Much of interstate 10 between Lafayette and Lake Charles is open at this hour. State Police say I-10 eastbound and westbound is restricted to one lane in each direction at L-A 13. Meanwhile, I-10 eastbound just south of Baton Rouge has been reduced to one lane due to high water.

The flood waters ruined many important documents and pictures, but there is a way to salvage them. Archivist Doug Harrison, with the State Archives Office, says if you can’t work on drying them right away, then put them in the freezer. But Harrison says the chances of pictures surviving are lower than regular documents…
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If you are able to air dry pictures and documents, try to keep the air circulating around them.

Power outages remain an issue. Entergy reports 15-thousand customers are without power. DEMCO says about four-thousand of their customers are still without electricity.

Even though it’s a hectic week in south Louisiana, LSU will start school on Monday and accommodate local students affected by the flood. Emelie Gunn has more…:
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Former NFL star and member of the Saints Super Bowl team Darren Sharper has been senteced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to drugging and raping women. Originally, Sharper had worked out an agreement with prosecutors that would have led to a nine-year prison sentence, but the judge rejected it because it was too lenient.

Thousands of people across southern Louisiana displaced by catastrophic flooding are now struggling with where to live. 70,000 victims had registered for individual federal assistance as of Wednesday. In Livingston Parish, all schools are closed until further notice. Denham Springs Mayor Gerard Landry believes every school in the city took on water.
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Officials say the death toll has climed to 13.

With all this water comes the increased risk of West Nile. State Medical Director for the Center of Community Preparedness, Dr. Frank Welch:
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He says the state is going to be very vigilant and focus on mosquito control over the next few weeks.

Many people lost important documents and photographs in the recent flood. Halen Doughty has more from the State Archives Office on how to salvage them…:
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St. James, St. John, additional regions in Ascension and also Jefferson Davis Parish are still bracing for the possibility of backwater flooding this week. Chief Deputy Chris Ivey with the Jefferson Davis Sheriff’s Office says they aren’t expecting many more areas to take on, but now they are gearing up for the aftermath…:
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Officials confirmed that there were two deaths in Livingston Parish, two in St. Helena, five in East Baton Rouge, three in Tangipahoa and one in Rapides Parish. Bringing the total to 13.

A state health official says there will be an increase threat of West Nile in the flooded areas of the state. Jeff Palermo has more…:
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Entergy says restoration efforts continue after the Great Flood of 2016, as customers affected by outages grows to new areas with the rising water. Over 12,000 customers are in the dark. DEMCO is working to get over 4600 back up.

The water is leaving Livingston Parish for the most part, but what the flood left behind is catastrophic. Parish-wide, officials say at least 75% of homes were impacted with 2 to 8 feet of water, but that figure could easily grow as this is still very much an ongoing situation. Denham Springs Mayor Gerard Landry says people are coming from all over the US to help:
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There were between 15,000-20,000 rescues made during this event.

If you’ve got lots of wet photos and documents from the flood, don’t toss them just yet. The State Archives Office says they could be salvaged. Archivist Doug Harrison specializes in preservation. He says if you cannot separate the paper items enough to air dry, you can wrap them in wax paper and put them in the freezer…:
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He says ideally pictures need to be air dried as soon as possible.

The massive flooding in south Louisiana now poses an increased risk for West Nile. That’s according to the State Medical Director for the Center of Community Preparedness, Dr. Frank Welch, who says in the short-term, flooding washes away mosquitoes and their larvae, but floods leave standing water, which allows mosquitoes to breed and the population to grow quickly:
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Welch says they are going to be very vigilant and focus on mosquito control over the next few weeks.

The State Archives Office is offering advice for salvaging documents or photographs that were damaged in the flood. Archivist Doug Harrison specializes in preservation. He says the best thing people can do is separate the documents into the smallest possible stacks so they can dry:
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Harrison says pictures need to be air dried as soon as possible.

