Emergency crews worked through the night to rescue Louisiana locals stranded by historic flooding as officials warned the deadly deluge was far from over.
The flooding has left at least three people dead. More than 1,000 others have been rescued.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards — who declared a state of emergency — calling the floods “unprecedented” and “historic.”
“This is certainly not over,” he told a press conference on Saturday. “The rain continues to fall in the areas that have been most impacted already… We don’t know how wide the water is going to get in these areas.”
The heavy rain began on Friday, with between 6 and 10 inches of rain falling on parts of southeast Louisiana. Several more inches fell Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
In a 24-hour period, Baton Rouge had as much as 11 inches, according to The Associated Press.
Forecasters expected a turn to the north Sunday by the system, warning portions of central and northern Louisiana could see heavy rain into next week.
The Amite River in Denham Springs already has reached historic levels and is expected to rise 4 1/2 feet above the record, according to The Weather Channel.
Motorists were urged to stay off the roads Sunday as emergency crews worked and evacuations continued.
Livingston Parish was among the hardest hit, with some towns completely cut off. Hundreds of motorists were stranded along the local interstate, according to officials.
The local sheriff said early Sunday that “thousands” had been rescued already — with the numbers “still climbing.”
“We are working around the clock,” the sheriff said in a Facebook post. “There is still a backlog of folks waiting for us to get to them. Doing best as we can as fast as we can.”
More than 1,000 rescue personnel have been mobilized and nearly 170 high-water vehicles tasked or staged to assist the efforts, according to the Louisiana National Guard.
Guardsmen were evacuating families early Sunday in East Baton Rouge as flood waters continued to rise.
The U. S. Coast Guard was assisting in the rescue efforts, using helicopters to help residents from their rooftops, cars and trailers.
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