“Act of God”: Ruinous flooding catches Louisiana off guard

BATON ROUGE, La. — An act of God is how some are describing it, a catastrophic 48-hour torrent of rain that sent thousands of people in Louisiana scrambling for safety and left many wondering how a region accustomed to hurricanes could get caught off guard so badly. At least seven people have been killed and more than 20,000 have had to be rescued since Friday in some of the worst flooding the state has ever seen. A seventh body was pulled from floodwaters Monday, said Casey Rayborn Hicks, a spokeswoman for the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office. A volunteer patrolling in his boat found the body, and sheriff’s units confirmed the discovery. The coroner’s office said...