HOUSTON, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Tropical storm Barry has dumped as much as 17 inches (43.2 cm) of rain in some parts of Louisiana since it crawled north onto the state's coast on Saturday.

Rivers and streams are rising quickly due to heavy rains that fell in areas north of Lake Charles, Louisiana, local authorities said.

Though the storm weakened to a tropical depression on Sunday afternoon, its rain bands still created a flood threat stretching from central Louisiana to eastern Mississippi and beyond.

The latest rain has prompted Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant to tweet Monday that the South Delta "has become an ocean."

The governor was also calling on the federal government to build up pumps to drain water from the confluence of the Yazoo and Mississippi Rivers.

Many across the Gulf Coast had been urged to take heed of tornado and flash-flooding warnings Monday as the storm moved north.

All flights in and out of the airport in New Orleans have been cancelled since the hurricane hit on Saturday, while thousands have evacuated their homes, tens of thousands have lost power and first responders have been poised for action.

As of Sunday morning, more than 100,000 customers in Louisiana had no electricity.

Meanwhile, most airlines, which cancelled their flights due to the storm on Saturday, had resumed normal operations at New Orleans International Airport by noontime on Sunday.