BATON ROUGE, Louisiana – Just before dusk Wednesday, residents about 20 miles southeast of Baton Rouge loaded up on sandbags and prepped for the worst.
“In the last 16 hours the water probably rose about 11 inches,” said Michael Melscheimer, who lives close to Dutch Town.
Unlike so many other residents in hard hit Ascension Parish, Melscheimer said his home hasn’t flooded yet, but he, and many others, fear it could happen soon, as rivers and bayous overflow.
“It’s an overwhelming situation,” Melscheimer said. “People just weren’t expecting it and were caught off guard.”
As of Wednesday night, 13 people had died in the historic flood, which so far had damaged an estimated 40,000 homes across Louisiana.
“My prayers are with everyone,” said Joycelyn Jagers, an Ascension Parish resident.
Jagers moved north to Gonzales, LA after Hurricane Katrina destroyed her family’s home. “I had to start all over,” Jagers said. “Buy another home in another area and work longer to retire.”
Wednesday night she picked up some sandbags to place around her home, hoping this time around the water doesn’t get inside. “I’m half sleeping, watching, praying, hoping I don’t have to start all over again,” Jagers said.