(CNN) — A day after Tropical Storm Barry crashed into the US as a hurricane, it’s wreaking even more havoc as it spins farther inland.
As of Sunday morning, Barry was creeping north at just 6 mph — slower than a bicyclist. That means it’s still hovering over Louisiana, where it made landfall, dumping copious amounts of rain on cities already submerged under water.
“This storm still has a long way to go before it leaves the state,” Louisiana Gov. Edwards said late Saturday night. “The worst is yet to come.”
More than 11 million people are under flash flood watches Sunday from the Gulf Coast all the way to the southern Midwest, CNN meteorologist Haley Brink said.
“Even though the bulk of the heaviest rain is still over the Gulf of Mexico this morning, the system is expected to track — slowly — north over the coming days, bringing heavy rain with it along the Mississippi River,” Brink said.
And many storm victims are sweltering without electricity. As of Sunday morning, more than 131,000 power customers in Louisiana had no electricity, according to poweroutage.us.
‘The house was under water’
In the Louisiana city of Mandeville, Ludovico Torri woke up Saturday to a surprising sight: Lake Pontchartrain was suddenly at the door of his house.
“The entire street and area under the house was underwater,” Torri said.
It took just 90 minutes for the water to rise another foot. Torri’s car nearly flooded. And his family, including four children, were stranded in their home.
In St. Mary Parish, about 60 miles east of where Barry made landfall, 64-year-old Joyce Webber hunkered down with about 20 other people at a community center when she learned a large tree branch had fallen on her mobile home, and her storm door had blown off.
“Trailers don’t hold, no matter what type of storm,” Webber said Saturday. “They just don’t hold.”
Others, like Ollie and Hazel Jordan, struggled to find a place where both they and their pets can stay safe. The couple, both in their early 70s, walked a mile in the rain from their trailer to a shelter at a Baton Rouge middle school — only to be told they couldn’t in their two cats and small dog.
But officials learned after Hurricane Katrina that some residents wouldn’t evacuate because they couldn’t bring their pets. That led to tragic outcomes.
This time, officials set up a mobile disaster pet shelter, where the Jordans were able to safely house their dog and cats.
Some levees were overwhelmed
In Plaquemines Parish, southeast of New Orleans, multiple levees were overcome by floodwater Saturday.
The overtopping happened in less populated areas. But officials worry that Highway 23 could flood, trapping more residents.
“Don’t let your guard down if you are in Louisiana,” CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam said.
The Big Easy can breathe a bit easier
Fears of catastrophic storm surges overwhelming New Orleans’ levee system didn’t materialize this weekend. But that doesn’t mean Barry is done thrashing the Big Easy.
All eyes were on the Mississippi River, as forecasts showed a possible storm surge of 2 to 3 feet that could have raised the river’s level to 19 feet in New Orleans. The levees protect up to only 20 feet.
But the storm surge was lower than expected. And even with the heavy rain ahead, the National Weather Service is now only predicting the river will rise only to 17.1 feet, with the next crest expected to happen on Monday.
