REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman
(Reuters) Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards on Monday (August 15) toured areas of the state hardest hit by deadly floods, as swollen rivers receded slowly from record levels.
Edwards called the floods unprecedented and said he was proud of the way residents had responded after waters inundated homes, rising to rooftops in some areas and trapping people inside cars on a major interstate around Baton Rouge. The floods left seven people dead.
“I’m very proud of the effort that we’re making. More than anything else, I’m proud of the way that Louisianians are taking care of their own and people are being neighbors to one another,” he said.
Rescue crews continued to search for people stranded in flooded homes.
“We’re still in the search and rescue phase, we are still in the response phase. And so, we’re going to transition into recovery as we can. Here, we’re going to make every bit of assistance available to you as soon as we possibly can and that’s my commitment as governor,” Edwards said.
While the threat of flash flooding moved into Texas and the U.S. Midwest, more than 11,000 Louisianans had signed up for disaster assistance.
REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman
Stranded rescued from Louisiana floods
The U.S. Coast Guard from Air Station New Orleans assisted in several rescues in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Sunday (August 14), where thousands were left stranded by widespread flooding that led authorities at both the state and federal levels to declare a ‘disaster.’
Among those rescued was a young boy, who was pulled from the roof of a home that had become almost completely submerged.
The Coast Guard said it was helping local, state and federal agencies with rescue operations.
U.S. President Barack Obama issued a disaster declaration on Sunday (August 14) for flood-ravaged Louisiana, where at least five people have died and emergency crews have rescued more than 20,000 people stranded by unprecedented flooding.
REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman