Rain continues in north Louisiana, flooding moves south

Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day today, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.
The Bossier City region near Shreveport has taken the brunt of the storm that began saturating Louisiana late Tuesday. At least three people have drowned, and mandatory evacuations have been enforced by rescuers using large trucks able to negotiate the high waters.
Residents in two additional subdivisions in the region were ordered to leave today, while the Louisiana Downs racetrack was under a mandatory evacuation, said Bossier Parish Sheriff's Lt Bill Davis. A flood warning was in effect for the Red Chute Bayou, where levees built to prevent water from overflowing were at risk.

In the southeast, high water rescues were under way in Tangipahoa Parish, and emergency shelters were being set up to house dislocated residents. Parish President Robby Miller said about 200 people were evacuated from their homes east and northeast of Hammond early today after 12 inches of rain fell overnight.
"We are getting calls from all over the parish of high water and homes been threatened," Miller said. "About 60 parish roads are now blocked by high water and that number is growing."
Meteorologist Patrick Omundson in Shreveport said rain continued to fall over portions of north-central Louisiana, bringing an addition inch to portions of Grant, LaSalle and Winn parishes.

A section of Interstate 20 east of Bossier City remained closed and a portion of I-49 was closed south of Shreveport. "Wallace Lake is overflowing, sending its water west to the interstate," Omundson said.
Most of the heavy rain remains over the Monroe area in northeast Louisiana. C S Ross, a hydrologist at the National Weather Service in Shreveport, said 20-plus inches of rain has fallen in southeast Bossier City since Tuesday night.
If weather permits today, Louisiana Gov John Bel Edwards planned to tour Shreveport and Bossier City and Monroe, the governor's spokeswoman Shauna Sanford said. Edwards late yesterday issued a statewide declaration of emergency.