Louisiana Flooding: At Least 2 Killed as Historic Rains Sweep State

As rains continued to ravage Louisiana, deadly flooding swept across a considerable part of state leading to at least two deaths and more than 1,000 water rescues.

At a press conference Saturday, officials said that the state was very much still in a response mode as the situation was ongoing. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards stressed to residents that they should evacuate if they are asked and stay off roadways that are impassable due to water.

The National Weather Service still warns of significant flash flooding potential in the state. Officials in Louisiana are preparing in anticipation of the storm moving toward the west, possibly all the way to the Texas state line. While the entire state of Louisiana is currently under an emergency declaration, 18 parishes are under separate emergency declarations, and three additional parishes are in the process of declaring emergencies.

Edwards said that due to the record levels of flooding along rivers and creeks, officials have no way of knowing how wide the water in the affected areas is going to get, once again emphasizing how important it is for residents to evacuate if asked. Edwards said most of the water rescues that took place were residents who had not evacuated when asked and some who had gotten onto roads unnecessarily. In addition to being rescued from their homes and cars, some who had found themselves stranded were clinging to trees.

The response team stretched from the National Guard to state police. The Louisiana National Guard has been authorized by the governor to deploy additional resources and expects to have close to 1,250 soldiers by the end of the day.

At least two fatalities have been confirmed to be weather-related. In St. Helena Parish, a man in his 50s was found in his truck Friday evening. A second weather-related fatality was reported in East Baton Rouge Parish.

The Comite, Tickfaw and Amite rivers, all in the Baton Rouge area, were all above previously recorded levels on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Rainfall totals were anywhere between 10 to 26 inches, and the NWS reported just over 24 inches of rain in Livingston, which has been one of the worst affected by the weather.

On Friday, the police department in Livingston, which is east of Baton Rouge, informed residents that all town roads were closed until further notice due to high water. Anyone caught in the are would be pulled over and cited. In East Baton Rouge Parish, north of Baton Rouge, the sheriff's office posted a video of residents escaping a flooded home. The highway going from Livingston to East Baton Rouge Parish was overcome with flood waters. Residents are asked to visit 511 for the most updated list of road closures.

The Red Cross has opened flash flood shelters for those evacuated by the floods.

A flash flood watch is in effect for all of southeastern Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi until 7 a.m. Sunday. Forecasters predict the rains to dissipate by Sunday evening, however the low pressure system that is slowly heading west will continue to produce moderate to heavy rainfall before tapering off.

Main image via Louisiana State Police