Amid Pumping Failures, New Orleans Warns People to Move Cars

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — As New Orleans’ water-pumping system continues to malfunction, the mayor is urging residents in some of the city’s already-soaked neighborhoods to move their vehicles to higher ground as more rain is in the forecast.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s office said in a news release early Thursday the city has lost service to one of its power turbines, which powers most of the pumping stations that service the East Bank of New Orleans.

Landrieu said that means the system’s capacity to drain storm water from the streets has been diminished.

New Orleans’ municipal pumping system is supposed to move water out of the low-lying city.

The National Weather Service said showers and thunderstorms are in the forecast for New Orleans every day from Thursday through Sunday.