Tropical Storm Lee is bearing down on the Gulf Coast this morning with wave after wave of hard rain.
Thousands of customers have lost power in Louisiana and Mississippi and the storm has also generated mandated evacuations in Louisiana bayou towns.
The center of Tropical Storm Lee is now on the coast of southern Louisiana with maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour.
However, conditions won't change much just because the center is on the coast, since the center isn't where the strongest winds are located.
"In this case it's not so important to focus on the center. The center is on the coast and it's going to be moving inland in the next several hours," said Todd Kimberlin with the National Hurricane Center. "In this case all the front winds are well removed from the center."
Low lying coastal areas were victim to flooding, making some roads so difficult, that the only way to navigate them is by paddling.
Jean Lafitte, La. resident Mike Lavelle's home has been turned into an island, surrounded by water.
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Watch Video Tropical Storm Lee Headed Toward Gulf Coast
Watch Video Tropical Storm Lee Headed Toward Gulf Coast
Watch Video "I knew this was going to happen sooner or later. I was hoping it didn't happen but it has happened," Lavelle said.
For Lavelle and so many who weathered Hurricane Katrina just six years ago, all of this, is all too familiar.
Jean Lafitte Mayor Tim Kerner is hoping sandbag barriers will save his small town in southeast Louisiana.
Tropical Storm Lee may come and go, but Kerner's not going anywhere.
"If they made everybody leave, I'd buy a house boat and stay here," Kerner said. "I mean I love this area and it's worth fighting for. We're down right now, but this community's not giving up."
Down the street, Jean Lafitte resident Laura Melancon is paddling her way home.
"We're like stuck with our cars and we can't really move around a lot," Melancon said.
With the center now on shore, West End resident Phillip Boudreaux said he isn't optimistic that the bad weather will stop anytime soon.
"I don't think it's over yet. I think it's going to get worse before it gets better," Boudreaux said.
Throughout the region, people spent the holiday weekend working overtime to protect their homes.
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu told residents to remain vigilant.
"We're not out of the woods. Don't go to sleep on this storm," Landrieu said, the Associated Press reported.
Tropical Storm Lee's heavy rains still pose the threat of more extensive flooding or flash flooding to the Gulf Coast.
"Some chance that the rain will persist today and tomorrow and add to the totals which have already fallen and then the storm is expected to lose tropical characteristics and become post tropical," said Kimberlin.
ABC News Radio and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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