At a Glance

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a statewide weather emergency.A tornado caused damage in Suffolk, Virginia.Flooding caused about two dozen cars from a Norfolk Southern freight train to derail Saturday near Hillsdale, Mississippi.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened the Bonnet Carré spillway on Friday to relieve stress on New Orleans levees.High waters continued Saturday night in New Orleans.

High winds and severe thunderstorms downed trees and damaged buildings in Alabama and Florida, after a night of flash flooding in New Orleans that led to more than 200 calls to police, firefighters and ambulance services.

Flooding continued in other parts of the South as well. Early Sunday morning, the Coast Guard rescued two men and three dogs who were caught in rising floodwaters on a highway overpass near Poplarville, Mississippi, WKRG reported. They were rescued by helicopter at about 4:30 a.m.

"We faced torrential rain, lightning and low visibility but, thanks to our training, we were able to safely transport the two men and the dogs to safety," Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Johannel Mejia, an aviation maintenance technician at Air Station New Orleans, told the network.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a statewide emergency on Saturday. A flash flood warning was in effect for New Orleans early Sunday morning, and several roadways were due to high water. The warning was lifted by the afternoon.

More than 5 inches of on parts of New Orleans between 11 p.m. Saturday and 6 a.m. Sunday, according to a press release from the city. Emergency personnel responded to more than 200 calls related to flooding.

The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado Saturday night that caused damage in Suffolk, Virginia. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Another was reported in Campbell County, Virginia, just south of Lynchburg, according to NBC12.

Flooding caused to derail Saturday near Hillsdale, Mississippi, WLOX reported. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Multiple high-water rescues were reported in Pearl River County, Mississippi, while water from Wolf River was overtopping portions of Interstate 59.

A man was killed after he drove into a stopped semi-trailer on Interstate 59 Saturday morning. The big rig was reportedly stopped because of standing water on the interstate, WLOX reported.

In an effort to relieve stress on New Orleans levees, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened the Bonnet Carré spillway about 28 miles north of the city on Friday.

The opening marks the first time the spillway has been used twice in a single year and only the 14th time it has been opened since it was built in the aftermath of a historic flood that swamped New Orleans in 1927.

The Corps had decided on Thursday to open the spillway the following week, but changed the timeline due to high amounts of rainfall.

“Regional 6 inches in the past 24 hours with more rain expected through the weekend,” Corps spokesman Matt Roe said in a press release. “These rains could elevate the Mississippi River above 17 feet with a peak as high as 17.5 feet at the Carrollton Gage. In an abundance of caution the operation date is being moved forward to ensure the safe passage of this high water by limiting the elevations downriver of the spillway.”