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Floods in Louisiana
Persistent heavy rainfall in August 2016 in the US state of Louisiana led to major flooding. Entire stretches of land were left under water.
Record rainfall: It was the most serious natural catastrophe in
the USA since Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and produced a quantity of
rain three times greater than Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The
worst-affected areas were the south of Louisiana, including the
state capital, Baton Rouge. Between 12 and 14 August, some places
received the staggering amount of 650 litres/m2 of rain
(Livingston). In addition to flash floods, many rivers burst their
banks and 30,000 people had to be rescued from the floodwaters. At
least 13 people were killed, and roughly 60,000 buildings
destroyed. Some 100,000 people applied for emergency aid.
A scientific cause analysis estimated a return period of
approximately 30 years for an event of this intensity within the
central Gulf Coast region. According to the study, the probability
of such an event has already increased by a factor of 1.4 compared
to a model calculation without climate change.
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