Overview
- Remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur stalled over the area on Thursday, June 18, producing roughly 20–30 inches of rain in parts of Avoyelles Parish and triggering rapid, catastrophic flooding.
- Local and state teams including the Avoyelles Parish sheriff’s office, fire departments, the National Guard, wildlife wardens, and mutual-aid crews conducted widespread water rescues, nursing-home evacuations, and set up shelters.
- Officials report no confirmed deaths or injuries so far and say remaining nursing-home patients were evacuated, while preliminary counts estimate about 270 structures with major flood damage and roughly 200 people displaced.
- A contested emergency decision in Cottonport to cut a ramp separating Bayou Rouge from Bayou Dulac was made to relieve pressure but was blamed by some officials for worsening downstream flooding in Plaucheville and Dupont.
- Recovery will be slow because flat terrain and saturated bayous hinder drainage, many residents lack flood insurance, and forecasters expect rain chances to fall even as a strong heat surge returns to the region.