God is trying his damndest to sink New Orleans

“Mayor Declares Emergency In New Orleans

by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW ORLEANS September 2, 2011, 03:58 pm ET

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu (LAN'-droo) has declared a state of emergency as Tropical Storm Lee threatens to bring heavy rain and flooding over the weekend.

Landrieu says the declaration will allow city agencies to more quickly make preparations for Lee's arrival. He advised residents to do the same.

The tropical storm formed around midday Friday south of the central Louisiana coast. Forecasters say it should move ashore over the weekend and could generate rainfall of up to 20 inches.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Tropical Storm Lee formed in the waters off Louisiana on Friday, threatening a drenching along much of the Gulf coast over the Labor Day weekend with up to 20 inches of rain in some spots.

Mississippi's governor declared a state of emergency in seven counties on or near the coast, saying the storm is expected to cause tremendous flooding. A state of emergency frees up resources that can be used to prepare for a storm, and Louisiana's governor declared one Thursday because of the threat of flash flooding.

Lee could unleash "efficient and torrential topical rains" for the next several days, the National Weather Service said.

In the French Quarter, some tourists were caught off guard by the storm as it rained off and on. Kyla Holley of Madison, Wis. and her husband, Rob, were in for the Labor Day weekend holiday.

"I didn't even know about it," Kyla Holley said. "But it wouldn't have stopped us from coming."

Tropical storm warnings were in effect from Mississippi to Texas, including New Orleans, and flash flood warnings extended along the Alabama coast into the Florida Panhandle. The National Hurricane Center said the system will dump 10 to 15 inches of rain over southern areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama through Sunday and as much as 20 inches in some spots.

The storm also has cut off nearly half the normal oil production from the Gulf of Mexico's U.S. waters. The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement said Friday that 169 of the 617 manned production platforms in the Gulf have been evacuated, along with 16 of the 62 drilling rigs now operating in the Gulf. The evacuations have resulted in the shut-off of 47.6 percent of the Gulf's daily normal oil production and 33 percent of the normal daily natural gas production.

The water-logged storm is tantalizingly close to Texas but still too far away to alleviate the state's worst drought since the 1950s. If the center moves mostly into Louisiana, as expected, winds on its west side will blow from land to open water and reduce the chance of rain in Texas, NWS meteorologist Dennis Cavanaugh in Fort Worth said. The hot, dry winds could spur fire danger across the state.”