George described it as an “accidental drowning” related to the storm.
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Of the other deaths, five were in East Baton Rouge Parish, three in Tangipahoa Parish and two were in St. Helena Parish. While flooding receded in parts of southern Louisiana, other areas saw rising waters.
The body of William “Bill” Borne was discovered on Hoo Shoo Too Road on Tuesday, August 16 around 11 a.m. Borne was the founder and former CEO of Amedisys, a home health service company that is now publicly traded.
“I’m not going to lie, I cried uncontrollably”, homeowner David Key said of seeing his flooded Prairieville home for the first time since it was inundated with 5 inches of “muddy nasty bayou water”. There were fish and thousands of spiders. And mold has started to set in.
There were scattered reports of looting, and Edwards said parishes with widespread damage would be placed under curfew beginning Tuesday night.
A man wades through a flooded street in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, on Monday. Twenty parishes were included in the federal disaster declaration.
One town, Zachary, received more than 2 feet of rain in a 48-hour period that ended Saturday morning. Lori Steele, spokeswoman for the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, told the Associated Press an estimated 75% of the homes were a “total loss”.
The Louisiana National Guard reported that its soldiers rescued almost 500 people and 61 pets by boat, helicopter and high-water (high-clearance) vehicles in the 24 hours between Friday and Saturday. Eleven deaths have been attributed to the storm.
Corrects that parish, not town has 138,000 people.
Some communities in southern Louisiana could see waters crest later in the week, according to national forecasters.
Louisiana was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and authorities learned from that disaster that many people are reluctant to leave their homes without their pets, even when conditions are life-threatening.
Edwards said on Twitter that 60,000 state residents have applied for FEMA assistance.
The governor’s office says Fugate will travel to Louisiana to meet with the state’s Unified Command Group to discuss the federal assistance available and response efforts. State officials say disaster declarations for other parishes affected by flooding could come this week.
In a notice on its website, St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church in East Baton Rouge civil parish called on parishioners available to volunteer to attend a morning meeting August 15 to help with “flood relief planning and implementation”. The National Weather Service (NWS) continued to issue flood warnings in effect through early Tuesday, saying water in many areas would not recede at least for another day.
“How the #laflood is not on national news truly amazes me”, Abigail Mawae of Baton Rouge posted on Twitter.
Rivers and creeks were still dangerously bloated in areas south of Baton Rouge as people filled sandbags there to protect their houses, bracing for the worst as the water worked its way south.
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The fifth flood victim in East Baton Rouge Parish was recovered Friday during the height of the rain event. The disaster has prompted thousands of rescues and many found refuge in hastily prepared shelters.
