Southern Louisiana faces continued flood warnings Tuesday, even as communities struggle to recover from a deluge over the weekend that killed at least seven people, stranded more than 20,000 and left more than 11,000 seeking shelter.
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The NWS said other areas of the USA faced threats of flash floods – from the Texas coast to the Ohio River Valley.
The National Guard transports people out of flood hit areas around Walker, La., on August 15.
At Carencro, just north of Lafayette, the Vermilion is holding steady at its crest of 21.4 feet.
Meteorologist Ken Graham of the National Weather Service’s office in Slidell said forecasters alerted people days in advance of the storms.
He drove to East Baton Rouge Parish where the National Guard had a staging area.
“About 40,000 homes have been damaged to varying degrees by the disaster”, Edwards told a press conference. Upwards of 12,000 people have sought refuge in shelters, some of which have been filled to capacity.
Rescue crews were searching flooded homes and automobiles for more victims, with officials uncertain how many people remain missing.
The National Weather Service says southwest MS received over 14 inches of rain late Thursday and Friday.
“The water came up really fast overnight and we have more rain coming in now”, he said.
Efferson says the Comite River just east of Baton Rouge on Monday morning dropped almost 2 feet from the 34.2-feet level over the weekend. Just over 20% of Louisiana residences carry flood insurance, and that number is lower in numerous parishes most afflicted by the rainstorms. Residents who lived in low-lying areas near waterways were urged to evacuate Monday night after water breached a 14.5-foot levee along the Amite River. Flood stage is 29 feet.
Efferson says the Comite River just east of Baton Rouge on Monday morning dropped almost 2 feet from the 34.2-feet level over the weekend.
The Baton Rouge area remains under a flood watch until 4 p.m. Monday, but Efferson said it likely will be extended.
The flood was still very much under way Tuesday in Ascension Parish, southeast of Baton Rouge, where the Amite River, other rivers and bayous have overflowed and spread across much of the parish. Over the weekend, he shared the sad news that he’d lost his home in Baton Rouge, but he still managed to offer help to those in need. He later tweeted that Hawthorne had been rescued and is safe.
People at the church used boats and big trucks to rescue others and bring them to the church, where helicopters started picking them up and flying them to safety Sunday.
Edwards estimated that more than 40,000 homes had been damaged by the heavy rainfall and floodwater.
Hawthorne retired following this past season.
Eight deaths are now attributed to the storms and flooding in south Louisiana.
“I’m trying to get back to my home and rescue my cat”, Miller said. We now have 1,700 people mobilized.
Karla and Johnathon McDaniel waded through chest-deep water to revisit their home they fled late Saturday night but the water was too deep to get inside. If their condition isn’t severe enough for the medical special needs shelter, they’ll be referred to a general shelter. Water continues to rise in some locales and additional rain could initiate flash floods.
Gov. John Bel Edwards told reporters at a news conference that about 20,000 people had been rescued from their homes and more than 10,000 people were in shelters after a slow-moving tropical storm system dumped almost 2 feet of rain on southern Louisiana.
One of those shelters is the Baton Rouge River Center, a major events location in the capital city’s downtown.
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Edwards said President Barack Obama called him and said the people of southern Louisiana are in his thoughts and prayers and that the federal government will be a solid partner.
