The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Louisiana cleans up as search continues
Residents try to recover as search parties look for flood survivors; the powerful water made for a grim scene at several cemeteries.
ST. AMANT, LA. — Floodweary residents cleaned out houses Saturday as search parties went door to door looking for survivors or bodies trapped by flooding so powerful in some cases that it sent caskets floating from cemeteries.
At least 13 people died in the flooding that swept through parts of southern Louisiana after torrential rains lashed the region. As waters are receding, residents are faced with mudcaked homes so thoroughly soaked that mold is a top concern.
“It’s much worse than I expected,” said Sheila Siener. “The water, the dirt, the smell. Water in the cabinets. Everything’s filthy. I’ve never been through a flood, so I really didn’t know.”
In other areas the water is still high enough to cause concern. In the southwest Louisiana town of Lake Arthur, pumps and sandbags were keeping floodwaters at bay. But authorities said there was still too much danger for people to return.
In a uniquely Louisiana problem, some families are also trying to rebury relatives whose caskets were unearthed by the floods.
At least 15 cemeteries across seven parishes have had disruptions, the Louisiana Department of Health reported Saturday, although they don’t yet have an estimate of how many graves, tombs and vaults were damaged.
At the Plainview Cemetery in Denham Springs, relatives gathered to see what had become of their plots, only to find a chaotic mess.
“This is bad, it’s just bad. You can’t even come to see people. You don’t know where they’re at,” said Ravonte Thomas, whose relative’s casket was missing.
In southern Louisiana, the water table is so high that caskets are often encased in vaults that are partially above ground, said Zeb Johnson of the Calcasieu Parish coroner’s office, who has extensive experience with recovering caskets scattered by flooding or hurricanes.
In Livingston Parish, which was hit hard by the floods, coroner’s office employee John Marston said about 30 caskets were unearthed and more may be found when the water recedes from the southern part of the parish.
“As the water table gets high and the ground gets saturated, it’s just like a boat. It’s going to float,” he said.
The problem is so widespread that the government is asking people who have seen any problems with cemeteries as a result of flooding to contact local law enforcement.
In other areas the search for the living goes on.
Teams went house to house Saturday in Ascension Parish and will continue the search today, said Brant L. Thompson of the State Fire Marshal’s office. Breaking down on a grid the various parishes where floods swept through, search teams have been knocking on doors, checking for signs of life like fresh tire tracks or debris piles that could indicate someone has begun cleaning up. They hope for the best but with floods this catastrophic, they’re also prepared for the worst.
“If we go by and this house has waterline up to the roof line, no one’s been there, there’s no trash piled out by the road, we want to check that house to see if anyone is inside that, maybe, perished,” said Clint Sistrunk, a firefighter.