Vehicles that were out of gas, stalled or unclaimed were being towed Monday to the shoulder to help clear the interstate.
Advertisement
Vehicles remain stuck on other parts of I-12, however, near Baton Rouge, which still had water and remained impassable.
Louisiana is now battling the worst flood in the state’s history with more than 7,000 people rescued from their homes and vehicles. Some were rescued by local emergency workers, the National Guard or the Coast Guard; in other cases, says NPR’s Debbie Elliott, ordinary citizens put their boats in the water to save their neighbors.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before”, said Barbara Manuel, 41, speaking on the side of the road as she was about to get in a National Guard vehicle.
Parts of southern Louisiana and MS were hammered by up to 25 inches of rain late last week.
The weather system that brought torrential flooding to the southern USA state of Louisiana has moved away, but forecasters and the state’s governor are warning people to be on alert because some rivers may not reach their peak levels for several more days.
The declaration will make federal aid available for the ravaged parishes of Livingston, St. Helena, Tangipahoa, and Baton Rouge.
Thousands of people are living in shelters after rising waters forced them to flee their homes in southern Louisiana. Even the populous school, Louisiana State University, announced that its main campus would be closed on Monday.
Regardless, the flood has been extremely devastating for everyone in the state. Officials said the nursing home was evacuated because they feared it might flood.
The flood warnings continue for some waterways in Louisiana, including the Comite River, Amite River and Bayou Manchac, according to a statement issued by the National Weather Service early Monday.
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency for several counties in his state as it also battled the heavy rainfall. Numerous flood victims “have been shocked by the loss of everything”, read the appeal, which urged readers to “come together as a community, as we have seen in the past, and help out a fellow person”.
In southwest Mississippi, Leroy Hansford, his wife and stepson were among those rescued near Gloster. Additional parish declarations will be made as further damage assessments are conducted.
On Saturday, Derek Van Dam, a CNN meteorologist, said Baton Rouge received twice the amount of rain in one 24-hour period that it normally receives in the entire month of August.
The flooding submerged large parts of the region on Sunday, three days after water-swelled streams and rivers began rising. Reports indicate 15 rivers are in record flood stage. For instance, AT&T halted services for customers in Baton Rouge after equipment was damaged by the weather.
They were rescued by police officers in a boat.
“I said, ‘Lord, I will be here to help the ones who did, ‘ and I am”. He later tweeted that Hawthorne had been rescued and is safe.
While Sunday’s weather was more merciful, residents were urged to stay home unless evacuations were ordered.
Advertisement
Serigne, a TV producer of an outdoors show and marketing director for a marine equipment business, said government agencies should do more to coordinate with volunteers.
