Louisiana Flooding May Get Worse Before It Gets Better
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SOUTH LOUISIANA (CBSDFW/AP/CBS News) The devastation from the catastrophic Louisiana flooding is becoming clearer.
Many people here have lost everything, reports CBS News correspondent Omar Villafranca. The historic flooding since Friday is responsible for at least seven deaths, and more than 11,000 people are homeless. Thousands of homes are damaged. With flood waters on the move, it may get worse before it gets better.
"We're not going to give up, we're gonna stay 'til the bloody end, and if it knocks us down, we're going to get back up, and we're going to rebuild," Sorrento Mayor Mike Lambert said.
READ MORE: Louisiana Flooding
Rivers and creeks are still dangerously bloated south of Baton Rouge. People have filled sandbags to protect their houses, bracing for the worst as high water flows toward the Gulf of Mexico. In one area, Ascension Parish, officials say some small towns have already been inundated.
Some residents of Louisiana's capital city have begun struggling to return to flood-damaged homes on foot, in cars and by boat as waters recede in some areas.
But though the rain had mostly stopped, new places in the state are facing flood dangers from the deluge that has sent thousands into shelters.
The administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is coming to Louisiana to meeting with state officials on the ongoing flooding there.
Craig Fugate will meet with Gov. John Bel Edwards on Tuesday to discuss the situation.
The governor's office says Fugate will travel to Louisiana to meet with the state's Unified Command Group to discuss the federal assistance available and response efforts.
The federal government declared a major disaster in the state, specifically in the parishes of Tangipahoa, St. Helena, East Baton Rouge and Livingston. State officials say disaster declarations for other parishes affected by flooding could come this week.
