At least four people have died in massive floods sweeping across the southern states of America.
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After five days of rain that has already set March records of as much as 2 feet in some parts of Louisiana and MS, the storm is expected to aggravate flooding in major rivers, especially along the Louisiana-Texas border.
Flood waters caused by heavy rain have damaged hundreds of homes and forced families to seek shelter elsewhere.
The National Weather Service issued severe thunderstorm warnings for seven parishes in the northern part of Louisiana, with winds gusting to 60 miles per hour (97 kph).
And “we’ve still got flash flood watches and warnings up from Texas to Louisiana over into Mississippi”, Banks said.
National Weather Service forecaster C.S. Ross in Shreveport says it will take at least a week before homeowners can get back to their homes and assess the damage.
Farther to the south, officials are warning residents in eastern Slidell to be vigilant about rising water.
In Tennessee, Emergency Management Agency director Rickey Graves in Gibson County told The Jackson Sun that about 10 homes in the community of Kenton and a half dozen homes in Trenton were evacuated Saturday night after a levee was breached.
The water has started to ebb from flooded subdivisions in south Bossier City on the Red River in northern Louisiana.
“We’ve never seen anything like this, we don’t have anything to compare it to”, said Jonathan Brazzell, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service.
On Sunday, President Barack Obama signed an order declaring the flooding in Louisiana a major disaster.
Up to two feet of rain fell in some areas in Louisiana and MS over the weekend, according to meteorologists. “I mean, that’s floating through all these people’s houses”, Glen Moore, of Hattiesburg Mississippi’s emergency management office told NBC News.
As of reporting, authorities are monitoring the rise of Pearl River that divides MS and Louisiana. River levels were expected to remain high in the region as excessive rain water drains, it said.
Numerous roads and bridges were barred across the region during the weekend because of the flooding and rainfall. MS reported that 185 homes were damaged by floodwaters and about 650 homes sustained minor damage.
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The Louisiana National Guard reportedly rescued 3,295 citizens and 316 pets, where 1,300 proceeded with the evacuation efforts using vehicle, boat and helicopter.
