PONCHATOULA - Thursday night storms caused dangerous conditions in Tangipahoa, St. Tammany, and St. Charles Parish.

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office said late Thursday that its deputies were rescuing people from homes and vehicles in the Madisonville area and the Highway 1077 corridor.

And in Ponchatoula, firefighters also rushed to the aid of those stuck in high flood waters.

According to WWL-TV, the Ponchatoula Fire Department deployed switftwater rescue boats in the Bedico Meadows subdivision to rescue residents after heavy rain flooded homes and cars late Thursday.

Homeowners are now assessing the damage Friday morning after the rising Bedico Creek flooded homes and left them with no way out. 

The creek overflowed and blocked CC Road, cutting off access to the neighborhood. Some residents said they had a foot or more of water in their homes while others got trapped in flooded cars trying to evacuate. At least one car was pushed off the road.

Video from a local viewer shows floodwater high enough to get into cars, nearly reaching the door handles of a sedan parked in a driveway. 

Residents told reporters that the Bedico Creek has flooded in the past, but homes are typically spared from floodwaters.

Firefighters began rescuing people from their cars and homes by boat and bring them to higher ground.

The area between Madisonville and Ponchatoula saw more than 12 inches of rainfall Thursday night as severe weather moved across the region. High water rescues were also needed for residents living at homes along Highway 1077 in Madisonville as homes and vehicles took on water.

The National Weather Service has issued Flood Warnings for parts of St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes along the Bogue Falaya and Tangipahoa rivers.