Four parishes have been declared a federal disaster area as a result of the historic flooding. The four parishes are Tangipahoa, St. Helena, East Baton Rouge and Livingston. The declaration allows for storm victims to receive federal assistance. Gerard Stoler with FEMA says they plan to set up recovery centers in these parishes to help individuals get federal aid.
Individuals can also register damage online or over the phone at disasterassistance-dot-gov.
St. John’s United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge is just one of many impromptu shelters that have been set up across south Louisiana. Rev. Dr. Jay Hogwood says nearly 100 people are being housed on the church campus, and that number is expected to grow.
Flood waters are not showing signs of receding anytime soon in some southern Louisiana parishes. Meredith Conger with the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness in Ascension Parish says they are still trying to combat the flooding throughout the parish. She says they are still in the response phase.
Southwest Louisiana was also hammered by the intense rains over the weekend and are experiencing tremendous flooding. Donald Jones with the National Weather Service says Lafayette, New Iberia and the Lake Arthur area are having the biggest problems. He says more rain is expected this week, which could worsen the situation in some areas.