Governor John Bel Edwards has activated 750 Louisiana National Guard members to help combat the widespread flooding in north Louisiana. Edwards urges the public to stay inside and off the flooded roadways. He says there are now three confirmed deaths, one including a six-year-old girl…
Officials say the 6-year-old died when her mother lost control of her vehicle due to the road conditions. A 64-year-old man from Bienville and a 22-year-old man from Ouachita also died in drownings. Edwards says many roads in northern parishes are closed and warns drivers not to cross barricades.
National Guard spokesperson Rebekah Malone said the Guard has evacuated over 360 people from their homes in Bossier, Ouachita, and Morehouse parishes. In Bossier City, about 3,500 homes were under a mandatory evacuation as a precaution because the bayou was approaching the top of the levee. Authorities in Bossier parish rescued about 1,000 people using high-water vehicles.
Rain totals in Louisiana today range from 11 to 20 inches, according to Jaon Hansford from the National Weather Service. Congressman Ralph Abraham of Alto says lives and livelihoods are at stake in this storm. Abraham says he has talked with FEMA and asked that the area be declared a federal disaster area so resources and funding can come this way. He says everyone in north Louisiana is pitching in to help.
Emergency shelters have been established in several parishes, as more rain is expected to come.
Lawmakers rushed to pass several bill in the final minutes of the special session last night, and today they sorted through the implications. This fiscal year’s budget could still face a $50-million deficit, but that number remains unclear as the legislature’s fiscal analysts are estimating how much the sales tax increases passed in the session would raise. What is certain is the deficit for next fiscal year, which stands at about $800-million dollars.