He went under the water.
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The other victim was an elderly man who was being helped through floodwaters when he slipped into a ditch, according to Moreau.
Some locations west of I-55 might see even higher rainfall totals, while locations to the east will see somewhat lower amounts.
Louisiana river gauge showing a rapid rise in water levels and forecast record crest.
The Comite River near Baton Rouge and Amite River near Denham Springs in Louisiana are predicted to set record crests over the weekend, for example. The Weather Service said conditions have changed and more rain is expected.
Baton Rouge Airport recorded 8.18 inches of rain Friday, the wettest August day on record since weather records began over 100 years ago. When all is said and done, up to 40 inches of rain isn’t out of the question.
Krautmann says flooding is “quickly becoming widespread” as heavy rains continue, saying officials are considering evacuation orders.
“It’s going to be a hard next couple of days”, she said. Heavy downpours pounded parts of the central U.S. Gulf Coast on Friday, forcing the rescue of dozens of people stranded in homes by waist-high water and leaving one man dead who became trapped by floodwaters. State police said a driver sustained “moderate injuries” after a tree fell onto his auto.
Recent research has shown that heavy rainstorms and soaked soils are the two main drivers of river floods in the Southeast so this week has essentially been the flawless setup for a worst-case scenario flooding event.
At least one fatality was reported. A National Weather Service co-op observer measured 17.09 inches at Livingston from about midnight to 3 p.m., with much of it falling during several morning hours when 3 inches of rain an hour were falling.
Amtrak stopped a Chicago-to-New Orleans train in central MS because of flooding on railroad tracks in the southern part of the state.
In Hammond, almost two dozen streets were closed because of high water, and sandbags were made available to residents hoping to keep water out of homes and businesses.
Several roads were shut down in various counties and at least five people were rescued in the small town of Osyka in Pike County, just over the border with Louisiana, CNN affiliate WJTV reported.
There have been flood warnings for several days for portions of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana as the weather system lingered over the Gulf of Mexico earlier in the week.
In Mississippi, a flash flood watch was in effect through Saturday morning, according to the state’s emergency management agency.
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A slow-moving storm system is creating historic flooding for parts of Louisiana. – Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development handout pic via ReutersBATON ROUGE (Louisiana), Aug 13 – Torrential downpours in parts of Louisiana and MS caused flooding yesterday that killed at least two men, left two people injured and forced residents to evacuate homes throughout the region, officials said.
