9550
From: chatilion, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Flood-weary Louisiana cleans house while search continues
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ST. AMANT, La. (AP) — Flood-weary residents cleaned out houses Saturday as search parties went door to door looking for survivors or bodies trapped by flooding so powerful in some cases it disturbed the dead and sent caskets floating from cemeteries. At least 13 people died in the flooding that swept through parts of southern Louisiana after torrential rains lashed the region. An estimated 60,000 homes have been damaged, and 102,000 people have registered for federal assistance so far. As waters are receding, residents are faced with mud-caked homes so thoroughly soaked that mold is a top concern. "It's much worse than I expected," said Sheila Siener. "The water, the dirt, the smell. Water in the cabinets. Everything's filthy. I've never been through a flood, so I really didn't know." In other areas the water is still high enough to cause concern. In Lake Arthur, pumps and sandbags were keeping floodwaters out of the town of 2,700 in southwest Louisiana. But authorities said there's still too much danger for people to return. In a uniquely Louisiana problem, some families are also trying to rebury relatives whose caskets were unearthed by the floods. Daniel Stover, 17, moves a boat of personal belongings from a friend's home flooded home in Sorrento, La., Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. Louisiana continues to dig itself out from devastating floods, with search parties going door to door looking for survivors or bodies trapped by flooding.© AP Photo/Max Becherer Daniel Stover, 17, moves a boat of personal belongings from a friend's home flooded home in Sorrento, La., Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. Louisiana continues to dig itself out from… At least 15 cemeteries across seven parishes have had disruptions, the Louisiana Department of Health reported Saturday, although they don't yet have an estimate of how many graves, tombs and vaults have been damaged. The department is reaching out to affected parishes to do assessments. In most cases, the disinterred caskets and vaults are still within the territory of the cemetery, although one casket ended up in a nearby backyard. In one case, a local funeral home has already recovered and re-interred the small number of caskets that surfaced. At the Plainview Cemetery in Denham Springs, relatives gathered to see what had become of their plots, only to find a chaotic mess with some vaults overturned and in other cases only empty outlines of graves remaining. "This is bad, it's just bad. You can't even come to see people. You don't know where they're at," said Ravonte Thomas, whose relative's casket was missing. In southern Louisiana, the water table is so high that people generally cannot be buried six feet under. Caskets are often encased in vaults that are partially above ground, said Zeb Johnson, with the Calcasieu Parish coroner's office, who has extensive experience with recovering caskets scattered by flooding or hurricanes. Louisiana Begins Long Road To Recovery Following Flood Louisiana Begins Long Road To Recovery Following Flood Cities in southern Louisiana hardest hit by the recent flooding have ended their search and rescue missions and have started rebuilding their cities. Approximately 102,000 residents of Louisiana have filed for federal emergency funds. The floods have been deemed the worst disaster in the United States since Hurricane Sandy in 2012. More than 3,500 people are still homeless and sleeping in shelters and at least 13 people have been killed. President Barack Obama plans to visit the region on Tuesday to assess the flood damage first-hand. In Livingston Parish, which was hard-hit by the floods, John Marston from the coroner's office said they've received reports of about 30 caskets unearthed, and they anticipate finding more when waters recede off the southern part of the parish. "As the water table gets high and the ground gets saturated, it's just like a boat. It's going to float," he said. The problem is so widespread that the government is asking people who have seen any problems with cemeteries as a result of flooding to contact local law enforcement. In other areas the search for the living goes on. Search teams went house to house Saturday in Ascension Parish and will continue the search Sunday, said Brant L. Thompson from the State Fire Marshal's office. Thompson said aerial surveys Saturday indicated that waters in lower Livingston Parish had receded enough to allow them to search neighborhoods that were off limits due to high water earlier. "They're covering a lot of territory," Thompson said. Breaking down the various parishes where floods swept through on a grid, search teams have been knocking on doors, checking for signs of life like fresh tire tracks or debris piled up indicating someone is already inside cleaning things out. They hope for the best but with floods this catastrophic that caught many by surprise, they're also prepared for the worst. "If we go by and this house has waterline up to the roof line, no one's been there, there's no trash piled out by the road, we want to check that house to see if anyone inside that, maybe, perished," said Clint Sistrunk, a firefighter. He and colleagues from of the Monroe Fire Department in northern Louisiana arrived Wednesday, part of waves of first responders who have been coming in from all over the state and country to help Louisiana. Another team is expected Sunday from Tennessee, Thompson said. Driving through neighborhoods where pools of water still stand outside and families are ripping out carpets and carrying water-logged sofas to the curb, the searchers are looking for houses with little activity. In many areas the water is still so high that people are rowing boats out to their houses to see what the situation is like inside. "It is devastation, absolute devastation," said Stacey Rand of the Louisiana State Fire Marshal's office. "It caught everyone by surprise." __ |
9552
From: pamela, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Flood-weary Louisiana cleans house while search continues
| think what you will. . . |
Responses:
[9553]
9553
From: chatillion, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Flood-weary Louisiana cleans house while search continues
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No words. That system sat over us for days. Thank you for the link, Pamela. |
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None
9551
From: Petra, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Flood-weary Louisiana cleans house while search continues
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Hi Chatilion, Sadly it takes about a year to repair flood damaged homes and coming near the onset of Fall and Winter makes the situation worse. Yet about now the shady repair people will converge into the area offering their shoddy services piling one disaster into the next. Those folks have a long road to hoe to find peace in their lives especially retired folks and the elderly. May we wish God speed on all issues. Petra |
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None