Army National Guard vehicles travel through floodwaters, Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016, on LA-442, west of Tickfaw, La., as rescue operations continue after heavy rains inundated the region. (AP Photo/Max Becherer)
TICKFAW, La.—In high-water vehicles, boats and helicopters, emergency crews worked Sunday to rescue scores of south Louisiana residents from deadly flooding 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.
And in many places, the water was still rising.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Sunday that at least 7,000 people have been rescued so far. Edwards says the storm has “subsided in its intensity” but he called on people to refrain from going out to “sightsee” even as the weather gets better.
Residents use a raft to evacuate as others walk out of their neighbor Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016, in Baton Rouge, La. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says more than 1,000 people in south Louisiana have been rescued from homes, vehicles and even clinging to trees as a slow-moving storm hammers the state with flooding. (John Oubre/The Advocate via AP)
Lafayette firefighters bring people rescued from flood waters to the Heymann Performing Arts Center in Lafayette, La., Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says more than 1,000 people in south Louisiana have been rescued from homes, vehicles and even clinging to trees as a slow-moving storm hammers the state with flooding. (Brad Bowie/The Advocate via AP)
A resident wades through flood water at Tiger Manor Apartments by the North Gates of LSU, Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016, in Baton Rouge, La. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says more than 1,000 people in south Louisiana have been rescued from homes, vehicles and even clinging to trees as a slow-moving storm hammers the state with flooding. (Brianna Paciorka/The Advocate via AP)
Vehicles pass a submerged car in a ditch on Highway 30 near Brightside, La., Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says more than 1,000 people in south Louisiana have been rescued from homes, vehicles and even clinging to trees as a slow-moving storm hammers the state with flooding. (Brad Kemp/The Advocate via AP)
Blandyn LeBlanc, left, helps his friend Logan Green, bring Green’s dogs off a boat, after picking them up at Green’s flooded house in Central, La., Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says more than 1,000 people in south Louisiana have been rescued from homes, vehicles and even clinging to trees as a slow-moving storm hammers the state with flooding. (Travis Spradling/The Advocate via AP)
Residents push an inflatable mattress through flood water at Tiger Manor Apartments by the North Gates of LSU, Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016, in Baton Rouge, La. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says more than 1,000 people in south Louisiana have been rescued from homes, vehicles and even clinging to trees as a slow-moving storm hammers the state with flooding. (Brianna Paciorka/The Advocate via AP)
A horse walks through receding floodwater west of Tickfaw, La., off of LA-442, Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016, as rescue operations continue after heavy rains inundated the region. (AP Photo/Max Becherer)
A boat and vehicle are seen abandoned at a road west of Tickfaw, La., on LA-442, Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016, as rescue operations continue after heavy rains inundated the region. (AP Photo/Max Becherer)
Residents emerge from their homes, west of Tickfaw, La., off of LA-442, Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016, as rescue operations continue after heavy rains inundated the region. (AP Photo/Max Becherer)
Army National Guard vehicles travel through floodwaters, Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016, on LA-442, west of Tickfaw, La., as rescue operations continue after heavy rains inundated the region. (AP Photo/Max Becherer)
Residents evacuate with food in ice chests on Providence Boulevard in Hammond, La., where flood waters inundated homes after heavy rains in the region Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Max Becherer)
Residents, who evacuated their homes, drive on U.S. Route 190 in Hammond, La., where flood waters inundated homes after heavy rains in the region Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Max Becherer)
Army National Guard soldiers check on people fleeing the area around Hammond Eastside Elementary Magnet School in Hammond, La., after heavy rains inundated the region Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Max Becherer)
In this aerial photo over Hammond, La., flooded homes are seen off of LA-1064 after heavy rains inundated the region, Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Max Becherer)
In this aerial photo over Robert, La., stranded people wait on flooded U.S. Route 190 after heavy rains inundating the region Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says more than 1,000 people in south Louisiana have been rescued from homes, vehicles and even clinging to trees as a slow-moving storm hammers the state with flooding. (AP Photo/Max Becherer)
In this aerial photo over Hammond, La., cattle can bee seen huddled together in flood water after heavy rains inundated the region, Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Max Becherer)
In this aerial photo over Robert, La., rescuers and evacuees stand on U.S. Route 190 after heavy rains inundating the region Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says more than 1,000 people in south Louisiana have been rescued from homes, vehicles and even clinging to trees as a slow-moving storm hammers the state with flooding. (AP Photo/Max Becherer)
In this aerial photo over Robert, La., Army National Guard, vehicles drive on flooded U.S. Route 190 after heavy rains inundated the region, Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says more than 1,000 people in south Louisiana have been rescued from homes, vehicles and even clinging to trees as a slow-moving storm hammers the state with flooding. (AP Photo/Max Becherer)
In this aerial photo a boat motors between flooded homes after heavy rains inundating the region Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016, in Hammond, La. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says more than 1,000 people in south Louisiana have been rescued from homes, vehicles and even clinging to trees as a slow-moving storm hammers the state with flooding. (AP Photo/Max Becherer)
This aerial photo over Hammond, La., shows flooded Hammond Eastside Elementary Magnet School and Hammond High Magnet School after heavy rains inundated the region Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says more than 1,000 people in south Louisiana have been rescued from homes, vehicles and even clinging to trees as a slow-moving storm hammers the state with flooding. (AP Photo/Max Becherer)
This aerial photo shows lined up school buses at the flooded Hammond High Magnet School in Hammond, La., after heavy rains inundating the region Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Max Becherer)
This aerial image shows flooded areas of North Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says more than 1,000 people in south Louisiana have been rescued from homes, vehicles and even clinging to trees as a slow-moving storm hammers the state with flooding. (Patrick Dennis/The Advocate via AP)
Tammie Wise holds her dog Mikey, after Jeffrey Lesage, right, boated them to safety in Central, La., Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says more than 1,000 people in south Louisiana have been rescued from homes, vehicles and even clinging to trees as a slow-moving storm hammers the state with flooding. (Travis Spradling/The Advocate via AP)
A Lafayette firefighter brings guests luggage to the street while evacuating them from the Fairfield Inn in Lafayette, La., Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says more than 1,000 people in south Louisiana have been rescued from homes, vehicles and even clinging to trees as a slow-moving storm hammers the state with flooding. (Brad Kemp/The Advocate via AP)
Leanne Stockstill, center, is boated out of the Geo-Jes subdivision off Central Thruway and Frenchtown Road, Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says more than 1,000 people in south Louisiana have been rescued from homes, vehicles and even clinging to trees as a slow-moving storm hammers the state with flooding. At the motor is Van Guarino, and seated foreground are helpers John Firmin, left, and Mark Mancuso. (Travis Spradling/The Advocate via AP)
“This is a serious event. It is ongoing. It is not over,” said the governor, emphasizing that in some areas water is continuing to rise.
