Four to seven additional inches are expected on top of the one to three inches that have already accumulated over Ascension parish.

Ditches are already very full.

"Rain, flooding, that's always our biggest concern," said Scot Byrd with the city of Gonzales. "We were pretty fortunate with Ida--the wind damage was bad, but flooding is always worse."

Ida did not bring much rainfall to the area, but Nicholas is expected to make up for that. A major problem is that many ditches in the area are clogged by Ida's debris.

"Our yard doesn't usually hold a lot of water, but now we do, and I think it's because of the debris and stuff, " Gonzales resident Destinee said.

Monday, Ascension Parish officials said they'd be working hard over the next two days to clear debris, but Tuesday morning rain suspended operations. Gonzales, however, did work for some time Tuesday.

"There are some soft spots in the embankment in some spots that makes it a little difficult, but that's the main thing is trying to keep the water moving and keep the water out," said Byrd.

In Gonzales, workers are pre-filling sandbags, perhaps too many, as officials say many residents still have some leftover from Ida.

But some residents say water is higher than usual in their yards and are preparing just in case.

"We have a lot of water, and we have debris and stuff still in our yard, and it's going to be a lot of rain, so just to be on the safe side," Destinee said.

In terms of waterways--things look good. Pumps have been working, and levels are manageable.

"President Cointment has done a good job of bringing the water levels down prior to the storm event coming in, so we feel pretty good about where we are at right now in preparation for the storm," Byrd said.

Even so, officials say it's a good idea to clear your ditches and culverts of any debris if you can.