BATON ROUGE (WGNO) – Twenty parishes in Louisiana have been declared federal disaster areas in the wake of historic, devastating floods.
The floods have caused the drowning deaths of 10 people, according to the Associated Press.
The following parishes have received the disaster declaration, paving the way for state and federal aid through FEMA and other resources:
- Acadia
- Ascension
- Avoyelles
- East Baton Rouge
- East Feliciana
- Evangeline
- Iberia
- Iberville
- Jefferson Davis
- Lafayette
- Livingston
- Pointe Coupee
- Helena
- Landry
- Martin
- Tammany
- Tangipahoa
- Vermilion
- Washington
- West Feliciana
Additional parishes could be added as backwater flooding threatens LaPlace, St. James Parish and other areas.
About 40,000 homes flooded, and 20,000 people had to be rescued with 1,000 pets, Gov. John Bel Edwards said. The hardest hit areas so far include Livingston, East Baton Rouge and St. Helena parishes, along with much of Acadiana.
Edwards has said he expects that almost half of Louisiana parishes will be declared disaster areas by the time the flood waters recede.
“We are working around the clock to get every available resource into the hands of the people of our state. No one will be forgotten as we continue to assess the damage. I will continue to work with the federal government, as well as state, local, and federal partners, to make sure the resources we need are on the ground as soon as possible,” Edwards said.