And she doesn’t know how many more nights they will be sleeping on cots inside the downtown arena where hundreds sought shelter.
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A sign is seen along a flooded road on August 15, 2016 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
“This is where I live”.
“We’re going to have thousands of people coming in”, Pannett said.
The slow-moving, low-pressure system that dumped more than 20 inches of rain on some parts of Louisiana was crawling into Texas, but the National Weather Service warned the danger of new flooding remained high due to the sheer volume of water flowing toward the Gulf of Mexico.
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.
Ronald Robillard, 57, and his 65-year-old brother, William Robillard, have been living next door to each other in Baton Rouge homes owned by the older brother. The death of Sterling, a black man, at the hands of two white police officers incited widespread protests in which almost 200 people were arrested.
Among them were John Booth and Austin Tupper of Baton Rouge. Just over 20% of Louisiana residences carry flood insurance, and that number is lower in numerous parishes most afflicted by the rainstorms.
The Red Cross is now accepting both donations and volunteers to help with flood relief. Countless others didn’t have flood insurance and may not have the means to fix their homes.
Exactly how many will need temporary housing is unclear, but state officials are already urging landlords to allow short-term leases and encouraging people to rent out any empty space available. “From rock bottom”, she said.
Thousands were hunkering down in shelters after waterways in the southern part of the USA state overflowed their banks following more than 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain between Thursday and Saturday.
Eight more parishes were added to the existing federal disaster zone, for a total of 20, and overnight curfews were in effect for more than a dozen cities and parishes.
Edwards spoke after meeting with FEMA administrator Craig Fugate. In Livingston Parish, just east of Baton Rouge, officials estimated that as many as 75% of the area’s 52,000 homes had been damaged by floodwaters. More than 30,000 have been rescued, and at least 70,000 have registered for federal disaster assistance. 11 people have perished in the floods and 40,000 people have been affected by the fallout.
Those with flood insurance will be in a much better place to begin rebuilding – but there won’t be many of them.
Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said in hard-hit Baton Rouge only 12 percent of residences are covered by flood insurance, and 14 percent in Lafayette – what he called “shocking”. One volunteer tells CNN the devastation from the flooding is “overwhelming”. “Well, five years later, they forget, and then they have the loss, and they realize what they didn’t purchase”, said Holehouse to ABC Action News. One of those people was David Ellis.
Livingston Parish and its 140,000 residents were among the hardest hit. It started flooding the very next day, water ultimately rising above three feet inside his home.
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In case you’ve missed the minimal coverage that has been aired on the flood of 2016 let me fill you in.
