Eight deaths are now attributed to the storms and flooding in south Louisiana, The Associated Press reports.
Devin George, state registrar for vital records, says the latest confirmed death occurred in East Baton Rouge Parish. A 66-year-old man’s body was found in the Sherwood Forest area. George described it as an “accidental drowning” related to the storm.
Of the eight deaths, two were in Tangipahoa Parish, two were in St. Helena Parish and the other four were in East Baton Rouge Parish.
Floodwaters were receding in many parts of south Louisiana this morning, though they were continuing to rise in other areas as the water drained south.
Residents in areas where floodwaters are receding are going back to see what is left of their homes, and it’s a devastating picture. David Key saw his house in Prairieville for the first time this morning.
He says the house took on 5 inches of “muddy, nasty bayou water.” There were fish and thousands of spiders. And mold has started to set in. Key says when he saw the damage he “cried uncontrollably.”
Key and his wife spent most of the weekend putting as much of the contents of their house into the second floor and setting furniture up on concrete blocks. Now he has to rip out the drywall and insulation and dehumidify the house as fast as he can so the mold won’t spread.
Meanwhile, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced this morning that another eight parishes have been added to Louisiana’s federal disaster declaration, boosting the number of parishes that can access federal aid to 12.
Acadia, Ascension, East Feliciana, Iberia, Lafayette, Pointe Coupee, St. Landry and Vermilion parishes were approved for federal assistance. Parishes named in the previous federal disaster declaration were East Baton Rouge, Livingston, St. Helena and Tangipahoa parishes.
People can seek federal disaster aid by signing up at www.disasterassistance.gov. More than 36,000 people from Louisiana have registered so far with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to the governor’s office. Additional parishes may join the list as further damage assessments are made.
