At least 3 dead, thousands rescued from 'historic' Louisiana floods

[Disir]

BATON ROUGE, La. – As the floodwaters swallowed Lyn Gibson's two-story home, she hacked away on a hole near the roof, desperately trying to get to safety.

She used a saw, a screwdriver and her feet, knocking her way through wood, vinyl and sheet rock.

"I just kept picking and hitting and prying until I could get a hole big enough," the slightly-built, 115-pound woman said. "I would saw for a while. I'd kick at it for a while."

Eventually, Gibson made it out of her Tangipahoa Parish home with her dogs, and they were all rescued by National Guard soldiers on a boat. It was one of thousands of rescues after a deluge dropped more than a foot of rain on parts of Louisiana, submerging roads, cars and homes.

At least three people were killed across the state.

In another dramatic moment, two men on a boat pulled a woman from a car that was almost completely underwater, according to video by WAFB. The woman, who is not initially visible on camera, yells from inside the car: "Oh my god, I'm drowning."

One of the rescuers, David Phung, jumps into the brown water and pulls the woman to safety. She pleads with Phung to get her dog, but he can't find it. After several seconds, Phung takes a deep breath, goes underwater and resurfaces -- with the small dog.

Both the woman and dog appeared to be OK.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency, calling the floods "unprecedented" and "historic." He and his family were even forced to leave the Governor's Mansion when chest-high water filled the basement and electricity was shut off.
At least 3 dead, thousands rescued from 'historic' Louisiana floods | Fox News

Louisiana is just getting there butts kicked.

 

[yiostheoy]

... and our friend WaitingFor2020 and her kids are stuck there too somewhere.

I hope they all get to high ground -- a hotel or something.

I know I know, Louisiana is a big flat swamp with no hills.

 

[Disir]

Well that isn't good. I hope they are ok.

 

[Dekster]

... and our friend WaitingFor2020 and her kids are stuck there too somewhere.

I hope they all get to high ground -- a hotel or something.

I know I know, Louisiana is a big flat swamp with no hills.

She was here at 2 today so apparently she is okay.

 

[yiostheoy]

Well that isn't good. I hope they are ok.

She seems stressed out.

She is appealing to her Theist God and wants us to appeal as well.

I tried explaining that Deism does not make any provisions for that.

Others explained why.

The storm is pinned between two other pressure systems and is not moving away like they usually do.

Cleans out the swamps nicely but takes a lot of houses with it too.

One of these days Louisiana and Florida are both going to be underwater.

 

[Dekster]

Well that isn't good. I hope they are ok.

She seems stressed out.

She is appealing to her Theist God and wants us to appeal as well.

I tried explaining that Deism does not make any provisions for that.

Others explained why.

The storm is pinned between two other pressure systems and is not moving away like they usually do.

Cleans out the swamps nicely but takes a lot of houses with it too.

One of these days Louisiana and Florida are both going to be underwater.

When you have that kind of rain, higher ground does not necessarily make a difference as the people of West Virginia learned last month. A lot depends on your very localized terrain and drainage capacities. My neighbor up one and across is probably 5 feet above me ground level wise and his crawl space floods every time it rains just about and I am down grade with more water heading onto my property--I have a 20 foot wide stream moving across my yard at times, but my crawl space is dry as a bone.

 

[waltky]

Baton Rouge has certainly had its troubles this summer...

More than 20,000 evacuated in Louisiana floods
Tuesday 16th August, 2016 - Thousands of people in southern Louisiana were hunkered down in shelters on Monday, forced out of their homes by intense flooding that took many people by surprise.

At least six people were killed. The weather had improved from the torrential downpours that began on Friday but rivers and creeks in many areas were still way above flood stage, and people downstream eyed the deluge with concern. Rescuers evacuated more than 20 000 people since the flooding started and more than 10 000 people were in shelters. In high-water vehicles, boats and helicopters, emergency crews hurried to rescue scores of people and the governor warned it was not over.

