Two Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief teams have been activated to respond to storms that rolled through the state Wednesday, May 3.
A team from Live Oak Baptist Church in Watson and another from Many are traveling to Mamou to help with clean up in the aftermath of heavy flooding in the area. The Many team will work today (May 4) in Mamou while the Live Oak team will arrive tomorrow (May 5).
Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief State Director Gibbie McMillan said he had not received any reports of churches damaged from Wednesday’s storms.
The storm produced heavy rainfall in the state Wednesday.
According to the National Weather Service, several daily rainfall records were set, including Lake Charles, which received 5.49 inches of rain, breaking the 2000 record of 4.16 inches; New Iberia reported 4.93 inches of rain, more than the 4.16 inches in 2000; and Lafayette had at least 4.25 inches of rain, surpassing the record of 2.89 inches. Among the largest amounts were nearly 11 inches that fell in the Moss Bluff area and more than 10 inches south of Kinder. Golf ball-sized hail was reported in Allen and Rapides parishes and one inch hail was recorded in Vermillion Parish, according to the National Weather Service.
High water also closed a number of roads.
The Associated Press reported that Holly Hill Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Sulphur was forced to evacuate residents due to high water. Acadian Ambulance, Calcasieu Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness and Sulphur firefighters moved 76 residents to another facility.
In Iowa, students received a scare when their school bus drove off a road into some high water. No injuries were reported on board.
This bus in Iowa became trapped in a flooded roadway. Bree Winbush Facebook photo
KALB-TV showed photos of wind damage near Pitkin and trees and downed power lines on Highway 107 near Plaucheville.
State police responded to more than three times as many crashes and incidents compared to a day without any severe weather.
ROUND 2 IN LESS THAN A WEEK
This is the second time in less than a seven-day period the state has seen flash flooding and heavy rainfall. Last weekend, a storm system dumped more than 10 inches of rain in some areas, producing high winds and at least one confirmed EF-1 tornado.
At least one Louisiana Baptist church – Faith Baptist Church in Livonia – had the majority of its roof ripped off and a significant amount of water damage inside. The high water cancelled services at LifePoint Community Church in Mansura, First Baptist Church in Baker and First Baptist Church in Mamou.
Three chainsaw and mudout teams removed a tree and a considerable amount of debris in Natchitoches after a tornado packing winds of 110 miles per hour touched down three miles west of the city. Ron Thompson, director of missions for District 8 Convention, said members from the Natchitoches and Sabine Associations and Northwestern State University BCM all helped with the cleanup effort.
