in parts of the parish. He says officials are likely to consider lifting a mandatory evacuation order for the southern end of the parish once damage assessments are complete.
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7 a.m.
Strong winds from Tropical Storm Harvey are causing power outages in southwest Louisiana.
Entergy Corp. reports about 5,000 customers without power in Calcasieu (KAL’-kuh-shoo) and Cameron parishes, while Beauregard Electric reports about 2,700 of the cooperative’s customers have seen their electricity cut.
The National Weather Service has reported steady winds of about 25 mph (40 kph) in both Lake Charles and on the coast in Cameron, with gusts of up to 35 mph (55 kph).
The storm returned to land about 5 miles (8 kilometers) west of Cameron, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph).
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6:30 a.m.
Forecasters say there’s a risk of tornadoes across a large part of the South after Harvey made landfall again Wednesday and trudged northeast toward northern Louisiana.
The national Storm Prediction Center said a few tornadoes are expected to develop in northeast Louisiana and across southern and central portions of Mississippi.
Forecasters say tornadoes also will be possible across parts of southern and central Alabama, near the eastern edge of Harvey’s rain bands.
The storm returned to land about 5 miles (8 kilometers) west of Cameron, Louisiana, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph).
As dawn broke Wednesday, heavy rain was pounding the Mobile area in south Alabama, and some parts of western Louisiana. Some of the strongest storms early Wednesday were just west of Louisiana, especially over the Texas cities of Beaumont and Port Arthur.
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4 a.m.
The National Hurricane Center says Harvey is back on land after coming ashore early Wednesday just west of Cameron, Louisiana. The tropical storm is expected to weaken and continue to the north.
The storm returned to land about 5 miles (8 kilometers) west of Cameron with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph).
Center meteorologist Dennis Feltgen said Tuesday that when Harvey came back to shore, “it’s the end of the beginning.”
Harvey is forecast to drop substantial amounts of rain on Louisiana before moving on to Arkansas, Tennessee and parts of Missouri, which could also see flooding.
Feltgen said there’s still a lot of residents in multiple states “who are going to feel the impacts of the storm.”
Harvey first made landfall Friday in Texas as a Category 4 hurricane.
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2:30 a.m.
Western Louisiana residents are bracing for more wind and water as Tropical Storm Harvey heads their way after dumping record rainfall on Texas.
National Weather Service meteorologists say officials expect Harvey will make another landfall near the two states’ border early Wednesday, after hitting Texas and meandering back into the Gulf of Mexico.
Forecasters say another 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters) of rain could fall in western Louisiana. Meteorologist Roger Erickson warns that some coastal rivers won’t be able to drain rains effectively because Harvey’s winds are pushing in storm surge, aggravating flooding in areas already drenched by more than 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain.
Cameron Parish’s Office of Emergency Preparedness says a curfew is in effect until the threat has passed.
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For complete Harvey coverage, visit https://apnews.com/tag/HurricaneHarvey
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