86,500 Sought Federal Aid after Louisiana Floods

He said on Thursday that the death toll from the flooding stood at 13 people and about 30,000 people have been rescued from the floods. Rainfall hit historic levels in some parts of the state.

Waters have receded in many deluged areas with thousands of people returning to flood-hit homes to rip out soaked carpet and dump water-logged mattresses, Reuters reported.

Many residents said they lost almost everything they owned. As of Thursday, about 4,000 people were in shelters.

Louisiana is grappling with years of unresolved structural budget deficits that have collided with a weakening state economy and a sharp drop in revenues from oil and gas extraction taxes.

The state believes it ended the last fiscal year with a deficit that must be closed this year. It is also grappling with a potential $1.5 billion budget gap for the next budget year of 2018-19.