Governor declares state of emergency ahead of heavy rain system

BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards held a press conference Wednesday morning discussing the severe weather heading toward Louisiana.

Edwards said people can expect 10 to 15 inches of rain in a 24-hours span. At this point in time, no evacuations have been issued. Officials say if necessary, shelters will be opened.

FEMA officials are "on the ground" and ready to assist if needed.

As heavy rain moves through over the next few days, residents are advised not to drive across flooded roadways.

Before 1 p.m., Edwards declared a state of emergency.

I have issued a state of emergency today in preparation for the impact of the low-pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico. The system will likely produce storm surge, hurricane-force winds & up to 15 inches of rain across the state. #lagov #lalege #lawx



??: https://t.co/0D3MqBkw0T pic.twitter.com/ydFV6Z91Z1 — John Bel Edwards (@LouisianaGov) July 10, 2019

Proactive measures are already underway as officials don't want a repeat of the chaos the area saw with last month's deadly severe weather event.

In East Baton Rouge Parish, roadways will be closed early if high water is reported. Barricades will be placed in numerous areas that the city-parish will monitor closely. Those areas include the Governor's Mansion curve along I-110, the overpasses at South Acadian and Bluebonnet, and South Sherwood Forest along both sides of I-12.

Crews have been cleaning ditches and culverts in an attempt to remove debris and other obstructions that could lead to drainage backups and possible surface flooding.

Sandbags are being made available to residents in multiple parishes as well.

Edwards and other officials will continue to monitor the weather system and hold another press conference Thursday.