Jefferson Parish in the dark, inundated by Francine | Hurricane Center [Video]

Flooding and power outages overwhelmed parts of Jefferson Parish Wednesday evening as Hurricane Francine moved through southeastern Louisiana.

Just before 10 p.m. multiple canals in East Jefferson were reportedly overtopped over with water, and thousands were without electricity in their homes. Statewide, more than 250,000 customers across south Louisiana were out of power.

Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng said Wednesday night that the parish’s drainage pumps were unable to keep up with heavy rain brought by Hurricane Francine, despite most of them functioning normally. She said her office received reports of street flooding throughout the east bank, which averaged between 7 and 9 inches of rain Wednesday.

Councilman At-Large Scott Walker said the ground was already saturated with water from storms prior to Francine, causing the system to become overwhelmed as floodwater encroached upon homes in Kenner and Metairie.

“It added up to the perfect storm,” Walker said.

Some homes received up …