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Louisiana
President Barack Obama declared Louisiana was in a state of disaster on Sunday after a historic flood left at …
Macabre scenes of caskets floating down the road as southern Louisiana battles a flood "worse than Hurricane Katrina" are a morbid reminder of the six lives lost in the unrelenting deluge. Caskets float along a submerged …
After devastating rain left parts of Louisiana under water, coffins have been seen floating
along the flooded streets. Photos capture the eerie scene of the boxes
police say floated up from the St. Mark's Cemetery as a result of …
Caskets float down the street in devastating Louisiana floods: Grim scenes as 500-year storm leaves up to 10,000 people homeless
- Obama declared flooding in Louisiana a disaster, allowing federal funds to reach four parishes hit hardest by rainfall on Friday
- Governor said more than 10k are now in shelters, and 20k were rescued
- Four people were reported dead, and another body was recovered late Sunday from a flooded vehicle in East Baton Rouge Parish
- Conditions could worsen, as heavy rain with threat of flash flooding is forecasted through Monday
- Emergency officials are strategizing ways to rescue those still trapped
- Some 1,700 members of the Louisiana National Guard have been deployed for rescue efforts
President
Barack Obama declared Louisiana was in a state of disaster on Sunday
after a historic flood left at least five people dead, with emergency
crews working to rescue thousands more.
Governor
John Bel Edwards said more than 10,000 people are now in shelters and
more than 20,000 people have been rescued across south Louisiana.
More than a foot of rain fell overnight on Friday - in a deluge estimated to occur once every 500 years, according to the Pacific Standard.
In
shocking photos showing the devastation, caskets that had washed up
from a graveyard floated down the street in Denham Springs, Louisiana.
Scroll down for video
In shocking photos showing historic
floods in Louisiana, caskets that had washed up from a graveyard floated
down the street in Denham Springs
President Barack Obama issued a declaration of disaster on Sunday for Louisiana, where at least five people have died
Governor John Bel Edwards said more
than 10,000 people are now in shelters and more than 20,000 people have
been rescued across south Louisiana
The 'unprecedented' flooding devastated Louisiana, where three months' worth of rain fell overnight on Friday
Four people were reported dead, with another body recovered later on Sunday from a flooded vehicle in East Baton Rouge Parish
Four people have been reported dead, said Devin George, the state registrar for vital records, earlier Sunday.
A
woman's body was later recovered by divers from inside a flooded
vehicle in East Baton Rouge Parish, appearing to raise the death toll to
five.
Witnesses
said the woman was seen Saturday night attempting to turn around in
high water when her vehicle was swept away, said Casey Rayborn Hicks, a
spokeswoman for the sheriff's office.
In
one dramatic rescue Saturday, two men on a boat pulled a woman from a
car that was almost completely underwater, according to video by WAFB.
The woman, who's not initially visible on camera, yells from inside the car: 'Oh my god, I'm drowning.'
One of the rescuers, David Phung, jumped into the brown water and pulled the woman to safety.
After the woman pleaded with him to save her dog, Phung went underwater and resurfaced with the animal.
But
things could get worse since the National Weather Service forecasts
heavy rain from the Gulf Coast as far north as the Ohio Valley through
Monday, with a threat of flash flooding.
The National Weather Service forecasts
heavy rain through Monday, with a threat of flash flooding (pictured,
residents before they were evacuated by Louisiana Army National Guard)
Edwards warned: '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' (pictured,
a stranded car on Interstate 12 in Livingston Parish)
Obama's declaration of disaster allows
federal aid to reach the parishes of East Baton Rouge, Livingston, St.
Helena and Tangipahoa, hit hardest by the floods
Emergency officials said they were still working on strategies to rescue an undetermined number of people trapped by the waters
In Livingston Parish, phone service was spotty due to the high waters and most shelters were full
The Ochsner Medical Center in Baton
Rouge has evacuated about 40 patients and is expected to evacuate
another 10-15 (pictured, cars backed up on a flooded road)
While
the brunt of the storm that brought torrential rains was moving west
toward Texas, Louisiana residents should remain cautious, the governor
said at a news conference.
'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, calling the flooding unprecedented.
Obama
issued the disaster declaration after speaking with Edwards, making
federal aid available in the parishes of East Baton Rouge, Livingston,
St. Helena and Tangipahoa, hit hardest by the floods.
Edwards said in a statement that other parishes could be added to the list.
Emergency officials still were working on strategies to rescue an undetermined number of people trapped by the waters.
'We're
very much still in the search and rescue mode,' said James Waskcom,
director of the state's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency
Preparedness.
In Livingston Parish, phone service was spotty due to the high waters and most shelters were full.
A Greyhound Bus traveling from Memphis, Tennessee, to Baton Rouge was diverted to a shelter because of flooded roadways.
Robert and Gwen Arceneaux left their
house on Sunday and reached a shelter through a National Guard truck.
But Robert is in need of medication for his lung cancer
Louisiana State Police Colonel Michael
Edmonson said helicopters were transporting food and water to those
still trapped by floods
Helicopters also were transporting some seriously ill people to areas outside the high waters
Some 1,700 members of the Louisiana National Guard have been deployed for rescue efforts
Authorities worked tirelessly to save
people from cars stranded on a miles-long stretch of Interstate 12
(pictured). The governor later said on Twitter that everyone had been
rescued
Robert
and Gwen Arceneaux gathered up their dogs and a few bags of belongings
and fled out the back door of their house after enduring a sleepless
night as they watched the floodwater creep into their home.
They
eventually waded through waist-deep water to a passing National Guard
truck, joining the more than 20,000 people rescued from their homes in a
still-growing tragedy across southern Louisiana.
Now
safe at a movie studio-lot-turned-shelter their worries weren't over,
as they tried to get medication for Robert, who suffers from lung
cancer.
Across
southern Louisiana Sunday, residents scrambled to get to safety as
rivers and creeks burst their banks, swollen from days of heavy rain
that in some areas came close to two feet over a 48-hour period.
About
5,000 people had been forced to sleep in shelters overnight around the
state, said Marketa Walters, head of Louisiana Department of Children
and Family Services.
Louisiana
State Police Colonel Michael Edmonson said helicopters were
transporting food and water to those still trapped by floods.
Helicopters also were transporting some seriously ill people to areas
outside the high waters.
Some 1,700 members of the Louisiana National Guard have been deployed for rescue efforts.
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