The water line on a mirror showed that he had more than 5 feet of water inside his home.
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Officials painted a stark picture of the crisis so far: at least 40,000 homes damaged and 11 people killed in some of the worst flooding in Louisiana history, touched off by as much as 2 feet of rain in 48 hours.
While flooding receded in parts of southern Louisiana, other areas saw rising waters following a weekend of torrential rains. The National Academy of Sciences released the results of a study in March that mapped out a system by which climate scientists can link certain weather events to global warming with a new, higher degree of confidence.
Gov. John Bel Edwards spoke at a news conference alongside FEMA administrator Craig Fugate, saying “well over” 20,000 people have been rescued since the flooding began Friday.
It has been more than two decades since I called Louisiana home, but family ties have kept me close to that handsome place, which in recent years has seen more than its share of troubles.
GONZALES, La. (AP) – The heartbreaking task of sorting through waterlogged belongings and ripping out carpets and drywall is kicking into high gear Wednesday in flood-wracked southern Louisiana as the state faces a long-term challenge of how to house thousands of displaced people.
More than 3,300 guardsmen are assisting in the efforts, the guard said.
While worldwide wires are reporting eight people are dead, conflicting media reports suggest the number could be as high as 11.
Around 8,000 people were forced to stay in shelters as of Monday night, as they had to leave their homes and had nowhere else to go.
The designation frees up federal money to aid with rescue operations and emergency housing, among other things. The path to recovery lies just ahead.
Livingston Parish President Layton Ricks said the water in Maurepas, Port Vincent and French Settlement looks to be receding but still covers some roadways.
In numerous worst-hit parishes, emergency teams began to coordinate door-to-door search and rescue operations, checking and marking homes as well as cars that had washed off the roads.
Residents survey the flood water on Old Jefferson Highway at Bayou Manchac in Prairieville, La., Tuesday.
With sporadic looting, dawn-to-dusk curfews, and more than 30,000 homes and businesses without power, it was clear the disaster was not over.
Officials have reported five in East Baton Rouge Parish, three in Tangipahoa Parish, two in St. Helena Parish and one in Rapides Parish. He didn’t know how many people that included but said it was less than 100.
Many parishes in Louisiana were collecting donations for flood victims, including food, water, blankets, school uniforms, bedding and hygiene products.
Rescue workers are also searching cars that were inundated or carried away by flood waters, and Mr Edwards said each vehicle would be searched and marked.
However, a spokesman for Louisiana’s governor said his office had not been contacted by the Trump campaign.
Ordinary citizens in small boats – who in the last few days have earned the title, “cajun navy” – appeared to outnumber formal rescue crews.
The Advocate newspaper in Baton Rouge on Wednesday called on Obama to visit “the most anguished state in the union”. “It breaks my heart”, she said.
Eleven people have died in the floods and an estimated 40,000 homes have been swamped, ABC News reports. “Like everybody says, you still have your family”. “People are helping each other”.
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Harrowing rescues were posted on social media as emergency teams continued to evacuate residents in East Baton Rouge, Livingston and Ascension parishes.
