Flooding update: 75 percent of homes destroyed in Livingston Parish

Published 9:34 am Tuesday, August 16, 2016

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The Latest on flooding in the Deep South:

9:15 a.m.

As water starts to move out of heavily-flooded Livingston Parish in southern Louisiana, authorities assessing the damage believe three-quarters of the homes are destroyed.

Lori Steele, spokeswoman for the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, says the sheriff estimates about 75 percent of the homes are “a total loss.” The town has a population of about 138,000 people.

More than 15,000 people have been rescued from floodwaters in the parish since the storms began Friday and more were still ongoing Monday even as the water was draining in some areas.

Steele remained upbeat, calling it a “good day” because the parish hasn’t seen any storm-related deaths and the rescues are no longer people in their attics, but people who are running low on supplies in flooded areas.

Seven deaths have been attributed to the flooding in south Louisiana.

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7 a.m.

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry has activated its mobile pet shelter to the Baton Rouge River Center which is now sheltering evacuees.

Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain said in a news release Monday the mobile pet shelter can hold approximately 50 pets. It’s a tractor trailer equipped with metal cages, generator, battery power and a cleaning station. It has an air ventilation system to provide proper air circulation and temperature for the pets.

Strain says pets that arrived with patients at the LSU critical-needs shelter are being taken to Dixon Correctional Institute for safe sheltering.

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6 a.m.

The administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is coming to Louisiana to meeting with state officials on the ongoing flooding there.

Craig Fugate will meet with Gov. John Bel Edwards on Tuesday to discuss the situation.

The governor’s office says Fugate will travel to Louisiana to meet with the state’s Unified Command Group to discuss the federal assistance available and response efforts.

The federal government declared a major disaster in the state, specifically in the parishes of Tangipahoa, St. Helena, East Baton Rouge and Livingston. State officials say disaster declarations for other parishes affected by flooding could come this week.

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2:45 a.m.

Some residents of Louisiana’s capital city have begun struggling to return to flood-damaged homes on foot, in cars and by boat as waters recede in some areas.

But though the rain had mostly stopped, new places in the state are facing flood dangers from the deluge that has sent thousands into shelters.

Rivers and creeks are still dangerously bloated south of Baton Rouge. People have filled sandbags to protect their houses, bracing for the worst as high water flows toward the Gulf of Mexico. In one area, Ascension Parish, officials say some small towns have already been inundated.

Several deaths have been reported, including a body pulled late Monday from Baton Rouge floodwaters. The disaster has prompted thousands of rescues and many found refuge in hastily prepared shelters.