Louisiana father picking up his kids from school using a kayak on flooded Common St. in Lake Charles

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As heavy rains in western Louisiana flooded streets, left cars stranded and heightened worries, a dad picked his kids up from school using a kayak.

Captured on video via Twitter, the family moved through the deep waters along Common Street in Lake Charles. 

The National Weather Service said between five and 12 inches of rain had already fallen in parts of Calcasieu Parish and Jefferson Davis Parish in western Louisiana, according to The Advocate. 

The American Press reported that some isolated areas could see as much as 20 inches of rain.

Meanwhile, the sheriff’s office for Calcasieu Parish was asking residents to stay off the roads and said they had already deployed high water vehicles and boats to assist residents, KPLC, the NBC affiliated TV station in Lake Charles reported.

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Tornadoes also were a threat as storms pounded south Louisiana.

In Lafayette, The Daily Advertiser reported that multiple warnings of possible tornadoes prompted shelter-in-place warnings at areas schools, which, where students were held past the usual dismissal time until the danger passed. 

A possible tornado was alerted by the National Weather Service in Lake Charles for the Church Point area of rural Acadia Parish, west of the city of Lafayette. There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage.

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Photos on local media showed water up to the doorsteps in one subdivision of Lake Charles while vehicles sought to navigate flooded streets in another part of town.

The rainy weather is expected to continue in southern Louisiana through the middle of the week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.