VIDALIA — Concordia Parish officials said Wednesday they were prepared for the strong winds and heavy rainfall Isaac is predicted to bring today.

Concordia Parish Emergency Management Director Morris White said reports show tropical storm winds, with wind gusts up to 60 mph, hitting the Miss-Lou through this evening.

“Flash flooding is going to be very possible as we are expected to get anywhere from 6 to 12 inches of rain,” White said. “There is also a possibility of tornado activities over the next three days.”

Police Jury President Melvin Ferrington said his crews will be on standby 24 hours a day waiting to respond to downed trees and any drainage issues, which could be troubling if the expected rainfall comes all in one day.

“If it’s spread out over three days or four days we’re not going to have as many problems because it has more time to run off,” Ferrington said. “We’ve been going around unclogging some of the culverts and main artery ditches to prepare, but there’s not a whole lot more we can do about the flooding.”

Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy David Hedrick said his deputies had responded to three downed trees in the Monterey area Wednesday afternoon, but also said his crews are prepared to handle much worse.

“We have placed all deputies on standby, we’ve moved our investigators back to patrol and everyone will be patrolling throughout the parish,” Hedrick said. “We’re just taking it hour by hour and responding to all the calls as they happen.

“We’re advising people to stay in their houses all day tomorrow if the conditions worsen.”

Vidalia Utility Superintendent Mark Morace said his crews trimmed branches and trees all week to prepare for the storm and all employees are on standby for any issues.

“Everybody is close and ready to go to work and as long as no large limbs fall, we’ll be good,” Morace said. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed and hoping for the best.”

Vidalia residents can call 318-336-6257 to report power outages and Concordia Parish residents can call 911 to report downed trees or power lines.