Flood waters have receded in Louisiana’s Livingston Parish, but they’ve left behind an atmosphere of determination to recover mixed with disbelief and uncertainty.
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The trauma was evident among people who went back to their homes.
St. James Parish authorities are asking for volunteers to fill sandbags at seven locations around the parish. As waters begin to recede in parts of Louisiana, some residents struggled to return to flood.
More than 40,000 homes have at least some kind of damage from the flooding, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Tuesday.
While some areas were entering recovery mode, the governor warned new places downstream could see flooding and that officials are still in search and rescue mode.
Edwards spoke after meeting with FEMA administrator Craig Fugate. The head of FEMA says the agency understands that the state is suffering through a “very large disaster” even though it might not be getting a lot of attention in the news.
At least eight people have died in the floods, which started Friday when a torrent of about 2 feet of rain inundated the state.
In the most recent update, published in full by The Creole, AT&T said: “Our restoration work continues around the clock to restore service for affected customers after our mobility switching center in Baton Rouge flooded during severe weather”. A 66-year-old man’s body was found in the Sherwood Forest area.
The latest deaths were attributed to three accidental drownings.
Roads have been washed out, and while the water is going down it’s a blessing and a curse. “I don’t know where it’s at right now”, Melancon said.
David Key used a small boat to get to his house in Prairieville and said it had taken on 5 inches of “muddy nasty bayou water”. There were fish and thousands of spiders. And mold has started to set in.
“I fully expect that more parishes will be added to the declaration on a rolling basis”, Edwards said.
Massive shelters are housing the displaced, including at a Baton Rouge film studio complex and an entertainment center in the state capital’s downtown area.
“The fact that so many people in Louisiana have been forced out of their own homes this week is heartbreaking”, the 26-year-old said in a statement.
Additional parishes may join the list as further damage assessments are made.
Baton Rouge-Louisiana faced epic flooding Monday, with six people killed and thousands evacuated to emergency shelters after waterways in the southern part of the state overflowed their banks.
A coffin outside of a flood damaged tomb is covered to be resealed at the cemetery of Greater St. Mark Baptist Church in Walker, La., Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016. The parish has a population of about 138,000 people. Schools have been closed in many areas, including the Lafayette Parish school district where schools will be closed until Monday.
“That’s what we are focused on, saving lives. said Maj”.
Louisiana has recorded 11 deaths, according to the governor’s office. It has an air ventilation system to provide proper air circulation and temperature for the pets.
Strain says pets that arrived with patients at the LSU critical-needs shelter are being taken to Dixon Correctional Institute for safe sheltering.
With more than 30 inches of rain in the past week, Louisiana has experienced widespread floods, causing a federal state of emergency, reports ABC News.
Almost 2,500 personnel are mobilized and almost 195 high-water vehicles tasked or staged to assist local, parish and state emergency officials with heavy flash flooding in Ascension, Avoyelles, East Baton Rouge, Iberia, Lafayette, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, St. Helena, Tangipahoa, Vermillion and West Feliciana parishes, officials said.
The floods began during torrential rains Friday and many homes and businesses are still underwater.
“None of these places are in a flood zone”, she said.
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Rivers and creeks were still dangerously bloated south of Baton Rouge as water drained toward the Gulf of Mexico. Most residents will qualify for some disaster relief from [FEMA].
