'I'm Just In Shock': Minn. Native Rescued In La. Flooding
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Historic flooding in Louisiana has forced thousands of people from their homes.
It has been raining constantly since Friday morning. Several rivers continue to flood and more than 100 roads are closed.
The governor of Louisiana declared a state of emergency after two people died due to the weather.
Minnesotan Kelly Bollig, who recently moved to Louisiana, described her dramatic escape from her new home to WCCO over the phone.
"I contacted my landlord and he's like, 'It's never flooded over there, you know, this is just Mother Nature, welcome to bayou of Louisiana,'" Bollig said.
Having grown up in Eden Prairie, Bollig was worried when the rain started early Friday morning, but not even the locals of Lafeyette could have known what was on its way down.
More than 1,000 people were rescued by the National Guard from their homes on Friday and Saturday.
"I'm just in shock," Bollig said. "I'm lucky I left when I did."
Alone while her fiancé was at work, Bollig's boss drove his pickup truck to her house in southern Lafayette later Friday morning to pick her up.
The water was rising quickly and made it inside the house within a 20-minute stretch, according to Bollig.
"At this point now the water is pouring in the front door," Bollig said.
She grabbed bare necessities, but did not know how she would get her three dogs to safety.
"I'm a dog mom so I'm just staring at them like, 'Oh my God, what am I going to do?'" Bollig said.
She tied them to her with a leash, and the four of them swam through four-foot high water along her street until they reached the truck on the nearest dry land.
"I still find myself like talking about it, and I feel like it's not actually real," Bollig said. "Nobody can go anywhere. There's actually a curfew that [is] in place from like 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., so people stay in their homes.
Now staying with friends, Bollig cannot help but think of all she lost inside her home. But she is grateful she held on to what matters most -- her dogs.
Some people have not yet been able to leave their homes and are without power.
Many parts of the state are under a flood watch through Sunday.
