Slow-moving Tropical Storm Lee brought torrential rains to the Louisiana coast on Saturday as the heart of the storm neared New Orleans, where flood defenses were expected to be put to the test.

 

The storm was expected to bring up to 20 inches (51 cm) of rain to southeast Louisiana over the next few days, including to New Orleans, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the US National Hurricane Center said.

 

The center of Lee was stalled 45 miles (75 km) southwest of Morgan City, with maximum winds of 60 miles per hour (95 kph), the hurricane center said. Lee's winds were expected to stay below the 74-mph (119-kph) threshold of hurricane strength as the storm crawls ashore on Saturday afternoon or evening.

The prospect of flooding in low-lying New Orleans evoked memories of Hurricane Katrina, which flooded 80 percent of the city, killed 1,500 people and caused more than $80 billion in damage. Half the city lies below sea level and is protected by a system of levees and flood gates.

The city's extensive levee system has pumped away about 8 inches (20 cm) of rain so far, with isolated reports of flooding in roads and homes. The system can process about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of rainfall per hour, but the storm's slow-moving nature could bring challenges, officials said. No injuries or deaths were reported.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu warned residents to stay vigilant given the slow-moving storm, which has confounded predictions and holds a substantial rain-making potential.

"We are not out of the woods," Landrieu told a news briefing, noting that hurricane-force gusts had been logged at City Hall. "This storm is moving painfully slow."

The storm dampened business at Mandina's, a popular restaurant on Canal Street that was rebuilt after being nearly destroyed by Katrina's floodwaters.

"Ever since Katrina it seems like the weather people are a little over-excited about the bad weather," restaurant manager Martial Voitier said. "We had a terrible dinner last night, and lunch is not looking any better."

The storm could also bring heavy rains and flooding to Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle as it creeps eastward over the US Labor Day holiday weekend.

Evacuations

Low-lying parishes around New Orleans saw rising waters, which covered some roadways in Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes, but no homes or businesses were threatened. Some residents in Jefferson Parish were ordered to evacuate.

Periodic breaks in the rainfall allowed the city's giant pumps to catch up with the water flow and clear standing water, said Jefferson Parish President John Young.

"Everything looks good," Young told local television. "The pumps are keeping up with the water. We are getting some street flooding."

About 35,000 houses were without electrical power due to the storm, according to utility Entergy Corp.

Lee will weaken once it hits land, but it will lose strength more slowly than normal due to the marshy nature of the Louisiana coast, the hurricane center said.

Lee's northeasterly track could bring heavy rains to Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and the Appalachian Mountains next week.

Over 60 percent of US offshore oil production, all based in the Gulf of Mexico, and nearly 55 percent of offshore gas production were shut as of Friday, according to the US government. Most of that output should quickly return once the storm passes.

Major offshore producers like Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil Corp and BP Plc shut down platforms and evacuated staff earlier this week.

Shell and Anadarko Petroleum Corp started to return workers to offshore platforms in the western Gulf of Mexico on Saturday.

Low-lying refineries in Louisiana that collectively account for 12 percent of US refining capacity were watching the storm closely, but reported no disruptions.

ConocoPhillips' 247,000 barrel-per-day refinery in Alliance, Louisiana, 25 miles (40 km) south of New Orleans was operating normally as Lee moved overhead, the company said.

Hurricane Katia weakened to near tropical storm strength as it churned in the Atlantic Ocean, 485 miles (785 km) east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands. Katia had maximum winds of 75 mph (120 kph), moving northwest at 10 mph(17 kph).