The death toll from historic flooding rose to 11 on Tuesday as sweeping floodwaters that have damaged more than 40,000 homes continued to overwhelm Baton Rouge and much of southern Louisiana.
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Yet as floodwater flowed downstream, officials warned that the danger was far from over.
But Lori Steele, spokeswoman for the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, was upbeat, saying the rescues taking place now are less of a “life-saving nature” and more to help people who were running low on supplies in flooded areas. Southeast, in Ascension Parish, water had seeped into one of every three homes.
More than 20,000 have been rescued or evacuated, they said. “He knows his people need him”.
About 68,000 people have signed up for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the number is expected to rise.
“There are still a lot of people who are suffering”, he said. But this is historic. “We are seeing unprecedented flood levels as the waters move south”.
With an estimated 40,000 homes damaged by deadly flooding, Louisiana could be looking at its biggest housing crunch since the miserable, bumbling aftermath of Hurricane Katrina a decade ago.
Well over 20,000 people have been rescued since Friday, when a slow-moving weather system started dumping water on the Gulf state, and more than 8,000 are staying in shelters – but that number is fluctuating as people arrive and leave the shelters, he said.
Those with flood insurance will be in a much better place to begin rebuilding – but there won’t be many of them.
“I want everyone to understand: Nobody has been forgotten”, Edwards reassured. More parishes will be added as officials are able to quantify the devastation, he said.
For three consecutive days, the Amite River at Port Vincent broke the previous record level of 14.6 feet.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has taken a step to make sure widespread flooding in Louisiana doesn’t cause problems in pending legal proceedings. Why, some wondered, was the displacement of thousands of people less deserving of attention than the Olympics or Donald Trump?
State Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Johnson said in a Tuesday news release that Edwards has issued an executive order imposing an emergency suspension of all deadlines for legal proceedings in state courts, administrative agencies and boards.
Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said it was shocking that only 12 percent of the homes in hard-hit Baton Rouge were covered by flood insurance, and only 14 percent in Lafayette. “This is like nothing we’ve ever seen before”.
Edwards said on Twitter that 60,000 state residents have applied for FEMA assistance. “If you look at the national news, you’re probably on the third or fourth page”.
The Red Cross has launched its largest response since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, nola.com reports.
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. The federal government declared it a major disaster, specifically in the parishes of Tangipahoa, St. Helena, East Baton Rouge and Livingston.
“We’re exhausted, but today’s a good day”, she said. “If you feel threatened and you have the capability of getting out of your homes and to safety – you are encouraged to voluntarily evacuate”.
The sheriff of Louisiana’s badly flooded East Baton Rouge Parish says the arrest of 10 people in looting incidents has led to a curfew order.
Danny and Alys Messenger canoe away from their flooded home after reviewing the damage in Prairieville, La., Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016. As waters begin to recede in parts of Louisiana, some residents struggled to return to flood.
A spike in homicides.
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A priest planned to destroy a gun as a gesture of peace.
