– 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.
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Hicks says neighbors tried to save the man, but weren’t able to.
Tangipahoa Parish President Robby Miller said authorities rescued 72 people and seven pets stranded by high water. The children had to escape out the emergency door on the back of the bus.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch into the weekend for parts of southern MS and southeastern Louisiana, including New Orleans.
The Louisiana town of Livingston was pounded with 10.5 inches of rain from Thursday night into Friday; the MS town of Gloster was drenched by 9.9 inches. The Louisiana National Guard has staged two high water vehicles at the parish’s Emergency Operations Center, and they will be deployed as needed.
Record-setting river crests are expected for the Comite and Amite rivers, which could potentially flood suburban areas near Baton Rouge, The Associated Press reports.
We could see up to eight more inches of rain through Sunday morning. Shelters have been opened in the town of Amite and the city of Hammond to house evacuees. Residents will be allowed to return home once the water starts to recede.
Schools, government offices and many businesses were closed.
St. James, Washington, Tangipahoa and St. Tammany parishes and the Bogalusa City School District announced early Friday schools would be closed due to weather and flooding concerns.
A flood watch remains in effect until Saturday across most of south Louisiana.
The weather service said in a statement that an addition 3 inches to 5 inches could fall over the warning area.
If rainfall forecasts from computer models – some of which suggest up to 12 to 24 more inches of rain could fall before the weekend is over – hold, then that flooding will just be the beginning of a larger disaster.
On Friday morning, forecasters said the potential for heavier rainfall increases toward the Alabama coast.
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In Mississippi, water rescues were conducted throughout the day and two people were reported with minor injuries in Harrison County, where roads were reopened by the afternoon, the state’s Emergency Management Agency said.
