Louisiana floods: Health hazard warnings as residents at risk of Zika virus and E-coli

Louisiana's embattled residents are now fighting against mosquito infestations, snake bites and cockroaches. Those seeking to return to their flood-damaged homes run the risk of respiratory problems such as asthma. There are also alerts about tetanus, as anyone with a puncture wound should go to hospital for an emergency tetanus jab.

Mosquitoes are one of the main worries, due to the Zika virus which has now spread to neighbouring Florida. "Swarms of mosquitoes may be seen in the affected regions several weeks after the storm," the Louisiana Health Department said, explaining that mosquito eggs "can lie dormant for years without water and these eggs will now hatch."

There were also alarming pictures of coffins floating down the streets, dislodged by the flood waters. Anna Johnson took photos of caskets part submerged in the water-logged streets at Denham Springs, 12 miles east of Baton Rouge. She described the scene as "worse than Hurricane Katrina".

At St Mark's Cemetery in Baton Rouge, the Walker Police Department said the caskets had become uprooted on Friday 12 August because of the flash flooding.

Some local residents saw entire burial vaults in the floodwaters, while those with relatives buried in the cemetery shared their shock. "I have family buried here," said one according to Inside Edition. "It is so sad."

Another wrote: "My daddy's wife is buried here. I feel so sorry for her children."

Residents were warned not to retrieve concrete vaults and caskets. "Do not go to the cemeteries," Zeb Johnson, Calcasieu Parish Coroner's Investigator said in an interview with KPLC. "These vaults weigh 1,600 to 1,800 pounds; caskets are full of water and if they are full of water, we know how to handle that and take care of it."

Over 11 inches of rain fell on Baton Rouge in just 24 hours over Saturday and Sunday (13 and 14 August), with 17 inches of rain reported in nearby Livingstone. The chance of rain is higher than normal over the next few days, with the hardest hit areas along the Mermentau River basin where flood waters continue to rise.

Governor John Bel Edwards said that 40,000 businesses and homes were without power supplies, and around 1,400 bridges were requiring inspection before they were considered safe for traffic.