From the air, homes looked more like little islands surrounded by flooded fields. Farmland was covered, streets descended into impassable pools of water, shopping centres were inundated with only roofs of cars peeking above the water. From the ground it was just as catastrophic. Abandoned cars were pushed to the side of the road, lawn furniture and children's toys floating through the waters. "The rivers and streams north of Interstate 12 have crested and have started to drop, while those south of the interstate continue to rise," meteorologist Mike Efferson said. He said the Baton Rouge area could see up to a half-inch of rain on Monday.

The federal government declared a major disaster, specifically in the parishes of Tangipahoa, St. Helena, East Baton Rouge and Livingston. More parishes could be added as assessments are done, and officials are advising residents to document all their damage. Six people have died, Devin George, the state registrar for vital records, said on Monday. The evacuees included the governor and his family, who were forced to leave the Governor's Mansion when chest-high water filled the basement and electricity was shut off.

More than 20000 evacuated in Louisiana floods

See also:

Six dead, 20,000 forced to evacuate in Louisiana floods
Tuesday 16th August, 2016: Louisiana faced epic flooding on Monday (Aug 16), with seven people killed and thousands evacuated to emergency shelters after waterways in the southern part of the state overflowed their banks.

Some areas have received more than 20 inches (50 centimetres) of rain since late Thursday, submerging vast swaths of southern Louisiana in muddy waters. "Our state is currently experiencing a historic flooding event that is breaking every record," Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said in a statement late Monday. "This event is ongoing, it is not over," he said. "We do not know when the floodwaters will recede, and they will continue to rise in some areas." About 30,000 people had been rescued, including a 78-year-old woman who spent a night in a tree, Louisiana State Police Superintendent Colonel Mike Edmonson told CNN. There were 14,000 people staying in shelters, mostly in the state capital Baton Rouge and surrounding communities, he said.

Police said the Louisiana National Guard would assist evacuees in the massive shelters, which included a Baton Rouge film studio complex and an entertainment centre in the city's downtown area. A helicopter survey late Monday by the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office showed large areas of submerged land. Muddy water covered roads, forested areas, and residential zones, cars and even the better part of some dwellings. Seven people were confirmed dead, Edmonson said, noting the toll could rise in coming days. "Once the water recedes, all these homes that are completely covered with water, we got to go to every single one of those and go inside of them and check for anybody who might be in those areas," he told CNN. Some 40,000 homes and business were reported without power.

DISASTER AREAS

The White House declared four parishes - equivalent to counties in other states - major disaster areas. "I fully expect that more parishes will be added to the declaration on a rolling basis," Edwards said. Floodwaters appeared to be receding in some areas, but were flowing into others. The National Weather Service continued to issue flood warnings in effect through early Tuesday, saying water in many areas would not recede at least for another day. The Amite River, the source of flooding for many areas, had risen 14 feet (4.3 meters) above flood level in one reading, besting a previous record flood in April 1983, the NWS said.

The agency forecast the river would not fall below flood level until Wednesday morning. Officials reported that hundreds of roads, mostly in the southern parts of the state, were closed. "That's going to be the case over the next couple of days," Edwards said. In some areas, clean-up work was already beginning. Members of the Life Tabernacle Church in Baton Rouge dumped water-damaged pews on a growing pile outside. Inside, a young boy rode his bicycle around the now-empty church.

OFFERS OF AID

 

[Hiryuu]

Well that isn't good. I hope they are ok.

She seems stressed out.

She is appealing to her Theist God and wants us to appeal as well.

I tried explaining that Deism does not make any provisions for that.

Others explained why.

The storm is pinned between two other pressure systems and is not moving away like they usually do.

Cleans out the swamps nicely but takes a lot of houses with it too.

One of these days Louisiana and Florida are both going to be underwater.

When you live in the Atchafalaya River Basin or any of the other flood plains in South Louisiana, then it isn't really a surprise when they flood. yiostheoy made a great point about the waters cleaning out the swamps. Flood waters have been needed for quite some time to float out all the giant salvinia that has clogged the waterways and is blocking/slowing down drainage.

 

[pwjohn]

Well that isn't good. I hope they are ok.

She seems stressed out.

She is appealing to her Theist God and wants us to appeal as well.

I tried explaining that Deism does not make any provisions for that.

