Remnants from Tropical Storm Arthur drench Gulf states, flooding homes and forcing evacuations The remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur unleashed torrential rains and powerful winds across the southeastern United States on Thursday, causing widespread flooding, evacuations, and water rescues along the Gulf Coast. As the first tropical storm of the 2026 Atlantic season, Arthur quickly weakened after forming but left behind a dangerous system that triggered catastrophic flooding in Louisiana and Mississippi. In rural Louisiana, over 2 feet of rain fell within 48 hours, with the majority occurring on Thursday, according to Donald Jones, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles. The deluge overwhelmed infrastructure, submerged homes, and forced emergency responses in multiple communities. In Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, at least 200 homes were flooded, with state Rep. Daryl Deshotel describing the situation as "catastrophic" for the region. The National Weather Service warned that the rainfall exceeded historical norms, with some areas receiving more than 10 inches of rain in a single day. In Perkinston, Mississippi, life-threatening floods trapped residents in a campground, prompting rescuers to use canoes to break through windows of recreational vehicles. Cars and mobile homes were swept away, and some residents told CBS News they barely escaped as water levels rose rapidly. Nicole Jackson and her fiancé, Hayden, described the chaos: "It's insane how quickly it rose. People that lived here a lot longer than us are absolutely shocked." Evacuations were ordered in southern Mississippi as rising waters threatened the stability of the Anchor Lake dam.#national_weather_service #national_guard #tropical_storm_artur #avoyelles_parish #anchor_lake_dam
