Evening star., 1940-08-11
Box Cars Removing
5000 From Flooded
Louisiana Town
Water Z to 8 Feet Deep
In Crowley; Boots Take
Food to Refugees
By the Associated Press.


CROWLEY, La, Aug. 10.-Evacu-
alton of flood refugees in box cars
to nearby Lafayette from this
inundated Southwest Louisiana
Rice Bowl city was under way
tonight.
An emergency organization at La
fayette, Is miles away and itself
drying out after high waters fol-
lowing days of torrential downp our,
sent two trains of box cars to re-
move as many as 5000 persons from
Crowley, whose 10000 normal popu-
lation was swelled to $4,000 by near
by residents fleeing flood waters.
Steve Afford, State superintendent
Of police, assigned two divisions of
his men to Crowley and two to La
fayette to aid the transfer.
Water stood 2 to feet deep ex-
cept for a stretch along the rail-
road right of way. Refugees had
been crowded into school, houses
and other public buildings for two
days with short food and water
supplies.
Boats Bring Bread and Milk.
Coast Guard boats were bringing
bread and milk to refugees here
and at Gueydan, where hundreds
of persons were stranded, many of
them French Acadians who speak
only their native patois. Many of
those at Gueydan had been evacu-
ated by boat west to Lake Charles
Noble Chambers, chairman of the
Arcadia Parish Red Cross Chapter
issued an urgent appeal for boats
and food.
Rains since the Gulf storm of
last Tuesday have measured up to
"a inches in parts of Southwest
Louisiana and enormous crop dam
age is forecast by Louisiana State
University extension workers.
From Jennings, La, came the
statement that fleet of Is boats
stood ready for movement toward
Crowley for removal of the most
urgent cases among the refugees.
The Red Cross activities at New
Orleans included the mobilizing Of
f1atboats which could negotiate the
bayous and backwaters of this Sec
ton.
A second relief train was being
loaded at New Orleans also, Red
Cross officials announced.
Gov. Sam Jones at Baton Rouge
said all relief agencies had been CO.
ordinated under the Red Cross. and
that everything possible was being
done to insure quick relief.
Red Cross Sends IL Workers.
In Washington the Red Cross an
nounced that II disaster relief
workers had been sent to the flood
stricken areas of Louisiana.
One relief train en- route here
from the West was blocked by a
washout on the Southern Pacific
lines, but officials said repairs would
be completed today. There was no
other means of exit from the city
except by boat.
To prevent epidemic two public
health officers arrived by Coast
Guard cutter today to chlorinate
the water supply. DR.. j. A. OHara,
president of the State Board of
Health, termed the situation "des-
perate." ....
The water reached depth Of S
feet in the best residential section
of Crowley, feet in the business
district and IL feet in low places
before the rains let up and the sun
came out today.
Aged Man and Child Die.
The deaths of an aged man and
a child in Crowley were attributed
indirectly to the floods.
The Coast Guard reported condi-
tions south of here in the coastal
parish of Vermilion increasingly SER
ious today. A Coast Guard survey
plane reported the small city OF
Gueydan inundated and cut of In
all directions, with hundreds OF
persons stranded and many perched
on housetops awaiting rescue. Food
was dropped to marooned residents
from planes.
| Four Coast Guard boats were sent