BATON ROUGE, La., Aug. 16 (UPI) -- At least eight people have been killed by hazardous flooding brought by torrential rain in Louisiana though the heavy rainfall eased Monday.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards warned that officials will not know the true death toll "for sure for several more days."
More than 20,000 people have been rescued from floodwaters and more 12,000 are in shelters. Baton Rogue is sheltering about 5,000 people after thousands of homes were damaged.
Edwards warned that despite the easing rains, the floodwaters will remain -- or perhaps even rise -- in the coming days.
"It's not over," said Edwards, who had to seek shelter with his family after the basement of the Governor's Mansion flooded. "The water's going to rise in many areas. It's no time to let the guard down."
At least six rivers in Louisiana have hit record levels since the rainfall began last week. The Amite River in Magnolia crested at more than 58.56 feet -- beating the previous record by more than 6 feet set in 1977.
Many flood warnings have been extended until Tuesday and Wednesday, though East Baton Rouge, Livingston and Ascension will remain at risk until Thursday. Schools have been closed in many areas, including the Lafayette Parish school district where schools will be closed until Monday.
"There will be a daily chance for showers and thunderstorms this week," the National Weather Service said in a statement.
