Torrential rains on Friday, August 12 are to blame for some major flooding that took three lives, shut down an entire highway and cut off an entire town in Southeast Louisiana.
Scheduled to deliver a speech Saturday, August 13 to multiple parishes, Governor John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency as more rain is expected to fall in the coming days, bringing more flooding and destruction.
According to spokesman Richard Carbo, the governor was in Colorado for a policy meeting with the Democratic Governors Association when he left early because of the storm.
Seven major roads leading into and out of Greensburg, just outside of Baton Rouge, were submerged leaving the town cut off, with large National Guard vehicles being the only ones to make it into the town.
Dozens of high-water rescues have since been carried out, with stranded residents being pulled from cars and rooftops. Victims of the storm include a 68-year old man whose roommate says he slipped and drowned as they attempted to walk out of their trailer. The next victim was another elderly man who slipped and fell into a ditch while being helped through floodwaters, while a gentleman in his 50s was swept off the roadway while in his truck.
Flood warnings had been issued for several days for the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Flash flood watches have been in effect in Mississippi through Saturday morning with more than 50 people being flooded out of a neighborhood in the town of Crosby.
