We've had over 30 inches of rain fall in 3 days in some parts of Louisiana & over 7000 rescues as A state of Emergency has been declared in 2 states: Louisiana & Mississippi - And this storm is only half the way to being done. It's going to move west, then north, then east. Strange days indeed. God bless everyone, T @newTHOR on twitter https://www.facebook.com/thornewsgo https://weather.com/news/weather/news/gulf-coast-flooding-latest-news-rescues-motorists-interstate Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said on Sunday that more than 7,000 people had been rescued by all participating agencies and volunteers since the flooding outbreak began. "This is a serious event," Edwards said. "It is ongoing. It is not over." The Associated Press reported Sunday that as many as 5,000 people were in shelters as a result of the widespread flooding. The downpours have sent at least six river gauges to record levels in Louisiana. This includes the Amite River, which exceeded its previous record by over six feet in Magnolia, and by over four feet in Denham Springs. Here's the latest on this flooding event. Rescue Efforts In Full Force Mike Steele, communications director for the Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, told weather.com on Sunday that there was a huge spike in flood rescues overnight, mostly in the eastern half of Baton Rouge into Denham Springs. "It’s kind of an all hands on deck," he said in a phone interview. "We still have a situation where motorists are stranded on I-12, and it remains closed between here and St. Tammany Parish, so the whole interstate system from Baton Rouge to that location is still closed." Steele said the Louisiana State Police are n the process of airlifting supplies to those stranded along the interstate. State police posted on Facebook that hundreds of cars were stranded on "islands" along the interstate in eastern Livingston Parish. Steele said some flooded spots were too deep for high water vehicles to traverse, while other spots littered with cars made it dangerous to attempt a helicopter landing. Steele said more than 1,000 have been flooded in Baton Rouge, and that number that is expected to climb. In Livingston, more than 1,000 homes have been flooding, along with 200 in St. Helena Parish, and 500 or more in Tangipahoa Parish. Apart from residential damage, Steele said they are also monitoring nursing homes and hospitals in the area that could be impacted by rising water. Steele said the Louisiana Air National Guard (LANG) has about 200 full-time employees working, plus about 750 guardsmen that have been deployed, a number that could climb to 1,000 soon. Additionally, he said 160 high water vehicles were in use as of last night, along with 35 watercraft, which brought the LANG rescue total to more than 3,500 people and 166 pets as of Sunday morning. As more rain fell and floodwaters rose last night in the Baton Rouge area, Steele said buses were used to move people out of their communities. Steele then said as the water rapidly swelled, rescue efforts had to speed up with it. "The water came up really fast overnight and we have more rain coming in now," he said. "It got so bad, I could hear concern on the scanners saying we needed to move the buses out of there fast." Rescue efforts will persist into Sunday, but Steele pointed out that motorists need to be aware of the current conditions and avoid site-seeing amid storm damage to avoid putting a further strain on state resources. Flooding triggered by the heavy rainfall On Friday, 68-year-old William Mayfield drowned trying to escape floodwaters near Zachary, Louisiana, as heavy rains piled up water in the northeastern regions of the state, NBC News reported. "We were in the trailer just watching TV and then the water just started coming up," Vernon Drummond, Mayfield's roommate, told the station. "We were walking out and he slipped and fell. He went under the water. We tried to save him, but we couldn't." Rescue crews in Zachary recovered Mayfield's body Friday morning, according to WAFB. Drummond says Mayfield is originally from Los Angeles and does not have any family in the area. Four counties in Mississippi have been placed under a state of emergency, according to a release from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. "I want to make sure all Mississippians that were forced out of their homes by this flooding are taken care of," said Bryant in the release. "This state of emergency will ensure state resources are available to all local governments that need help." Crosby. According to Wilkinson County Chancery Clerk Thomas Tolliver Jr., residents left their homes Friday as the town was inundated by floodwaters. Some people were able to leave on their own, but others had to be rescued. Most were sent to shelters in Natchez. Tolliver said most of the buildings in Crosby sustained water damage.

• published: 14 Aug 2016
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