Massive flooding hit the Shreveport area Tuesday night as more than six inches of rain fell. South Bossier got more than five inches. The flash flooding stranded hundreds of motorists.
Shreveport Police spokesperson Kacee Hargrave says the emergency 911 system is loaded with calls from people contacting the police for non-emergency events. Some of the calls include people wanting police to vacuum water out of their houses. People are asked to call 911 only in cases of true emergency. Police have called in graveyard shift officers early to handle the influx of calls.
Motorists are being advised to stay home.
Police are investigating a death in the 600 block of Euclid Street that may be related to floodwater. Initial reports are that the man drowned, but that has not been confirmed.
In Stonewall, emergency units responded to an oil well fire, reportedly caused by lightning, on Stanley Road.
The Office of Emergency Preparedness, in conjunction with the American Red Cross and the Shreveport Police Department, is preparing to open a shelter for residents needing shelter from the storms. The shelter is in the process of being set up at the University Church of Christ, located at 2045 E. 70th Street in Shreveport. The public, via the media, will be alerted when the shelter is open for residents. Until then, it is advised that residents stay off the area roadways because of major and widespread street flooding.
At this time, the worse hit areas as far as flooding goes is in the southeastern part of the city. There are reports of water outages in the Southern Hills area.
