NEW ORLEANS- The possibility of heavy rain from Hurricane Harvey is bad news for farmers hoping to harvest their rice crop.

Harvey was expected to hit the Texas coast late Friday or Saturday. Long-term, there was a danger that it might linger or move slowly toward Louisiana, bringing torrential rains.

Gov. John Bel Edwards issued an emergency declaration to prepare for the storm. Officials have urged vigilance from southwest Louisiana to New Orleans, where recent flash floods revealed problems with the city's drainage system.

LSU's Agricultural Center says Harvey threatens a 2017 rice crop already plagued by various weather problems. In Calcasieu Parish, the center says, about 80 percent of the crop is in. But farmers in the Vinton area have been unable to harvest and the rain could mean more delays.