Louisiana continues to struggle from days of severe weather that has caused thousands of evacuations, cars and homes underwater, roads submerged and bridges washed out. The Governor’s Office says reports on the number of homes with flood damage is already more than 2500, but several key parishes haven’t reported data yet so the number will go up. Residents are still being forced from their homes. Governor John Bel Edwards is providing updates today, then plans to visit Tangipahoa Parish which has seen catastrophic devastation. The governor says although they have not come up with an estimate on the damage yet, he expects it to be quite high…:
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Flash flood watches and flood warnings are in place for many parishes as river levels are high and are expected to keep rising over the next several days. The National Guard has deployed hundreds of guardsmen who have assisted in thousands of rescues of people and pets.

The weather system dropped as much as 20 inches of rain in some areas. Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland says areas in Winn, Jackson, and Bienville Parishes have many roadway and bridge closures due to high water and infrastructure failure. He says law enforcement is working to get patients in hospitals proper medical care, even though the roads are all covered with water.
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Washington Parish got clobbered with rain and Emergency Preparedness Director Tommy Thiebaud says to put it simply, water is everywhere…:
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He says these water levels are unprecedented.

In other news, the Bureau of Safety says it’s investigating the death of a worker who was killed while working on an oil platform rig in the Gulf of Mexico, about 150 miles south of New Orleans.

It’s daylight savings time weekend. The time change officially starts Sunday at 2am.