Mother’s Day In New Orleans: Flooded Streets And Vehicles

Jody Guillot woke to a NOLA Ready flash flood warning at 5:53 a.m. Sunday (May 12). Outside his Uptown home, rain poured, lightning struck and water rose above the tires of his VW Jetta.

When the downpour abated, cars zipped passed on State Street, sending ripples of flood water into the Jetta. Guillot stood with cups in hand late Sunday morning and, like many others in the city, began the process of drying out his sodden sedan.

“I called 311 and said my street is flooded and I need a barricade so these cars can stop driving by, creating wakes and then getting stuck,” said Guillot, gesturing to a stranded Nissan in the middle of the road. “The person told me, ‘The whole city is flooded,’ and that was that.’”