By TIMOTHY SCHULTZ, Associated Press A flood caused major havoc in the Louisiana area Thursday and officials are bracing for more flooding.

The state’s Bureau of Reclamation has ordered the evacuation of about 8 million people in southern Louisiana and surrounding states after the city of New Orleans suffered its second straight flood, according to a news release from the state’s Department of Emergency Management.

In the past 24 hours, the state has received about 1,200 flood warnings, including for the city’s downtown and the north shore, the release said.

Floods are expected to continue into Friday.

Officials are urging residents to evacuate ahead of more heavy rains and flooding in the area.

Flooding is expected to be much worse than the first one in September.

Officials expect the flooding to continue throughout the week.

The city has a population of about 2.5 million.

More than 5.5 inches of rain have fallen in New Orleans since the beginning of the week, according the U.S. National Weather Service.