Rain soaks north Louisiana, 3 dead in severe weather

ELM GROVE, La. (AP) — Huge military trucks rumbled through neighborhoods in northern Louisiana on Thursday in search of families trapped by days of relentless rain, while men in rain gear waded through floodwaters up to their chests to rescue stranded animals.

The process repeated itself throughout the day and similar rescues were possible late tonight in the southern part of the state, which also braced for heavy rain.

Davyon Hill, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's office in Shreveport, said skies have cleared in the region, but the area is not yet out of the woods.

"It's not over with," he said. "There's still part of a low pressure system that's in Central Texas that is moving this way and overnight it will likely bring another bout of rain to the region."

State officials said a 6-year-old girl was among three people killed in Louisiana during two days of severe weather that has left roads covered in water and sent more than 1,000 people fleeing their homes.

Docia Winters hugged her 20-year-old son, Ryan Ficca, when he got off the back of a big truck Thursday morning. She said she and her husband and daughter evacuated their trailer on Wednesday, but Ficca had stayed behind to look after their 11 cats.

She said the water rose so fast, however, that Ficca was forced to leave without the cats.

"We don't know if they went under the trailer or where they are," she said.

Sixteen Louisiana parishes have declared a state of emergency, and the National Guard was sent in to help.