He woke up Sunday to bright sunshine and water up to his porch. Residents were pulled from water-logged homes, flooded cars and at-risk hospitals across the southern portion of the state, he said. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Sunday that at least 7,000 people have been rescued so far.
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In this aerial photo over Hammond, La., flooded homes are seen off of LA-1064. Farmland was covered, streets descended into impassable pools of water, shopping centers were inundated with only roofs of cars peeking above the water.
From the ground it was just as bad.
Drivers tried to navigate treacherous roads where the water lapped at the side or covered the asphalt in a running stream.
Shoes, children’s toys and household items floated through knee-deep water outside his home.
According to the Weather Channel, at least six rivers in the area have hit record-high levels – one river broke its record by as much as 6 feet.
Most of the rivers have crested, but several are still rising.
President Obama signed a disaster declaration for four counties, which Edwards said will provide “incredibly important” assistance.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on Friday declared a state of emergency for the whole state.
“This is a serious event”.
L.t.j.g. Gottenberg said the weather presented an ongoing problem as well.
Devin George, the state registrar for vital records, said Monday that the storm-related deaths include two people in East Baton Rouge Parish, two in St. Helena Parish and two in Tangipahoa Parish.
Spokesman Bob Johannessen said Sunday night the shelter is for people with special medical conditions. Two nursing homes were being evacuated. Many motorists had in some instances been stranded overnight awaiting rescue.
She was on her way to a bridal shower she was supposed to host Saturday when flooding closed off the highway.
“It was like a water fall”, she said.
Matthew and Rachel Fitzpatrick, from Brandon, Mississippi, hopped off one of the choppers with her grandparents.
The Coast Guard said it had rescued more than 118 people and assisted more than 766 in Baton Rouge Sunday. They found temporary refuge at Hebron Baptist Church but became trapped by floodwaters Saturday night.
Matthew, 29, said between 250 and 300 people were still at the church as of late afternoon Sunday. While lowering the rescue swimmer onto a back porch of the second story, Lt. Hennebery said they were anxious about the wind.
“Everybody got caught off-guard”, said Anthony “Ace” Cox, who started a Facebook group to help collect information about where people were stranded. As the water moves, it’ll spread through more communities, Destri said.
The evacuees included the governor and his family, who were forced to leave the Governor’s Mansion when chest-high water filled the basement and electricity was shut off.
Dramatic video shows a woman and her dog being rescued from a auto as floodwaters swallow the vehicle.
“Oh my God, I’m drowning”, the woman can be heard saying from inside the vehicle, more than half-submerged in water.
One of the rescuers, David Phung, jumps into the brown water and pulls the woman to safety.
She pleads with Phung to get her dog and appears to try to push him under so he would search again, but he can’t find the dog under the water. After several seconds, Phung takes a deep breath, goes underwater and resurfaces – with the small dog. He urged people to stay vigilant.
Kunzelman reported from Baton Rouge.
– Amtrak is busing customers from Jackson, Mississippi to New Orleans instead of using the train. Lt. Davis Madere from the Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries said he and his teams have rescued at least 100 pets since they started working Friday.
“We’re praying it stops where it is”, said Kelly’s neighbor, Jenny Ragland, whose home on a ridge was spared similar damage.
Around Baton Rouge, anxious family members tried to locate relatives.
The body of a woman from Amite was recovered Saturday from the Tickfaw River, according to Michael Martin, chief of operations for the St. Helena Sheriff’s Office. His wife told Hansford that it’s the highest she’d seen the creek in the 48 years she has lived there.
“Folks are going to want to get out and go places”.
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Becherer reported from Walker.
