Housing crisis follows flooding
With an estimated 40,000 homes damaged by deadly flooding, Louisiana could be looking at its biggest housing crunch since the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina more than a decade ago.
People whose homes were swamped by some of the heaviest rains Louisiana has ever seen are staying in shelters, bunking with friends or relatives, or sleeping in trailers on their front lawns. Others unable or unwilling to leave their homes are living amid mud and the ever-present risk of mold in the steamy August heat.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, whose very name became a punchline during Katrina, said it would look into lining up rental properties for those left homeless and would consider using temporary housing units.
The flooding that struck the Baton Rouge and Lafayette areas has left at least 11 people dead. More than 30,000 have been rescued, and at least 70,000 have registered for federal disaster assistance. At one point 11,000 people were staying in shelters, though that had dropped to 6,000 by Wednesday.