ABC News reports that since flooding began last week-over 30 inches of rain fell, and waters continue to rise-20,000 people have been rescued from their homes and at least 6 have died; 40,000 businesses and homes are without power, and 12,000 people are now living in shelters (some of which then also had to be evacuated due to rising waters).
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Ann Chapman from the Louisiana State Animal Response Team carries a dog she helped rescue from flood waters on August 15, 2016 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Residents were pulled from water-logged homes, flooded cars and at-risk hospitals across the southern portion of the state, he said.
Hundreds of state roads were closed because of high water. Picture: Walker Police DepartmentA casket is seen in front of a partially submerged church in Ascension Parish, Louisiana.
“Our state is now experiencing a historic flooding event that is breaking every record”, Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards said in a statement to residents late Monday.
Flooding can be seen on O’Neal Lane, looking north from I-12 in Baton Rouge, La.
The floodwaters recede from Bethel United Methodist Cemetery in Greenwell Springs, Louisiana.
A Baton Rouge, Louisiana area sheriff rescued a family – including an infant – from their home during the widespread flooding across the state while officials are now saying over 20,000 residents have been rescued in the crisis. “We’re talking about places that have literally never flooded before”.
Forecasters said one reason was the sheer, nearly off-the-charts intensity of the storm and the difficulty of predicting how bad it would be.
They escaped in her husband’s pickup – he was behind the wheel and she was on the hood – helping navigate. And some shelters had to shut down when they, too, started to take on water. It continued on Saturday, with some areas receiving almost 17 inches in one day.
With so many neighborhoods under water, it’s hard to tell from the air where the river should naturally run, Marciano said.
An airboat brings rescued residents to safety in Ascension Parish, Louisiana. There were also incredible numbers measured for precipitable water, or how much moisture is in the air at any given time.
The White House action makes emergency federal funding available to support rescue crews and the eventual recovery.
His request for federal assistance in emergency operations was granted, and a FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) official toured the affected parishes to gauge the extent of disaster in the state.
The low pressure system that triggered the storms was not particularly strong, but it was more than enough to scour the moisture from the overly saturated atmosphere. “It’s another thing to say where is this going to be”, Graham said.
Flooding hit the Amite and Comite Rivers, while the Louisiana National Guard has also employed high-water vehicles to rescue flood victims, including stranded motorists.
The Coast Guard said its helicopters rescued more than 50 people from rooftops, vehicles and trailers on Saturday. More than 10,000 people are being housed in local shelters.
The woman, not visible in the video broadcast on Sunday by local television station WAFB, shouts, “Oh my God, I’m drowning!”
One of the men jumped into the turbulent water and was able to get the woman out. When she tries to dive under for her dog, he goes underwater and reappears holding the dog.
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National Guard Col. Ed Bush said parish officials want the volunteer rescuers to coordinate more with the authorities overseeing the rescue effort. “This truly is a storm that has ravaged all of south Louisiana”.
