Three dead, 7,000 rescued from Louisiana flooding

More than 7,000 people and 500 pets have been rescued from the waters sweeping across much of southeastern Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards said. He said the death toll from flooding remained at three, with one person missing.

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Lafayette received 10.39 inches of rain Friday after having less than a half inch of rain in early August, according to the National Weather Service. The Vermilion River, which was low before the rain started falling, has reversed course.

"The river's flowing upstream, which means it's flowing into the swamp," said Tom Carroll, Lafayette's public works director. In the 24 years he has worked in his building, Carroll said he has never seen the Vermilion River moving so fast in a northerly direction.

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Flooding was expected to continue through the weekend in southern Louisiana, the National Weather Service warned.

"The simple fact is we are breaking records," Edwards said. "So we really don’t know how much flooding we will see"