It’s reported the death toll from the recent storms and flooding in south Louisiana has risen to 13. The state registrar for vital records says an elderly woman in Livingston Parish was confirmed Wednesday as the latest death.

Residents in Jefferson Davis parish are simultaneously recovering from a historic flood and preparing for more water to come. Chief Deputy Chris Ivey with the Sheriff’s Office says the water is receding in many areas of the parish, and people are moving back into their neighborhoods as they can…:
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Conditions are looking a little better farther east down the I-10 corridor. Lafayette OEP Director Craig Stansbury says over 5-thousand homes were damaged in the flood, and many people are still in shelters…:
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He says they will be assisting FEMA with setting up a location and whatever else the residents need going forward.

At least 12 people have died as a result of historic flooding that severely impacted the majority of south Louisiana and a portion of central Louisiana. The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that a team discovered the body of a man in his 50s in the South Point subdivision in Denham Springs. There were between 15,000-20,000 rescues made during this event. 90% of homes in the Denham Springs were flooded. City Mayor Gerard Landry says businesses also took on water at unimaginable levels…:
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Parish-wide, officials say at least 75% of homes were impacted with 2 to 8 feet of water.

Over 10,500 customers with Entergy remain without power. Demco says nearly 4700 people remain in the dark. The hardest hit areas are the northern and eastern part of East Baton Rouge Parish, Livingston, Tangipahoa, and Ascension parishes.

Even though it’s a hectic week in south Louisiana, LSU is expected to start school on Monday as usual and accommodate local students affected by the flood. Emelie Gunn has more…:
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Governor John Bel Edwards and various state and local officials will participate in a Unified Command Group  briefing on the flooding impacting Louisiana. They will then participate in a news conference to update the public on the state’s response and recovery efforts in areas affected.

According to the state fire marshal’s office, emergency workers discovered a man’s body in a flooded Denham Springs subdivision this afternoon, which brings the flooding death toll to 12. The identity of the victim has not yet been confirmed, but investigators say the man appears to be in his 50s.

As the flood water rose, many people were fleeing to shelter. Celtic Media Studios in Baton Rouge opened their doors to thousands of people who were forced out of their homes after the devastating storm. Director of Studio Operations Patrick Mulhearn says the lull in the film industry actually turned out to be a blessing…

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Mulhearn says Saturday night the population of Celtic was zero and Sunday afternoon the population was about 4-thousand people. He says there has been talk about Baton Rouge being divided but he’s never seen a more united community than over the weekend.

While flood waters are receding in some parishes, the Lake Arthur area in Jefferson Davis parish is still expecting more flooding this weekend and into next week. Johnathan Brazzell with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles says the Mermentau River is expected to crest at 11.5 feet by Friday, which would be the third highest crest the river has ever seen.

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Brazzell says this will lead to more homes flooding and road closures in that area.

There are numerous sandbagging locations in St. James Parish as officials prepare for backwater flooding. Parish President Timothy Roussel says the community has really teamed up and when one home is completely sandbagged, they all move on to the next.

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Over 40-thousand homes were damaged by the floods, and unfortunately, many of them are not insured for flood damage. Jeff Palermo has more…

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A man’s body was discovered by emergency workers this afternoon in an area where major flooding took place. The discovery brings the flooding death toll to 12. According to the state fire marshal’s office, the body was found in a subdivision in Denham Springs. The identity of the victim has not yet been confirmed, but investigators say the man appears to be in his 50s with no apparent trauma.

While thousands of flood victims are still displaced from their homes, Governor John Bel Edwards says state officials are trying to figure out a plan for housing them. He says there’s a lot of information that needs to be gathered about the victims and their needs. But he says FEMA knows how to do this, so the state is following their lead.

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Disaster food stamps will be available for flood victims, and pre-registration begins today at the Department of Children and Family services’ website. Sammy Guillory with DCFS says they hope to have registration sites open next week, but that’s not set in stone. He says DCFS has a lot on its plate right now.

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Guillory says anyone who was affected by the flood and does not receive regular SNAP benefits can apply.