More than 1,000 rescued in La. floods

Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS

National Guard soldiers and other officials in boats and helicopters plucked more than 1,000 people from their homes and cars as “unprecedented, historic” flooding swamped Louisiana, the governor said Saturday, warning that the slow-moving storm would dump even more rain and cause further problems.

At least three people were killed when swift-moving water quickly inundated roads. Searches were underway for missing people.

During an aerial tour, an Associated Press reporter saw homes in parts of rural Tangipahoa Parish that looked like islands among flooded fields. Farmland was covered and streets descended into impassable pools of water.

“This is an ongoing event. We’re still in response mode,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said, urging residents to heed warnings to evacuate and not rely on their past experiences because the state has never seen flooding like this before.