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Louisiana Flooding: 10 Things you Should Know

It's been six days since the water started to rise in the Baton Rouge area, and while the flood has receded in several parts of the state, it is actually still getting worse in others.

Another round of federal officials visited the sites of the Louisiana Flood of 2016 on Thursday.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson was taken to the Lamar Dixon Expo Center and some of the flooded areas in Ascension Parish. FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate came to Louisiana earlier this week.

Here's what you need to know about the disaster:

The flooding hasn't necessarily stopped.

It's been six days since the water started to rise in the Baton Rouge area, and while the flood has receded in several parts of the state, it is actually still getting worse in others.

The state is still dealing with rising water in southern Ascension Parish as well as St. James, Acadia, Jefferson Davis and potentially St. John the Baptist. The state is still having to deal with search and rescue missions, albeit on a smaller scale.

"As I've been saying for six days now, this is ongoing event," Gov. John Bel Edwards said at a press conference Thursday.

Over 4,000 people are still in shelters, but the number has been dropping.


At the highest point, around 11,000 people were staying in shelters. Just in the last 24 hours, the number of people staying in temporary shelters had fallen by half.

But that doesn't necessarily mean that people have been able to move back into their homes. More likely, they have gone to a hotel or are staying with friends or family.

Longer-term, temporary housing hasn't been sorted out yet.

Edwards said the state is still devising its longer-term solution to the housing crisis that has accompanied the flood. Around 75 percent of homes have been called a "total loss" in Livingston Parish alone.

Edwards said the state is still looking at all options for temporary housing. He said the plan will have to be complicated because the flood affected people of varying income levels across a large portion of the state. Also, some people have flood insurance and others don't, which will affect their ability to get back in their homes quickly.

"We can't get the right mix determined until we know more about the population that is affected," Edwards said. "When we have a better feel, we will know whether and how many manufactured housing units to order."

The governor said his staff and federal officials were working as quickly as possible to gather information about the people in need of housing. He hoped to have an announcement about what housing options might be available on Friday.

"Housing will certainly be a major issue," Edwards said.

Some people should be getting money from FEMA in the next 48 hours.

Edwards said an initial group of people had already been approved for financial relief from FEMA, which means they should be getting some money over the next two days. The length of time to receive the money will depend on whether you can get your check through the mail or have to have it electronically transferred, according to the governor.

950 FEMA personnel are on the ground. 750 FEMA workers are coming.

Johnson, the head of Homeland Security, said even more staff could be deployed in the future. They are still evaluating what is needed.

Around 86,500 people have registered for flood relief with FEMA so far. The agency set up its first "small business center" in Livingston Thursday.

The Red Cross expects to spend $30 million on Louisiana Flood efforts.

Gail McGovern, head of the Red Cross, said her organization has already served 100,000 meals and snacks at the shelters it is running. By the end of their time in Louisiana, they believe a total of 1.2 million meals will be given out through the Red Cross.

The Red Cross says this is the biggest disaster since Superstorm Sandy.

The scope of the disaster and the range of the crisis makes it the biggest relief effort the Red Cross has had to run since Sandy, which was in 2012.

Disaster food assistance will be available on Monday, but not everywhere.

Edwards said the program will only launch in seven parishes next week, even though 20 parishes have been declared federal disaster areas. There was no word on when the benefits — called the disaster supplemental nutritional assistance program or DSNAP — will be available to everyone else.

52 people had been stuck in Livingston Parish homes during the flood.

Door-to-door checks on people started yesterday in Livingston Parish. Over 800 homes were inspected and in 30 residences, people who hadn't been able to get out during the flood and weren't accounted for were found.

The governor said the 52 people were primarily elderly and frail. The body of one person who had died already was discovered. The door-to-door checks in Livingston Parish were almost over on Thursday night, but will continue in other parts of the state.

"It is critically important that we go door to door," he said.

The governor believes lack of media attention has led to fewer donations.

Edwards thinks the Red Cross would have received more financial support if the national media had paid attention to the Louisiana Flood earlier.

"The only downside to not being prominently displayed in the news across the country as it relates to this event, is that perhaps the national attention isn't on it as it relates to donations," Edwards said.

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Julia O'Donoghue is a state politics reporter based in Baton Rouge. She can be reached at jodonoghue@nola.com or on Twitter at @jsodonoghue. Please consider following us on Facebook at NOLA.com and NOLA.com-Baton Rouge.

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