Louisiana Floods Continue After Historic Rainfall
Rivers continued to rise as heavy floodwaters made their way downstream.
— -- Southern Louisiana faces continued flood warnings Tuesday, even as communities struggle to recover from a deluge over the weekend that killed at least seven people, stranded more than 20,000 and left more than 11,000 seeking shelter.
Towns downstream of the areas hardest hit over the weekend watched anxiously as floodwaters crested and slowly began receding overnight.
Louisiana Residents Clean Up After Catastrophic Flood
Officials announced late Monday that another body was recovered from the water in Baton Rouge, raising the number of known fatalities to seven.
The flooding forced the closure of city offices in Baton Rouge on Tuesday.
Over the weekend, parts of southern Louisiana received as much as 25 inches of rain. The National Weather Service estimates the chance in any year of that much rain falling in the area within 48 hours at 0.1 percent, meaning that it is likely to occur only once every 1,000 years.
The National Guard mobilized 2,500 personnel and nearly 195 high-water vehicles and had rescued nearly 3,400 people and 400 pets as of Monday.
"That's what we are focused on, saving lives. said Maj. Gen. Glenn Curtis, the adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard. "We can also bring on military police and give police officers a chance to rest and check on their homes."
The National Guard has so far distributed more than 600,000 sandbags, close to 96,000 bottles of water and 2,300 meals ready to eat in affected communities.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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