At least two dead, one missing in ‘unprecedented’ Louisiana flooding

At least two people are dead and one person remains missing as heavy rains in Louisiana and Mississippi continue to cause floods that Louisiana Gov. Bel Edwards called “unprecedented.”

Edwards said 18 parishes surrounding Baton Rouge have declared states of emergency and three more are in the process of doing so. A statewide emergency declaration was also made as rains continued to pound southern and central portions of the state causing flash floods along rivers and creeks. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant also declared a state of emergency for the southwest part of his state due to flooding there.

Officials have no frame of reference for how bad the flooding could get because Edwards said there is no similar weather event to compare it to.

“We have record levels of flooding along rivers and creeks and because these are record floods we don’t know how wide the waters are going to get in those areas,” he said. “This is unprecedented.”

He encouraged residents who have been advised to evacuate to do so because those ignoring the evacuation orders are taxing emergency responders who have been called out to make more than 1,000 rescue attempts using high water vehicles, boats and helicopters as people become trapped in their homes amid rising flood waters.

“If you are living in those areas and you’ve been advised to evacuate, you need to do that. You need to heed these warnings,” he said.

The storm, which is forecast to continue for the next 36 hours, has already had deadly consequences, officials said.

According to CNN, the body of an elderly man was recovered in Baton Rouge after he slipped into a ditch while being helped through floodwaters. A 68-year-old man in the town of Zachary also drowned while attempting to escape floodwaters in his home on Friday.

A father and son in Tangipahoa were also swept away by rushing water Police Chief Darrell Martin. The son was found, but his father remains missing.

According to the National Weather Service, the Tickfaw and Tangipahoa each continued to rise to record levels — more than 20 inches.

Heavy rains are expected to continue through the weekend before approaching normal summer conditions by Monday.
[Source:UPI]