6 Dead in Historic Louisiana Flooding!

Torrential rainfall along the Gulf Coast has caused what Governor John Bel Edwards says to be “unprecedented” flooding for the state of Louisiana. Thousands of families have been force to evacuate their homes and thousands in need of being rescued via boat as water levels continue to rise. We have learned so far that six people have lost their lives due to the flooding. The Governor and his family were even forced to leave their mansion when chest-high water filled the basement and electricity was shut off.  Widespread amounts of six to ten inches of rain has already fallen on parts of Louisiana and several feet of rain are likely before it all comes to an end.

Check out this graphic showing the rainfall totals for the past 7 days and notice the areas shaded in white. That designates +20″ of rain has fallen in these locations.

Search and Rescue crews are going door to door searching for anyone needing rescued from the floods and are finding themselves rescuing hundreds of pets left behind. Their first priority is rescuing humans, but so far have rescued cats, dogs, birds and well even gerbils.

AT&T Wireless says that severe weather in Louisiana has damaged its equipment and halted services for some customers. The company also said that one its switching centers that carries network traffic to the area was flooded and it is working to restore services and quickly as possible. Louisiana’s governor says cellphone service outages are affecting rescuers’ ability to communicate with residents asking for help and with each other.

The President today declared a major disaster exists in Louisiana and ordered Federal Aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms and flooding starting on August 11,2016 and continuing. FEMA said that residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated parishes can begin applying for assistance tomorrow by registering online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired.  The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 AM to 10 PM (local time) seven days a week until further notice.

Our hearts and prayers go out to the thousands that have been affected negatively by this flood event. Be sure to follow our Facebook page for the latest updates on the flooding!

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