It’s no secret that yesterday, New Orleans was subjected to hours of brutal flooding. As a result, some residents woke up to see entire streets completely covered in water. The image below was originally shared on Reddit which showed flooding at Nashville Ave.

Here, the photographer wrote: ‘Taken at 6:30 am this morning. Concerned about flooding damage to my car. Water up to the seats.’ As seen, the water luckily didn’t rise much higher, as it was close to entering the nearby houses too. This wasn’t the only area of the city to suffer from heavy rain either, as St. Charles and Josephine had similar images of completely submerged streets.

Unfortunately, this experience is nothing new. New Orleans is exposed to flooding due to a number of factors, including low elevation, the surrounding waterways, the city’s aging infrastructure, and the loss of wetlands. Being located below sea level means that any heavy rainfall or storm surge can cause significant flooding in the city.

The nearby Mississippi River and canals don’t help matters, as they provide easy pathways for water to flow in and inundate the city. Additionally, the city’s old levees and drainage systems are often unable to handle large amounts of water, leading to further flooding. And, as the surrounding wetlands continue to disappear due to coastal erosion and development, the city’s natural flood protection is disappearing as well, making it even more vulnerable to flooding in the future.