Waters recede in Louisiana

Associated Press

BELLE CHASE, La.

Floodwaters from Isaac receded, power came on and businesses opened Friday ahead of the holiday weekend, the beginning of what is certain to be a slow recovery for Louisiana.

Newly nominated Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney visited flood-ravaged communities, and President Barack Obama said he would arrive Monday, appearances this part of the country is all too familiar with after Katrina and the Gulf oil spill.

Meanwhile, the leftovers from the storm pushed into the drought-stricken Midwest, knocking out power to thousands of people in Arkansas. At least seven people were killed in the storm in Mississippi and Louisiana.

In Lafitte, a fishing village south of New Orleans, Romney saw soaked homes, roads covered with brown water and debris-littered neighborhoods. The GOP-friendly community is outside of the federal levee system that spared New Orleans, and it lies on an exposed stretch of land near the Gulf.

Romney met along a highway with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, and they talked about challenges facing the stricken area, which relies on fishing for its livelihood. He also spoke to town officials and emergency workers.

Richard Riley rode out the storm in his home. Even though the water was receding Friday, he decided it was time to leave. He walked about a mile and found rescuers, who took him to family members.

Riley, a Republican, said he favored building new flood protection for the area, especially after Isaac brought in a surprising amount of water. He said he wanted Obama to help make that happen.

“He needs to see the devastation and allocate the money that’s needed to build new levees or do whatever is needed to protect us,” Riley said.

Isaac dumped as much as 16 inches of rain in some areas, and about 500 people had to be rescued by boat or high-water vehicles. More than 5,000 people were still staying in shelters.

The remainder of the storm was still a powerful system carrying rain and the threat of flash flooding as it headed across Arkansas into Missouri and then up the Ohio River valley over the weekend, the National Weather Service said.