Extreme Flooding Damages Nearly 5,000 Louisiana Homes

— -- Thousands of Louisiana residents have been evacuated -- and that number continues to climb, officials say -- after extreme flooding struck the South this week.

Initial reports indicate more than 4,958 homes in Louisiana were damaged, the governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness said today.

The preliminary numbers don’t include all regions in the state still responding to flood-related emergencies, the office said. Nearly 2 feet of rain have fallen in parts of Louisiana this week.

"This crisis is not over," the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness said today. "The National Weather Service indicates thunderstorms and a potential of severe weather are forecast this evening in Northwest Louisiana, which could cause even more problems."

At least four people have died in Louisiana from the weather, The Associated Press said.

Col. Pete Schneider, a Louisiana National Guardsman, told the AP this was the most widespread non-hurricane flooding the Louisiana National Guard has handled.