UPDATE 5: Coast Guard continues flood rescues around Baton Rouge

[The Patriot]

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard rescued an additional 53 people and assisted other agencies in rescuing another 766 in distress due to flooding in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, area Sunday.

Coast Guard assets include two MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrews from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans and two MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrews from Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile, Alabama and a 16-foot boat from Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team New Orleans conducting surface operations. The Coast Guard also has six flood-punt teams from Coast Guard Sector Lower Mississippi, Memphis, Tennessee conducting surface operations through the area.

Coast Guard Sector New Orleans continues to coordinate and assist the Baton Rouge Police Department, Baton Rouge Fire Department, Louisiana State Police, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Governor's Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, and the Louisiana National Guard in the assisting or rescuing of more than 1,900 people.

Coast Guard crews will continue to conduct search and rescue operations overnight, assisting those in distress and bringing them to safety.




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