Strong winds and torrential rains from Tropical Storm Lee have knocked out power to thousands in the southern U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi today. Many low-lying areas prone to flooding have already been evacuated. The National Hurricane Center said the slow-moving Lee could dump up to 50 centimeters of rain over southern parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama throughout today. The storm is expected to be a serious test of the flood defenses of New Orleans, which suffered devastating damage in 2005 from Hurricane Katrina. The city's mayor has urged residents to prepare for the worst. Lee's approach prompted oil and gas producers to shut down platforms and evacuate workers from the Gulf of Mexico. Lee has hit the United States just one week after deadly Hurricane Irene ravaged the nation's east coast. Irene's winds and flooding devastated parts of the states of Vermont, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and North Carolina. The storm caused billions of dollars in damage and is blamed for at least 45 deaths in the U.S. and five in the Caribbean.