Louisiana floods kill 8, affect thousands

August 16, 2016 11:49 PM | Skymet Weather Team

Rivers in Louisiana had reached record levels wreaking havoc over the residents as heavy rains continued to lash the state. Deadly floods killed at least eight along with damaging homes and leaving thousands stranded. As per reports, more than 40,000 have been affected in Southeast Louisiana.

Over 11,000 residents signed up for disaster assistance, as the threat of flash flooding moved into Texas and Midwest. Last weekend, several homes were filled with flooding rains which even rose to rooftops in some places. People were trapped inside cars around the Baton Rouge.

Over 20,000 people had been rescued by emergency crew as the state received over 600 mm of rain in a few areas in a span of three days due to the storm. Not only this, rice fields have been hit resulting in crop loss due to the Godzilla rains.

 President Barack Obama issued a disaster declaration as rains refused to take a backseat. Due to flooding, a section of the Intracoastal Waterway near Port Allen was closed by the U.S. Coast Guard on Monday.

Heavy rain of over two feet has left the residents stranded and homeless. People were seen in boats during midnight hours looking for trapped family members and neighbours. Several days later, many homes remained underwater.

Several areas are witnessing receding rivers. However, newer areas downstream could witness flooding keeping rescue teams on alert.

The hardest area is Livington Parish where more than 75 percent of homes are completely destroyed due to floods. During the next 24 hours, the possibility of more floods cannot be ruled out.

Image Credit: bostonherald.com

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