Evacuation Urged In South Louisiana Community
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DENHAM SPRINGS, La. (AP) Authorities in a community in southern Louisiana are calling for residents to evacuate amid rising waters there.
Gueydan Fire Chief Evans Bourque says there's an area in Vermilion Parish that's outside the levee system and residents there are urged to evacuate. Bourque says the evacuation affects about 60 to 70 homes. He didn't know how many people that included but said it was less than 100.
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson visits Louisiana on Thursday to review the federal government's response to the flooding, which has damaged tens of thousands of homes and businesses.
More than 70,000 people have registered for individual assistance and more than 9,000 have filed flood insurance claims. Many are just trying to figure out where to live.
Keisha Taylor, a 37-year-old mother of four, has spent three nights in two different shelters since her family fled their flooded Baton Rouge apartment. She doesn't know how many more nights they'll be sleeping on cots inside a downtown arena.
The flooding that struck the Baton Rouge and Lafayette areas has left at least 13 people dead and damaged an estimated 40,000 homes.
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