Flash Flooding hits multiple Southwest Louisiana cities this morning

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - Flash flooding across Southwest Louisiana caused flooded streets in multiple cities early Tuesday, including Sulphur, Westlake and Lake Charles.

In Sulphur, some areas picked up nearly five inches of rain, and residents near Brook Street and Pinecrest Drive said water rose quickly — high enough to push trash through the neighborhood and leave cars stranded.

Kelsey Amundsen said she could not make it to work because the water was too high for her car.

“The water was getting so high that it was going to go into the tailpipe,” Amundsen said. “I couldn’t drive anywhere else, so I basically had to get up on the grass and park it there.”

Amundsen said she watched the flooding worsen as rain continued.

“I didn’t want my car to mess up or anything,” she said. “I told her that it was still raining and it was going to get worse, and the flooding always kind of gets bad here.”

By later in the day, water had dropped in many of the hardest-hit areas. Residents said trash floated throughout the neighborhood while water was high, and city crews later came out to clean up.

Some residents also said the flooding made it difficult to even get out the door to head to work.

Other residents described dramatic differences in water depth across the same area.

“Right here, it wasn’t that high. It was like ankle deep,” one resident said. “But back there, it was all the way up to the waist.”

They also said trash was carried by the rushing water.

“Trash was floating everywhere,” the resident said. “And the trash cans fell over and started going to the houses.”

While residents said they were grateful floodwater did not get inside their homes, some said the problem is recurring whenever heavy rain moves through.

“Anytime it rains a lot,” Amundsen said. “I don’t know why but, this area is just horrible when it comes to flooding.”

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