It’s the second trip to Louisiana this year for Fugate, who also came during the northern Louisiana flood in March.
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More than 20,000 people have been rescued from floodwaters and more 12,000 are in shelters.
St. James Parish authorities are asking for volunteers to fill sandbags at seven locations around the parish.
The governor said more than 8,000 people were in shelters, but the number was constantly fluctuating as people arrive and leave.
At least 40,000 homes were damaged and 11 people killed in the historic Louisiana floods, the governor said today, giving a stark assessment of the widespread disaster. By Tuesday morning, more than 40,000 people across the state had registered.
“It’s probably on the third or fourth page (of national newspapers), but FEMA understands this is a very large disaster, and our commitment is to support the governor through a full recovery”, he said.
While worldwide wires are reporting eight people are dead, conflicting media reports suggest the number could be as high as 11.
The death toll from historic flooding in Louisiana climbed to 11 on Tuesday as the expanding flood zone prompted authorities to declare disasters in 20 parishes of the southeastern USA state. The body of a 49-year-old man was discovered in a wooded area near Kentwood.
George described it as an “accidental drowning” related to the storm.
On Sunday night, officials from the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office said they had recovered the body of a woman from inside a flooded auto, possibly raising the death toll from the flooding to five, the AP reports. But as that water cleared away, flood-levels rose in towns to the south, where water still reached to the rooftops. There were fish and thousands of spiders, and mold had started to grow.
Key and his wife spent most of the weekend putting as much of the contents of their house into the second floor and setting furniture up on concrete blocks.
Many did not see this coming, and because of this fact, many did not have flood insurance.
People can seek federal disaster aid by signing up at www.disasterassistance.gov.
Parts of the region had been hit by 25 inches of rain, while as much as 30 inches of rain hit Watson, La., as of Saturday. Additional parishes are likely to be added to the list.
Some areas have received more than 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain since late Thursday, submerging vast swaths of southern Louisiana in muddy waters.
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”.
In nearby Livingston Parish, 76 percent of all homes were already “lost to floods”, Lori Steele, a spokeswoman for the parish, told NBC News. The parish has a population of about 138,000 people.
In Ascension Parish, southeast of Baton Rouge, those who live in low-lying areas near waterways were urged to evacuate Monday night after floodwaters breached a 14.5-foot levee along the Amite River. Down Highway 431, desperate families gathered at a gas station, pickup trucks loaded with belongings, waiting for water in their homes to recede.
A vehicle is seen after flooding in Gonzales, Louisiana. It’s a tractor trailer equipped with metal cages, generator, battery power and a cleaning station.
Meanwhile, the Louisiana Department of Health has confirmed an increase in the death toll from rain and ensuing flooding to eight. The flooding prompted U.S. President Barack Obama to issue a disaster declaration.
Most residents of southeastern Louisiana’s Livingston Parish, in the Baton Rouge area, are facing total loss after days of deadly, devastating flooding, according to a local official.
GONZALES, La. (AP) – The heartbreaking task of sorting through waterlogged belongings and ripping out carpets and drywall is kicking into high gear Wednesday in flood-wracked southern Louisiana as the state faces a long-term challenge of how to house thousands of displaced people.
Among them were John Booth and Austin Tupper of Baton Rouge.
Rivers and creeks were still dangerously bloated in areas south of Baton Rouge as the water made its way toward the Gulf of Mexico.
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At Plaquemines Parish, officials said two airboat rescue teams had returned after assisting in East Baton Rouge, where they rescued more than 200 people and pets from various parts of the parish over a 24-hour period.
