The National Memo published an appeal from meteorologist Eric Holthaus in our morning newsletter today calling upon President Obama to respond more forcefully to the flooding in Louisiana. Holthaus argued that the flooding, the result of an unnamed storm, has received significantly less attention from politicians and the media than a named storm of comparable damage would have.
And he’s right. The Red Cross has already called the flooding the worst natural disaster on American soil since Hurricane Sandy, four years ago. The scope of the flooding is difficult to grasp.
6.9 Trillion
gallons of rainfall in one week across Louisiana, per meteorologist Ryan Maue and as reported by CNN. In one parish, Watson, 31 inches of rain fell between 6am and 9pm last Tuesday.
CNN
60,000-110,000
homes damaged by flooding (this is a range of reported damage and homes within flooded areas). 106,000 households have registered with FEMA to receive aid.
REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman
30,000 residents
rescued from flooded areas.
REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman
22
school districts forced to close, some indefinitely. The Washington Post reports as many as 4,000 teachers have been displaced by flooding.
REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman
20
parishes have been declared disaster areas by FEMA. And Gov. John Bell Edwards expects 10 more parishes to be declared disasters areas soon, out of a total of 64 in the state.
Wikimedia Commons/Williamcasey
13
deaths across the state.
REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman
Top Photo: A man throws flood damaged material into a pile of debris in St. Amant, Louisiana, U.S., August 21, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman
