Man attacked by alligator in flooded Louisiana waters after Hurricane Ida-
Dangers lurk in the waters that’s flooding into communities.
The following written content by Christal Hayes
Hurricane Ida has destroyed homes, left millions without power and killed at least two people. But perhaps most ominous, it’s brought danger in the water that’s flooding into communities.
Officials say a man was attacked by an alligator in some of those flooded Louisiana waters Monday. The man’s wife witnessed the attack that happened near the city of Slidell, which is just across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans, Jason Gaubert, a spokesman for the St. Tammany Fire District No. 1, told USA TODAY.
Gaubert said the attack took the man’s arm off and his wife went to call for help. When she returned, he had disappeared in the flood waters. The man’s body hasn’t been recovered and officials were investigating.
The St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office said the man’s wife heard a commotion outside and saw the alligator attacking her 71-year-old husband, according to NBC affiliate WDSU. She helped pull him on to some steps and out of the flood waters. But after going to grab some medical supplies and call for help, he was no longer there.
The daunting nature of alligator attacks in flooded communities after the storm is something officials discussed earlier in the day.
Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng noted some swamplands had flooded and dangers were real for first responders and those living in the area.
“This is an area that has a lot of swampland, alligators, very dangerous conditions,” she said Monday on CNN, noting first responders had to wait for daylight to survey the area and rescue anyone needing help.
She added some areas saw flooding that was “beyond chest high. It’s up to the top of the roof.”
Despite the South being home to an estimated 5 million alligators, attacks by the reptiles during or after hurricanes are rare.
And researchers at the University of Florida told the Florida Times-Union, part of the USA TODAY Network, in 2019 that alligators typically hunker down in their natural habitat if a storm is approaching. The reptiles have sensors that allow them to detect changes in pressure before a storm hits. Read more from USA Today.