Others explained why.

The storm is pinned between two other pressure systems and is not moving away like they usually do.

Cleans out the swamps nicely but takes a lot of houses with it too.

One of these days Louisiana and Florida are both going to be underwater.

When you live in the Atchafalaya River Basin or any of the other flood plains in South Louisiana, then it isn't really a surprise when they flood. yiostheoy made a great point about the waters cleaning out the swamps. Flood waters have been needed for quite some time to float out all the giant salvinia that has clogged the waterways and is blocking/slowing down drainage.

The people living there don't need rescue. What they really need are u-haul trailers so they can pack their shit, and leave.

 

[Hiryuu]

The people living there don't need rescue. What they really need are u-haul trailers so they can pack their shit, and leave.

People have been living in the swamps for a long time. The problem is when some people don't understand the basics and prepare for the obvious. If you build a house on the "wet" side of a levy, then chances are sooner or later you are going to have a flood. I mean that is why they built the levy in the first place.

I mean there are other complications that have added to the problems, such as developments that increase drainage demands, and locks/dams that have been installed to promote commercial boat traffic. In a lot of cases they intentionally backed the water up, causing invasive hostile plant life to flourish choking out natural eco-systems, creating breeding grounds for insects like the mosquito and lining their pockets with the proceeds these developments provide.

 

[bodecea]

BATON ROUGE, La. – As the floodwaters swallowed Lyn Gibson's two-story home, she hacked away on a hole near the roof, desperately trying to get to safety.

She used a saw, a screwdriver and her feet, knocking her way through wood, vinyl and sheet rock.

"I just kept picking and hitting and prying until I could get a hole big enough," the slightly-built, 115-pound woman said. "I would saw for a while. I'd kick at it for a while."

Eventually, Gibson made it out of her Tangipahoa Parish home with her dogs, and they were all rescued by National Guard soldiers on a boat. It was one of thousands of rescues after a deluge dropped more than a foot of rain on parts of Louisiana, submerging roads, cars and homes.

At least three people were killed across the state.

In another dramatic moment, two men on a boat pulled a woman from a car that was almost completely underwater, according to video by WAFB. The woman, who is not initially visible on camera, yells from inside the car: "Oh my god, I'm drowning."

One of the rescuers, David Phung, jumps into the brown water and pulls the woman to safety. She pleads with Phung to get her dog, but he can't find it. After several seconds, Phung takes a deep breath, goes underwater and resurfaces -- with the small dog.

Both the woman and dog appeared to be OK.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency, calling the floods "unprecedented" and "historic." He and his family were even forced to leave the Governor's Mansion when chest-high water filled the basement and electricity was shut off.
At least 3 dead, thousands rescued from 'historic' Louisiana floods | Fox News

Louisiana is just getting there butts kicked.

We just missed that rain, driving back home on I 10....phew.

 

[ThunderKiss1965]

Well that isn't good. I hope they are ok.

She seems stressed out.

She is appealing to her Theist God and wants us to appeal as well.

I tried explaining that Deism does not make any provisions for that.

Others explained why.

The storm is pinned between two other pressure systems and is not moving away like they usually do.

Cleans out the swamps nicely but takes a lot of houses with it too.

One of these days Louisiana and Florida are both going to be underwater.

New Orleans averages around 13 feet below sea level so technically its always been "underwater" and being an atheist doesn't mean you have to show arrogant superiority when people in need call on their faith to get them through troubling times.

 

[JOSweetHeart]

I feel for everyone who has been impacted since we are approaching the 11 year anniversary of hurricane Katrina.

God bless you and them always!!!

Holly

 

[Hiryuu]

City of Walker planning to sue the State and Federal Government for flooding their town. When the Department of Transportation added on to I-12 and didn't include drainage, they effectively built a 5' high, 15 mile long dam from Livingston to Sheppard. The 5' of water backed-up had to go somewhere, and it flooded Denim Springs and Walker with 5' of water.

The fact that the City Council and Mayor of Walker had repeatedly asked the DOTD to add the required drainage just means they have a case.

Walker Mayor: Flooding event was man-made