Reply #4: East Jeff flooding worsening; west bank deluged with evacuees

[Barrett808]

East Jeff flooding worsening; west bank deluged with evacuees
Wednesday, 11:05 a.m.
By Matt Brown
West Bank bureau

Jefferson Parish Director of Emergency Management Walter Maestri said Wednesday morning that the flooding situation in East Jefferson was worsening.

Officials said water from the breach in the 17th Street Canal levee was flowing across I-10 at the Orleans-Jefferson parish line and flowing into East Jefferson.

Maestri said the parish was scrambling to build temporary levees at various Metairie locations to try to stop the flow.

On the West Bank, where flooding was less prevalent, Jefferson Parish officials were grappling with a different crisis: Refugees from New Orleans were streaming over the Crescent City Connection in search of food, shelter and water.

Maestri said the population at three west bank shelters was increasing by 200 people per hour. He put out a call for large food distributors that might be interested in donating food to the shelters to call the Emergency Management Center at [phone].

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp