The deadly storm system that wreaked havoc on Louisiana, where more than 20,000 had to be rescued, is working its way into the Midwest, where officials are braced for major flooding.
Six people have died in Louisiana, the state registrar for vital records, Devin George, told reporters Monday. George said the deaths included two people in East Baton Rouge Parish, two in St. Helena Parish and two in Tangipahoa Parish.
The storm system moved west into Texas before pivoting northeast, prompting flood warnings in southern Illinois after five inches of rain fell on the region.
National Weather Service forecaster Kim Humphrey said Sunday the storm system has cleared battered southern Louisiana, but said there is now “potential for flooding” to the north.
Forecaster Kim Humphrey of the NWS station in Lake Charles, said there is “potential for flooding” in that region. The bad news for surrounding regions came as parts of Louisiana recovered from heavy rains that sent creeks and rivers cresting over their banks and forced responders to rescue thousands.
In high-water vehicles, boats and helicopters, emergency crews hurried to rescue scores of south Louisiana residents as the governor warned that it was not over.
From the air homes in southwest Louisiana looked more like little islands surrounded by flooded fields. Farmland was covered, streets descended into impassable pools of water, shopping centers were inundated with only roofs of cars peeking above the water.
From the ground, it was just as catastrophic.
Drivers tried to navigate treacherous roads where the water lapped at the side or covered the asphalt in a running stream. Abandoned cars were pushed to the side of the road, lawn furniture and children’s toys floating through the waters.
The low-pressure system that wreaked such havoc moved into Texas, but the National Weather Service warned that there’s still danger of fresh floods, as swollen rivers drain toward the Gulf of Mexico.
Most of the rivers have crested, but several are still rising.