Emergency crews plucked motorists from cars stranded by high water along an 11.26km stretch of south Louisiana interstate, pulled others from inundated homes and waist-deep waters and braced for more of the dangerous work yesterday after conducting at least 2,000 rescues.
Pounding rains swamped parts of southeast Louisiana so that whole subdivisions and shopping centers appeared isolated by floodwaters, which have claimed at least three lives.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency, calling the floods “unprecedented” and “historic.”
Photo: AP
The governor late on Saturday toured the flood-ravaged areas by helicopter after rivers and creeks burst their banks and warned Louisiana residents it would be too risky to venture out even after the rains start to subside.
In addition to the three confirmed deaths, at least one person is missing, Edwards said.
He said one of the worries is that as the rain lessens in the next several hours, people will become complacent and feel too at ease in areas where waters might still be rising for several days, getting in cars in areas that could still be dangerous.
“I’m still asking people to be patient. Don’t get out and sightsee,” Edwards said. “Even when the weather is better, it’s not safe.”
In one dramatic rescue on Saturday, two men on a boat pulled a woman from a car almost completely underwater, according to video recorded by WAFB.
The woman, who was not initially visible on camera, yelled 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. She pleaded with Phung to get her dog, but he could not find it. After several seconds, Phung took a deep breath, went underwater and resurfaced — with the small dog. Both the woman and dog appeared OK.
Beginning Friday, 150 to 254mm of rain fell on parts of Louisiana and more fell on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
Some areas got even more rain. In a 24-hour period, Baton Rouge had as much as 279mm while one weather observer reported more than 431mm in Livingston.
Forecasters expected the system to turn north yesterday, warning portions of central and northern Louisiana could see heavy rain this week.
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant also declared a state of emergency for several counties in his state.
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