He said the fatalities have not risen from the three dead reported on Saturday. One person is unaccounted for in St. Helena Parish.
Mike Steele, spokesman for the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said there was an overnight spike in flood rescues in the eastern part of Baton Rouge. Two nursing homes were being evacuated.
Police were rescuing people from cars stranded on a miles-long stretch of Interstate 12, which was closed from Baton Rouge to Tangipahoa Parish.
One of those motorists was Alex Cobb of Baton Rouge, who has been stuck since around 11 a.m. Saturday morning.
Reached by telephone Sunday, she said she was on her way to a bridal shower she was supposed to host Saturday when flooding closed off the highway.
She said she had food intended for the bridal shower and a produce truck about a ¼ mile up the road shared its stock with drivers.
“They opened up their truck and started giving out fruits and vegetables to people,” she said.
Cobb said some of the people stranded were actually fleeing flooding in their homes when they got caught on the freeway. Nearby her were a pregnant woman and an 80-year-old woman.
“People are surprisingly upbeat. I don’t know how long that is going to last because it’s getting kind of hot,” she said. “We just want water.”
Steele said the flooding that started Friday has damaged more than 1,000 homes in East Baton Rouge Parish, more than 1,000 homes in Livingston Parish, and hundreds more in other areas, including St. Helena and Tangipahoa parishes.
“It never slowed down last night,” Steele said Sunday morning. “For the last few hours, there has been just as much activity as at any point.”
Gov. Edwards declared a state of emergency Saturday, calling the floods “unprecedented” and “historic.” He and his family were even forced to leave the Governor’s Mansion when chest-high water filled the basement and electricity was shut off.
In one dramatic rescue Saturday, two men on a boat pulled a woman from a car almost completely underwater, according to video by WAFB. The woman, who’s not initially visible on camera, yells from inside the car: “Oh my god, I’m drowning.”
Vehicles pass a submerged car in a ditch on Highway 30 near Brightside, La. on Aug. 13, 2016. (Brad Kemp/The Advocate via AP)
One of the rescuers, David Phung, jumps into the brown water and pulls the woman to safety. She pleads with Phung to get her dog, but he can’t find it. After several seconds, Phung takes a deep breath, goes underwater and resurfaces — with the small dog. Both the woman and dog appeared OK.
As of Sunday morning, some 5,050 people were staying in parish and Red Cross shelters, said Department of Children & Family Services Secretary Marketa Garner Walters. The governor said even more people were staying in private shelters like churches.
Walters said the Red Cross is also looking for volunteers.
In Baker, just north of Baton Rouge, residents were rescued by boats or waded through waist-deep, water to reach dry ground. Dozens of them awoke Saturday morning on cots at a makeshift Red Cross shelter only a few blocks from their flooded homes and cars.
Shanita Angrum, 32, said she called 911 on Friday morning when she realized flood waters had trapped her family in their home. A police officer carried her 6-year-old daughter, Khoie, on his back while she and her husband waded behind them for what “felt like forever.”
“Snakes were everywhere,” she said. “The whole time I was just praying for God to make sure me and my family were OK.”
Beginning Friday, 6 to 10 inches of rain fell on parts of Louisiana and several more inches of rain fell on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Some areas got even more rain. In a 24-hour period, Baton Rouge had as much as 11 inches while one weather observer reported more than 17 inches in Livingston.
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.
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency for several counties in his state as it also battled the heavy rainfall.
As floodwaters swallowed Lyn Gibson’s two-story home in Louisiana’s Tangipahoa Parish, she hacked away on a hole near the roof, desperately trying to get to safety. She used a saw, a screwdriver and her feet, knocking her way through wood, vinyl and sheet rock and was eventually rescued by National Guard soldiers on a boat.
“I just kept picking and hitting and prying until I could get a hole big enough,” the slightly built, 115-pound woman said.