Spring storms brought heavy rain to Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama in March, and rising rivers and streams drove many residents from their homes. The floods were national news: the New York Times reported here (see: “Louisiana and Mississippi Check Damage After Heavy Rain and Flooding,” by Associated Press). Thousands of homes were affected, the paper reported.
“The flooding is the result of a slow-moving storm that dumped up to two feet of rain on the region last week,” reported USA Today (see: “Record flooding swamps Texas, Louisiana, Miss.,” by Doyle Rice). “Though the storm is gone, a massive amount of water is still moving through swollen streams and rivers on its way to the Gulf of Mexico.”
Floodwaters had receded within a week, but wet spring weather continued to bring the threat of more flooding. Meanwhile, federal and state agencies began to respond to the flood damage: President Obama declared parts of the region a disaster area, and FEMA opened offices to assist flood victims, according to a report from local TV station WDSU Channel 6 (see: “FEMA opens disaster recovery centers in Slidell, Monroe for flood victims,” by Juan Sanchez.
