The flood waters have claimed at least five victims – one in Tangipahoa Parish, two in East Baton Rouge Parish and two in St. Helena Parish.
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On Sunday night, President Obama granted Edwards’ request for an emergency declaration to assist in response and recovery efforts. Nearly 500 people and 61 pets were also rescued by the Louisiana National Guard, including 15 by air.
“This is a serious event”, Governor John Bel Edwards said of the “historic” record floods. The couple had been visiting family in Baton Rouge when the flooding started.
In one particularly dramatic flood rescue in Baton Rouge caught on video obtained by CNN, a woman had to be freed through a rip cut into the soft top of her auto as her vehicle rapidly sank in a flooded creek.
The body of a 68-year-old man was recovered on Friday near Baker after he drowned while trying to evacuate, said William “Beau” Clark, the coroner in East Baton Rouge Parish.
On Saturday, the body of a woman was recovered from the Tickfaw River, in St. Helena Parish northeast of Baton Rouge, after a auto in which she was riding was swept away. Her mother and husband were rescued.
The deluge has been blamed for the deaths of at least three people so far, while another 2 to 4 inches of rain was expected Sunday in and around Baton Rouge.
As he sat on his neighbor’s porch Sunday afternoon, watching floodwater from Bayou Manchac creep above his patio, he knew it was unlikely.
The damage caused this weekend serves as a reminder of how devastating flooding can be. “It’s as high as I’ve ever seen it”.
As the vehicle starts to float away under his weight, the man jumps into the water, frantically ripping at the soft top to no avail; then he reached in the car’s driver-side window, trying to reach the victim.
Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-priced loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
Another neighbor, Brad Jacobs, hopped in a canoe and paddled across the road to his home to grab fresh clothes. Dozens awoke on Saturday morning at a makeshift Red Cross shelter only a few blocks from their flooded homes and cars. All she wanted was to preserve her family photographs against the rising floodwater.
Ray Cutrer – a survivor- told CNN, “Our guard was down”.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch into the weekend for parts of southern MS and southeastern Louisiana, including New Orleans.
Tens of thousands of displaced people are holed up in state and locally run shelters, while others are bunking with relatives and friends who have homes on higher ground.
“Even with the sunshine out today intermittently, the waters are going to continue to rise in many areas, so this is no time to let the guard down”, Edwards said.
Nearby, victims were salvaging toys, clothes and other belongings from their flooded homes. Down Highway 431, desperate families gathered at a gas station, pickup trucks loaded with belongings, waiting for water in their homes to recede.
Though the governor’s office said Saturday that more than 1,000 people had been rescued, that number appeared to at least double by the end of the day, when Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard said 2,000 people in his parish alone had been rescued, and more people still await help.
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Divers from the Sheriff’s Office recovered the body of the woman, whose identity was not disclosed, from the vehicle, which was in high water on North Ridge Drive at Northampton Drive, said Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Casey Rayborn Hicks. “Doing best as we can as fast as we can”.
